The home row — A S D F and J K L ; — is the foundation of touch typing. Every other key is a reach outward and a return home. If that return feels shaky, expanding to the rest of the keyboard only teaches your fingers to guess. This plan turns TypingGuild's Getting Started home-row lessons into a concrete seven-day schedule with pass criteria, short tests, and game rewards — without rushing into full-alphabet speed chasing.
Expect about 15–25 minutes a day. The rules are simple: accuracy first, eyes up, and no skipping space-bar technique. If you want the wider beginner roadmap first, start with Learn to Type from Scratch. If you are ready to lock in home row now, open Home Row Foundation and begin Day 1.
First action: find home and feel the keys
Index fingers on the F and J bumps, eyes on the screen, calm rhythm. Finish one clean foundation lesson before you think about speed.
The Week at a Glance
Each day has one job. Finish that job cleanly before you add more keys or chase WPM. If a day feels shaky, repeat it — that is progress, not failure.
- 1
Home Row Foundation — placement and return-to-home.
- 2
Transitions without looking — ask, sad, flask patterns.
- 3
Thumb technique so word rhythm stays even.
- 4
Letter drills become real word chunks.
- 5
Right-pinky endurance and first gentle assessment.
- 6
Repeat your weakest lesson; short 1-minute check.
- 7
Retest, compare History, celebrate with games.
Home Row Basics (Know Before Day 1)
Left hand rests on A S D F; right hand on J K L ;. Your index fingers sit on the raised bumps on F and J — those bumps are how you re-find home without looking. Thumbs share the space bar. Keep wrists floating or lightly supported, not planted hard on the desk edge. Shoulders stay relaxed; the screen should sit high enough that you can read text without hunching toward the keys.
"Done with home row" does not mean you type fast. It means every keystroke ends with an automatic return to home. Until that reflex feels boringly reliable, stay here. Browse the full Getting Started path anytime on the Lessons hub.
Home row resting position
Index fingers on the F and J bumps — thumbs share the space bar.
Rules for the Week
These five rules keep the plan from turning into a speed race. Follow them even when a session feels easy — that is when sloppy habits sneak in.
Accuracy circuit breaker
Stop a drill if accuracy falls below ~90%. Slow down and restart clean.
Short perfect reps
Prefer short, accurate runs over long, messy ones. Quality beats volume.
No full speed tests early
Hold off on full speed tests until Day 5+. Form first, then measure.
Games are rewards
Play only after the day’s lesson. Never replace structured practice with score chasing.
Log one note
Leave one note per day in History or a simple checklist — which keys felt weak, how often you peeked.
Day 1 — Find Home and Feel the Keys
Lesson: Home Row Foundation. Focus on F, J, D, K, S, L, and A placements — and returning to home after every keystroke. If you need to whisper letter names at first, do it. Then go quiet so the fingers, not your voice, lead.
Pass criteria
Complete the lesson with a calm rhythm and minimal peeking
Optional: 5 minutes of Letter Pop only if accuracy held.
Day 2 — Combinations Without Looking
Lesson: Home Row Combinations. Today is about transitions — patterns like ask, sad, lad, and flask — while hands stay anchored. The common error is lifting the wrong finger or drifting off home between letters. Catch that early: reset on F and J, then continue slower.
Day 3 — Space Bar Mastery
Lesson: Space Bar Mastery. Space is where beginner rhythm breaks. Many people jab the bar with an index finger or mash with both thumbs unevenly. Use a thumb — usually the stronger or more comfortable one — and keep the other fingers on home. Even word spacing matters more than speed today.
Pass criteria
Even word spacing with no collapsed words
Optional light game: Word Rain — prioritize accuracy over score.
Day 4 — Real Home-Row Words
Lesson: Home Row Words. Shift from isolated letter drills to word chunks. Tip: read a word ahead, then type in short pulses rather than letter-by-letter panic. Before you close the session, type a short home-row sentence from memory as a mini self-check.
If one finger keeps failing, add a short isolation drill: Left Index Finger Drills or Right Index Finger Drills. Keep those to a few focused minutes — then return to words.
Day 5 — Semicolon + Full Home-Row Review
Lesson: Semicolon and Review. The right pinky often lags — do not neglect the semicolon. Treat this as endurance for a weak finger, not a race. After the lesson, take your first gentle assessment: the Typing Speed Test for Beginners.
Pass criteria
Lesson complete with calm form; beginners test logged
Interpret gently: ignore WPM if accuracy is under 90%. Celebrate fewer peeks. Start the beginners test when ready.
Day 6 — Consolidation + Weak Keys
No new material. Repeat the weakest lesson from Days 1–5. If a single finger is the bottleneck, add a short isolation drill for that finger only. Then run a short 1-minute typing test — still with a home-row mindset. Log results in History so Day 7 has something to compare.
Day 7 — Prove It, Then Celebrate
Retake the beginners test and the 1-minute test under the same conditions as Day 5 and Day 6. Open History and compare: accuracy trend matters more than a WPM jump. Fewer peeks and cleaner returns to home are the real wins.
Reward yourself with 10–15 minutes on Games — Letter Pop or Word Rain work well. Then decide next week: start Expanding Keys with Top Row Left Hand, or return to the parent Start Here roadmap for the bigger picture, or jump into the 30-Day Typing Challenge.
Troubleshooting Chart
Stuck on the same error? Match the symptom to a fix and stay there for a day instead of adding more material.
After the Home Row Week
Do not jump straight to 60 WPM goals. Next lessons follow Expanding Keys on the Lessons hub: top row → bottom row → All Letters. Keep a 3–5 minute home-row warm-up forever — it is the fastest way to re-center before harder practice.
FAQ
Quick answers if your schedule, age, or prior keyboard habits do not match the default seven-day pace.
Yes, if you already hold ~90%+ accuracy with eyes mostly off the keys and return-to-home feels automatic. Skip ahead only when pass criteria are truly met — compressing the calendar while still peeking usually creates gaps that show up when you add top-row keys.
Yes, with shorter sessions — often 10–15 minutes — and more game rewards after lessons. Keep the same accuracy-first rules and the same lesson order. Celebrate clean form more than WPM numbers.
Start at the earliest day that still feels effortful. Many self-taught typists know letter locations but lack a reliable return-to-home habit — Days 1–3 still help. If combinations and space already feel automatic, begin at Day 4 or Day 5 and use Day 6 to stress-test weak fingers.
Keep Going
If accuracy slipped this week, restart Day 1's Home Row Foundation and rebuild from calm form. Otherwise begin Expanding Keys from the Lessons hub — start with Top Row Left Hand when return-to-home feels automatic.
Fifteen focused minutes tomorrow beats a perfect plan you never open. Eyes up, accuracy first, home row solid — then everything else gets easier.