How to introduce coding to your young ones at home.
We feel strongly about teaching children how to “code” and it is satisfying to see this issue getting lots of attention lately. And what most are discovering is that learning to program computers is a wonderful way to boost problem-solving skills, creativity, logic, and technical competence. While learning how to code side by side with their peers can seem fun, kids can learn how to code at home just as efficiently.
If you want to teach coding at home but you aren’t sure how to do it, we got you. The following tips will give you some guidelines on how to teach coding so that both the child and you have a pleasant and productive experience. As a parent, there are easy ways you can cultivate your child’s computer programming skills right now:
1. Use online resources
Scratch
Designed by MIT students and aimed at children ages 8–16, this easy-to-use programming language lets kids build almost anything they can dream. There are no obscure lines of code here. Instead, arrange and snap together Scratch blocks as if they are virtual Legos. It’s more than just a coding guide; it’s a vibrant online community of programmers who swap ideas and inspiration. And even better, there are tutorials that are understandable.
Alice
Alice is another excellent tool to introduce kids to programming. Similar to Scratch, Alice also uses chunky blocks of instructions that kids can drag and drop for them to create a program. It effectively teaches kids the concepts of object-oriented programming without getting too heavy on code. The difference is that kids can use 3D graphics to create animations, stories and games that they can share on the web. If your child finds a 3D environment more appealing, then Alice is a better choice as his introduction to coding.
Code.org
This nonprofit foundation’s website is an excellent starting point for coding novices. It shares plenty of useful online resources, apps that teach coding.
Khan Academy
Known for its extensive and challenging math games, Khan Academy also has basic programming tutorials that teach kids how to build graphics, animations, interactive visualizations, and more.
2. Encourage hands-on play.
There are more and more toys that, through experiential learning, teach the building blocks of coding. Kids 5+need to play around with toys that enhance their organizational, problem solving skills, logical thinking skills while at the same time having fun. They may not even realize that they’re developing an understanding of how coding works.
3. Let them play with apps.
As we’re developing skills for a largely mobile generation, it’s important to come up with platforms that are accessible and desirable for them. Kodable and Scratch (from the MIT Media Lab) both have Internet and smartphone apps to help teach kids of all ages programming. Coding Games For Kids — Learn To Code With Play (Android, 5–8) — This app consists of 11 coding games for kids such as Little Firefighter and Ice Cream Time that will teach them sequencing, loops and functions. It has colorful, cartoon animation that younger kids will find engaging.
4. Classes and Boot Camps
There are always classes and boot-camps that teaches coding for beginners and kids. Check out MindSet and Social Media pages for coding classes and boot-camps.
Best Programs to Start
After your child is trained on logical and computational thinking from dabbling with visual programming by manipulating coding blocks and playing games using simple text coding, the next step is to learn real world computer languages. To decide which program to learn next, consider what your child’s interest is, his aptitude, as well as the language’s popularity so that it will benefit them in the future.
Some Tips to Inspire Kids to Start Programming & Be Inspired
Keep it fun — Let them enjoy creating games and other fun stuff using visual blocks before they advance to more serious text coding. Give them projects where they can be creative, and where they feel rewarded by visible results.
Start with logic building — This is more important to learn than syntax or the language of programming.
Let your child think think — Don’t help him by providing answers.
Let them make mistakes — Programming is sometimes learned by trial and error.