It’s never too early to learn programming
Written by Mariví Rubio and Valeria Roldán.
Mastering computer science is not something of the future, it is the present. And our present and future are the smallest in the house. Yes, those little monsters that seem to have been born with a sixth sense for technology. And it’s a good thing, because nowadays technology has become our eternal companion: We have them in our homes, at work and in our pockets.
But that innate ability needs to be awakened and trained: the first experiences with computers offer the confidence to grow with the new technologies, to interact with them; They provide new ways of expressing ideas and influencing the world around them.
Currently there are numerous initiatives that defend and encourage children to “play” and increase their curiosity in programming.
On this path is Juan Alonso, Senior Manager at Accenture Digital — Liquid Squad, who carries out some projects with children and who tells us about his experience.
- How has your experience been introducing children in programming?
It has been very interesting. As the maximum age is twelve years we use Scratch to learn the rudiments of programming without writing code. Based on the materials of Hour of Code, the difficulty is very measured, which allows them to learn without getting frustrated.
- In which initiatives do you collaborate to take the programming to the younger kids?
The main one is The Martian Week, where we set up a couple of workshops every year. We would like to ride more, but logistics takes time and it is not always possible to organize it. This year I participated as a volunteer in the Vailets Hacklab Day, but this case was a topic of pretechnology, where children approached electricity in a fun (and innocuous) way.
- Do you notice that in these events there are more boys than girls? Is it harder for parents to take their daughters than their children to these workshops?
Fortunately, it is becoming more balanced. The first year we reserved a quota of places for girls, but later it was not necessary anymore. In the invitations we emphasize that everyone is welcome, and we encourage family members to bring their daughters, nephews, little brothers …
- How did the Martian week come about, how did you decide to introduce visits for girls and boys?
In Tecnilógica (now Liquid Squad, from the purchase by Accenture) in addition to web and mobile developments we make other, more “rare” projects. We had made more than twenty, both internal and for clients, and we came up with a week of open doors: talks and round tables for clients, workshops for the team, guided tours … I do not know at what point we thought of organizing the workshops, but the idea fit immediately, we did not have to fight it at any time.
- What is Vailets Hacklab?
I met the initiative thanks Jordi Coll, a friend of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, who is one of the volunteers. The idea they have is to teach technology to children, in a fun way, encouraging creativity, fun, group work … they have a manifesto where they collect these values , which totally coincide with my perspective on the subject.
- How important, according to your experience, is that girls and boys are interested in programming?
I think it’s important to demystify and lose fear. That later they will be doctors, pharmacists, lawyers or veterinarians, we will see, but at least they have had contact with the programming and the technology that can help them to better understand the current environment, so technified.
- To conclude, do you have any future projects for children that you can talk about?
Apart from the Martian week next year (where maybe we do some activity for teenagers) I have nothing planned. But if someone cheers up, I sign up quickly.
In addition to the initiatives that are carried out in companies such as Liquid Squad, there are other ways to start the kids in the arts of programming. Here we propose a list of applications and games to teach children that programming can be very fun.
- Scratch: Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively, essential skills for life in the 21st century.
- ScratchJr: With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5–7) can program their own interactive stories and games. In the process, they learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer.
- Bit by Bit: Is a puzzle game that introduces the mindset of programming to kids.
- Cargo-Bot: App for IOS. The puzzle game that challenges your brain and helps you learn programming concepts.
- Hopscotch: An app for IOS to learn how to program and make your own games and apps.
- LightBot: Is a puzzle game based on coding; it secretly teaches you programming logic as you play!
- Daisy the Dinosaur: Is a free app that introduces the basics for coding to children of 5 to 7 years old.
- Kodable: Learn to code through fun and self-guided games. Computer Science for kids 4–10.
- The Foos: It is a free game in which children can build levels using the logic of programming.
- Tynker: Everything your child needs to learn computer programming the fun way! Starting at 7 years.
There are many more options for our little digital natives, you just have to find the programming language that best suits your child’s age and tastes. All are benefits, from logic and mathematics to improve English, creative ability, concentration and many more! So there are no excuses, whether spending family time in the “Martian week” or downloading these free and accessible applications, your child can get “hands on the code”. And since there is no better way to learn than playing, let’s play!
