Some letter combinations occur frequently in English. Practicing these keystrokes until they become deeply ingrained muscle memory boosts overall typing speeds. Common words and letter combinations include "ing," "tion," "er," "and," "the," "that," and "for." Drill kids by having them type each combination over and over for a set number of lines or until they can type one full line (or more) without any errors. Through consistent practice, they will find a tiny speed burst every time they type one of these common combinations.
While few people actually need to take dictation, students who practice listening to words and translating them into keystrokes in real time with increasing speed develop focus as well as typing skills. Read a paragraph aloud at a speed that will challenge but not discourage your students, and have them type it as you speak. Pause after each word the first few times, but as the students get better at the task, begin reducing the pauses. Gradually work up to normal reading speeds.
This drill is intended to build typing speed and focus. On each keyboard, tape down the "Backspace" key, then press any key. Drill students by giving them paragraphs to type, but tell them to ignore errors and focus on speed. When students can overcome the instinct to fix errors before continuing, it greatly boosts their speed in typing drafts or recording brainstorming sessions where accuracy does not matter. Seeing the resultant speed boost also builds students' confidence by showing them just how fast they are capable of typing.
Facility with keyboard shortcuts and navigation is almost as important as being able to type numbers and words quickly. It is possible to operate many programs almost without use of the mouse, and those who learn to do so early on save a great deal of time. Challenge kids to see how much they can accomplish without using the mouse, or remove it from the computer altogether for a set time period and let them discover how much is still possible.