Ages 5–10Trick or Type — a free learning game on TotType
Trick or Type goes trick-or-treating down a friendly street at night. Every house has a sign on its door: type what it says to knock, and the door swings open, a neighbor in costume (a ghost, a vampire, a black cat, a unicorn) pops out and tosses a treat into your bucket. Eight houses make a street, and every finished street brings fireworks and a card with the treats collected, your accuracy and, for words, your words per minute.
- Ages
- 5–10
- Teaches
- Finding letters on the keyboard, from P for pumpkin to W for witch · Typing whole words letter by letter, without rushing
- Plan
- Free — plays with no account; a free account saves progress
- Plays on
- Any browser — keyboard or touch, nothing to install
- In class
- With a Family, Family Plus or Classroom plan, one class link opens it for a whole class, with no student accounts (classroom typing games by grade)
How to play Trick or Type
Pick a street. Letters (ages 5–6) puts one letter on each door with its picture: P for pumpkin, G for ghost. Short words (6–8) has words like bat, boo, moon and ghost; Long words (8–10) has pumpkin, lantern, candy corn and jack-o'-lantern. Type the word on the sign; a friendly voice reads each one, and Hear it reads it again. A wrong key only wobbles the sign, with no timer and no way to lose. On a tablet, the on-screen keyboard types the letters and steps over hyphens and apostrophes.
What your child learns
- Finding letters on the keyboard, from P for pumpkin to W for witch
- Typing whole words letter by letter, without rushing
- Spaces, hyphens and apostrophes in words like jack-o'-lantern (on a physical keyboard)
- Accuracy first: every street ends with an honest accuracy score
Why it works at this age
Halloween is the one night a year children knock on doors for a reward, and Trick or Type turns that into typing practice: every correct word earns a treat, and every street ends with a fanfare. The three streets follow how children learn to type, from finding single letters at five to whole words with both hands by eight, and nothing is timed, so careful typing always wins.
Tips for parents
- Read the word together before typing it, then let your child type it alone.
- On the Letters street, say the picture's word out loud: P, pumpkin.
- Stop after a street or two. Short, happy sessions build the habit.
Frequently asked questions
What age is Trick or Type for?
Ages 5 to 10. Five- and six-year-olds play the Letters street, one letter per door with a picture; six to eight play Short words; eight to ten play Long words, which include two-word treats like candy corn and the hyphens in trick-or-treat.
Is Trick or Type scary?
No. The street is dark, but every neighbor is friendly and in costume: a smiling ghost, a vampire, a witch, a black cat, an owl, a bat, a fairy, a dragon, a unicorn or a robot. There are no jump scares and no scary sounds.
Is Trick or Type free?
Yes. Trick or Type is one of TotType’s free games: no payment, no card and no account needed. It opens and plays straight away, and nothing is saved.
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