Dance Mat Typing Level 3: Bottom Row
Z X C V B N M, reached by curling the fingers down from the home row. Play it here: the level 3 game is below, free, no login, no ads, nothing to install. Ages 6-8.
Playing our Dance Mat Typing Game, level 3 (stages 7-9). Prefer a bigger screen? Open it full page. Drill the same keys in Bottom Row Burrow, then: Dino Dash.
What Dance Mat Typing Level 3 Teaches
The bottom row carries fewer common letters than the top row, so children get less accidental practice on it and more wrong-finger habits form here than anywhere else. Level 3 exists to isolate those seven keys and fix the finger for each one before the habit sets.
This is the same level 3 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 3: the keys are Z X C V B N M, reached by curling the fingers down from the home row, and the dance mat typing game above drills exactly those keys.
Level 3 Stages: Stage 7 · Stage 8 · Stage 9
Like every level of the program, level 3 is split into three stages that add keys in order. The program numbers them straight through, so level 3 is stage 7, stage 8 and stage 9. 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 7. Stage 7 introduces the middle of the bottom row, V and M for the index fingers, plus B and N which the index fingers also cover.
- Dance mat typing stage 8. Stage 8 adds C and the comma for the middle fingers.
- Dance mat typing stage 9. Stage 9 finishes with X and Z on the left and the full stop and slash on the right, the pinky and ring finger reaches.
Common Mistakes on Level 3
- Reaching for Z with the ring finger instead of the left pinky.
- Swapping B and N because both sit between the index fingers.
- Curling the whole hand down so the wrist drops onto the desk.
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 3
When the bottom row keys come without looking, move on to Dance Mat Typing Level 4, which adds capitals and punctuation. 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 3 — Questions
What keys does dance mat typing level 3 teach?
The bottom row: Z X C V B N M, plus the comma and full stop that sit beside them. Bottom Row Burrow on this page drills the same seven letters and shows the correct finger under every prompt.
Why is the bottom row the hardest level?
The reach is down and inward, which is the least natural finger movement, and the letters are rarer, so children get less practice on them from ordinary typing. Z with the left pinky is the single hardest key for most kids.
What should a child play after level 3?
Level 4 for capitals and punctuation, but many teachers insert whole-word practice here first. Dino Dash mixes all three rows into words, which is the jump from knowing the keys to actually typing.
Is BBC dance mat typing level 3 still available?
Yes. Level 3 is live on BBC Bitesize with the rest of the program. This page covers the same bottom row keys as a free game with on-device progress.
How long should level 3 take?
Plan two weeks of short sessions. Slow down on Z and on B versus N; if those two are solid, the rest of the row usually follows quickly.