Dance Mat Typing Level 1: Home Row
F D S A J K L and the semicolon, then G and H, then E and I, then R and U. Play it here: the level 1 game is below, free, no login, no ads, nothing to install. Ages 6-8.
Playing our Dance Mat Typing Game, level 1 (stages 1-3). Prefer a bigger screen? Open it full page. Drill the same keys in Home Row Hero, then: Key Catcher.
What Dance Mat Typing Level 1 Teaches
Level 1 is where the whole method lives. The eight home row keys are the place every finger returns to, and every other key on the keyboard is one hop from one of them. A child who learns to find F and J by the raised bumps, without looking, has done the hard part of touch typing already.
This is the same level 1 the BBC program teaches, and the original is still live on BBC Bitesize. For where it lives, what every level covers and how the alternatives compare, see our bbc dance mat typing level 1 guide. This page is only about playing level 1: the keys are F D S A J K L and the semicolon, then G and H, then E and I, then R and U, and the dance mat typing game above drills exactly those keys.
Level 1 Stages: Stage 1 · Stage 2 · Stage 3
Like every level of the program, level 1 is split into three stages that add keys in order. The program numbers them straight through, so level 1 is stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3. Here is what each one introduces, and the same order is how the game above unlocks its keys.
- Dance mat typing stage 1. Stage 1 puts the fingers on the eight home row keys, F D S A on the left and J K L ; on the right, and adds G and H, the two keys the index fingers reach for sideways.
- Dance mat typing stage 2. Stage 2 keeps the home row and adds E and I, the first reach up from the middle fingers.
- Dance mat typing stage 3. Stage 3 adds R and U, the index-finger reach up, so by the end of level 1 a child can type words like fire, rude, saris and jails without leaving the home position.
Common Mistakes on Level 1
- Looking at the keyboard to find F and J instead of feeling for the bumps.
- Pressing G and H with the middle finger instead of the index finger.
- Lifting the whole hand to reach E, I, R or U instead of stretching one finger and coming back.
Session length: five to ten minutes at a time, most days. A short session with the right fingers beats a long one with the wrong ones, and the game saves progress on the device so there is nothing to redo next time.
After Level 1
When the home row keys come without looking, move on to Dance Mat Typing Level 2, which adds the top row. Do not rush it: one to two weeks per level is normal, and going back a level is cheaper than fixing a finger habit later.
All four levels, in order, with the game for each one, are on the dance mat typing games page.
Dance Mat Typing Level 1 — Questions
What keys does dance mat typing level 1 teach?
The home row: F D S A on the left hand, J K L and the semicolon on the right, plus G and H for the index fingers. Its three stages then add E and I, and R and U. The game on this page, Home Row Hero, drills the same eight home row keys one mission at a time.
How many stages are in dance mat typing level 1?
Three, numbered 1 to 3 (the program counts stages straight through to 12). Stage 1 covers the home row plus G and H, stage 2 adds E and I, stage 3 adds R and U. On BBC Bitesize each stage has its own lesson; here the same keys are unlocked as missions inside Home Row Hero.
Is the BBC dance mat typing level 1 still available?
Yes. All four levels are live on BBC Bitesize and play in a normal browser. This page is a free game that covers the same level 1 keys, with progress saved on the device, which the BBC version does not do.
How long should a child spend on level 1?
Five to ten minutes a session, most days, for one to two weeks. Move to level 2 when the child can find F and J without looking and types the home row keys with the right fingers, not when the score is high.
What age is dance mat typing level 1 for?
Six to eight is the sweet spot. The BBC pitched the program at 7 to 11, but plenty of kindergarten and 1st grade classes run level 1 because it only needs letter recognition, not reading fluency.