For a whole generation of children, learning to type meant one thing: a cheerful free BBC game with a dancing animated cat guiding you through the keyboard. BBC Dance Mat Typing was many kids’ first introduction to touch typing, and parents still search for it. So is it still around, is it still one of the best free typing games, and if not, what should your child use instead? Here’s where things stand.
Dance Mat Typing was a great, free way to teach kids touch typing, but the BBC has retired it, so here’s where it stands and the strong free alternatives that have taken its place.
The game’s charm and gentle, level-by-level structure made it a favourite. It’s no longer maintained on the BBC’s main learning site, so instead of chasing a possibly-broken version, most parents are better served by one of the excellent free typing programs now available.
What Dance Mat Typing was
Dance Mat Typing was a free online game from the BBC that taught touch typing to children through four levels, each hosted by colourful animated animal characters. It introduced the keyboard a few keys at a time, starting with the home row, with music, encouragement and a low-pressure, playful style that suited young children perfectly. Its strengths were that it was completely free, fun, and structured in the proper touch-typing way (building muscle memory from the home keys, not hunt-and-peck).
Is it still available?
The BBC has retired Dance Mat Typing from its current learning offerings, so it’s no longer officially maintained. Versions may still surface on archived or third-party sites, but these aren’t guaranteed to work, be safe, or stay online, and relying on an unmaintained game isn’t ideal when there are well-supported alternatives. Instead of hunting for a working copy, it’s usually better to move your child onto a current, actively maintained free typing program that does the same job.
The best free alternatives
Several excellent free typing programs now fill the gap, most structured, gamified and kid-friendly:
- TypingClub: a popular, thorough free course with structured lessons and progress tracking, widely used in schools.
- Typing.com: free lessons from beginner to advanced, with games and tests.
- Nitro Type: turns typing practice into competitive car races, great motivation for older kids who already know the basics.
- Keybr and similar: clean, no-frills practice that builds accuracy and speed.
Any of these teaches proper touch typing for free; pick by your child’s age and what keeps them coming back. A younger child needs the gentle, playful kind, while an older one may be spurred on by the racing-style games.
Why touch typing helps
With so much schoolwork now done on devices, a child who can touch type, instead of hunting and pecking, writes faster, focuses on ideas instead of hunting for keys, and gains a skill that lasts for life. Starting young, in a playful way, and practising in short regular bursts is far more effective than long forced sessions. Whatever program you choose, little and often is the way.
Frequently asked questions
Is BBC Dance Mat Typing still available?
Not officially. The BBC has retired it from its current learning offerings, so it’s no longer maintained. Copies may appear on archived or third-party sites, but they aren’t guaranteed to work or stay online, so a current free typing program is usually the better choice.
What was so good about Dance Mat Typing?
It was free, fun for young children thanks to its animated animal guides and music, and it taught proper touch typing by building from the home row a few keys at a time: a gentle, well-structured introduction.
What are the best free typing games for kids now?
TypingClub and Typing.com offer thorough, structured free courses; Nitro Type gamifies practice as car races for older kids; and Keybr and similar give clean accuracy-and-speed practice. Choose by your child’s age and what keeps them motivated.
Why should my child learn to touch type?
Because so much schoolwork is now done on devices, and a child who touch types writes faster and focuses on their ideas instead of hunting for keys. It’s a lasting, practical skill best learned young, playfully, in short regular sessions.
What to do now
BBC Dance Mat Typing was a wonderful, free introduction to touch typing, but the BBC has retired it, so instead of chasing an unmaintained copy, move your child onto a current free program like TypingClub, Typing.com or Nitro Type. Touch typing pays off in our device-heavy world: start young, keep it playful, and practise little and often.