How to Teach Kids Programming
The future of technology is in the hands of the next generation of programmers. As such schools have begun to include programming in their syllabus, however, as it stands only a very small percentage of students show any interest in programming and an even smaller amount are able to handle the complexity of coding. So the questions is; how do you teach kids to code?
Well, in this article I answer just that so let’s jump in!
1. SCRATCH FIRST, PYTHON LATER
For those interested in teaching children how to program one must consider using the program Scratch. It incorporates a fun and useful IDE that children can truly excel at in programming. The program is not only intricate in the concepts, but more so exemplary in the simplicity of it all. If you want to start teaching your kids how to program early, say in their last two years of primary school, you should start with Scratch.
The concepts introduced can be applied to just about every programming language out there so it definitely needs to be considered. After 2 or 3 years of working with Scratch your budding pupil will be ready to more onto the next most basic programming language, Python. Again, Python is commended for its intricacy and simplicity, but more so than that it will help establish within the child what most programming looks like.
2. KIDS ARE PRACTICAL
When it comes to teaching programming doing it practically is always the way to go. One might think that learning the theory the best option to establish concepts before doing any programming, however, nothing establishes it faster than practical work, experiencing all the successes and errors through practice.
What is more important is the fact the children need to have the practical work to retain the interest in the subject. Too often in any formal learning environment the interest in the subject is butchered by theory as the student wants to get hands on with the subject. Which is why you see ever subject today include some practical lessons now and then to refresh the student and approach the subject logically. The statement also applies to that of programming. The younger the child the more hands-on experience they desire as theory will bore them in seconds. Nothing is more difficult to teach than an uninterested or bored student.
3. VIDEOS GAMES ARE PROJECTS
In school I can recall a wonderful experience where IT students were first being introduced to the subject. We had been shown some bare-bone basics of programming and the final project for the semester was so alluring to all of us that we spent so much of our free time working on it. Our teacher told us that our main project for the term was to construct a video game. Something well thought out, enjoyable and overall, the programming must be sound and complex.
The purpose of this project was to do something rather genius. We would make code that was concise and useful to make a video game that was enjoyable, but simple. We had to essentially analyze the market, plan, design and code every moving piece in our program and soon there were so many unique concepts being created in the class that the teacher had essentially created a working team from novices. I soon found out that this wasn’t just the brilliance of my programming teacher, but of all intuitive minds teaching the subject. If you want to hammer the understanding of how to program into children you need to do it using video games.
4. KIDS WANT TO SEE RESULTS
When it comes to programming everyone wants to see a successful program but this applies more to children as well. As they learn they want to see the effects of their programming. There are many software our there which do just that. You have a bug and it is your job to move it with code. With this in mind many students understand the concept and build on it. Almost as if through some form of miracle the programming student will dive into the programming to make the bug do many things, such as make a shape from the line it leaves behind, next make a letter and finally write their name graphically using a small 2-D sprite.
No matter how small the result from the programming it is enough to get the child’s attention and soon they will be developing tens to hundreds of lines of code to make their program complete the task they have in mind. A simple drive that can lead any programmer further into the subject and it is a fantastic way to get children interested in programming. To do this we come to our next tip…
5. KEEP IT SIMPLE
Simplicity is key in teaching children to program. While this is true of most cases, but the fact remain that in programming if you throw someone into the deep end it could lead to large amounts of stress and general abandonment of the subject. If you want to avoid this you will need to introduce all topics in their simplest form. Unlike teenager and adults when thrown into the deep end they will spend their time wisely and learn how to just about swim without too much help, but children need a life guard.
When it comes to keeping things simple in programming for children it is best to stay away from anything more advanced than if statements and loops. Beyond this we move into more complex code ranging from database management to object orientated programming. If you want to teach children how to program, take what you can teach them and provide them with may examples and projects until they not only build a wonderful understanding of the subject but also the keen energy to learn more advanced lines of code.
With all that said that concludes this article. With programmers being as successful as they are today anyone can understand the importance of teaching their children to program. The risks are minimal in the career and the rewards lucrative. As it stands it all comes down to the teaching of your child. Some might not be interested at all, but if you apply what you learned in this article you should have no difficulty in building an interest in most children.
