Typing for toddlers -- what exists?
July 18, 2020 2:11 PM Subscribe
My 3-year-old loves to type. We usually set him up in Word, but it's a frustrating experience -- he hits keyboard combos, accidentally opens things or shuts down the program. Is there a way to restrict the keyboard to ONLY the alphabetical keys and/or programs that are designed for toddlers to type and nothing else?
I think my ideal would be a version of Word that would allow typing, but literally nothing else -- can't open other programs, open pop-ups, or any other part of the program. And he only needs to use the alphabet and space bar. Surely someone has designed some kind of Word-like program or medium for toddlers to type to their heart's content. (Alternatively, we could get a typewriter off eBay....)
I think my ideal would be a version of Word that would allow typing, but literally nothing else -- can't open other programs, open pop-ups, or any other part of the program. And he only needs to use the alphabet and space bar. Surely someone has designed some kind of Word-like program or medium for toddlers to type to their heart's content. (Alternatively, we could get a typewriter off eBay....)
Best answer: Can you create a new keyboard layout where anything that isn't a letter or number is mapped to spacebar or something harmless? Switch to that layout with the mouse and then switch back when toddler is done. I might do this..my son likes "doing the letters" too and has the same problem.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 2:26 PM on July 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 2:26 PM on July 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
You want Scott Hanselman’s “Baby Smash”
https://www.hanselman.com/babysmash/
Link from phone, sorry about formatting.
There’s also PawSense, which locks keyboard when it detects “cat like typing” and some folks have reported success with toddler use as well.
posted by bilabial at 2:36 PM on July 18, 2020 [11 favorites]
https://www.hanselman.com/babysmash/
Link from phone, sorry about formatting.
There’s also PawSense, which locks keyboard when it detects “cat like typing” and some folks have reported success with toddler use as well.
posted by bilabial at 2:36 PM on July 18, 2020 [11 favorites]
Best answer: Get a typewriter! They are cheap and it would be tons of fun for a kid.
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:26 AM on July 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:26 AM on July 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
My daughter likes to type into a google translate window. It has the added advantage that you can get it to attempt to pronounce whatever random string of letters you typed.
posted by keeo at 6:42 PM on July 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by keeo at 6:42 PM on July 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Came here to suggest alphababy if you have a Mac or iOS device. This program does exactly what you want (let’s them type and mouse) and locks them from doing anything else on the screen. A more experienced typer must type a specific word quickly to quit the software. My 3 year old loves it and has quickly learned how to use the mouse (click and drag) to get a duckie picture to show up on the screen. It also says the names of letters, numbers, and shapes as the kid types, so make sure to turn down the volume before launching. I learned about this software from ask metafilter!
posted by cybrbananapeel at 7:53 AM on July 20, 2020
posted by cybrbananapeel at 7:53 AM on July 20, 2020
Response by poster: We bid on a typewriter! (I'm also trying to keep him away from screens -- we've been pretty lax with the TV over the course of quar, but I don't want him typing on a screen before bed!) Thanks all!
posted by melodykramer at 9:12 AM on July 20, 2020
posted by melodykramer at 9:12 AM on July 20, 2020
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posted by SaltySalticid at 2:26 PM on July 18, 2020 [1 favorite]