Dance Mat Typing Level 2: Top Row
Q W T Y O P, finishing the top row after E I R U from level 1. Play it here: the level 2 game is below, free, no login, no ads, nothing to install. Ages 6-8.
Playing our Dance Mat Typing Game, level 2 (stages 4-6). Prefer a bigger screen? Open it full page. Drill the same keys in Top Row Trek, then: Space Typer.
What Dance Mat Typing Level 2 Teaches
Level 2 is the first time a child has to move a hand without looking and bring it back. The reach itself is easy; returning to the home row afterwards is the skill. Most classes stall here, which is exactly why it is the most searched level on its own.
This is the same level 2 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 guide. This page is only about playing level 2: the keys are Q W T Y O P, finishing the top row after E I R U from level 1, and the typing dance mat game above drills exactly those keys.
Level 2 Stages: Stage 4 · Stage 5 · Stage 6
Like every level of the program, level 2 is split into three stages that add keys in order. The program numbers them straight through, so level 2 is stage 4, stage 5 and stage 6. Here is what each one introduces, and the same order is how the game above unlocks its keys.
The three stages below are how our games order this level's keys. The BBC original also splits every level into three stages, but its exact key order is its own; the keys covered by the end of the level are the same.
- Dance mat typing stage 4. Stage 4 introduces the middle of the top row, T and Y, which the index fingers reach up and inward to hit.
- Dance mat typing stage 5. Stage 5 adds W and O for the ring fingers.
- Dance mat typing stage 6. Stage 6 finishes the row with Q and P, the pinky reaches that most children find the hardest part of the whole keyboard.
Common Mistakes on Level 2
- Hands drifting up and staying on the top row instead of returning to F and J.
- Using the index finger for every top row key because it is the strongest.
- Skipping Q and P because they are awkward, then guessing them for years.
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 2
When the top row keys come without looking, move on to Dance Mat Typing Level 3, which adds the bottom 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 2 — Questions
What keys does dance mat typing level 2 teach?
The rest of the top row: Q W T Y O P. E, I, R and U were already covered at the end of level 1, so level 2 finishes the row. Top Row Trek on this page drills exactly those keys and names the finger for each one.
Why do so many kids get stuck on level 2?
Because it is the first reach away from the home row. The keys are not hard to find; the habit of coming back to F and J after each one is. If your child's hands stay on the top row, go back to level 1 for a few sessions before pushing on.
Do I have to finish level 1 first?
Yes, in practice. Level 2 assumes the fingers already rest on the home row. Starting here without that produces hunt and peck typing with extra steps.
Is BBC dance mat typing level 2 still online?
Yes. Level 2 is live on BBC Bitesize alongside the other three levels. This page is a free alternative that covers the same top row keys and saves progress on the device.
How long does level 2 take?
One to two weeks of five to ten minute sessions is normal. It usually takes longer than level 1 because the reach and return has to become automatic before the next row is added.