Four Important Tips To Follow Before You Get Your Kid Started Coding

In the digital world of the present era, where everything around us runs on technology, it is imperative to understand how this works, and thus, coding has become a crucial part of learning. Kids have a powerful imagination and hence, tend to learn to code more quickly and easily, since coding is a creative process. Their creative imagination is a real asset when it comes to finding solutions for real-world problems.

Coding simply put, is a list of codes arranged and fed in the computer which results in the completion of the desired task. However, there are certain things to be taken care of before you initiate your kid into coding. Here are Four Important Tips to be considered before investing in your child’s future and helping them to learn to code.


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Understand the Importance of Using Coding Program/Language

While initiating kids to coding, it is important to choose the type of coding language/program which is suitable for a particular age group. Although there are many platforms that are available for kids, it is crucial to analyze carefully and choose age-appropriate ones that give your child enough room to develop interest and to play and learn, without needing an instruction manual every few minutes. The excitement of experimenting and the process of discovery is the core component of a coder's world.

Amidst a plethora of coding programs available, choosing the right one for your kid requires serious thought. For beginners or kids of the age group 5-7, Visual Block Platforms can be helpful. Typically for beginners, these drag and drop, visual block programming courses are the tricycles of coding. These are designed to be fun and easy.

There are several free apps and Web resources, to begin with, like Daisy the Dinosaur and Hopscotch. Web-based programs like Code.org, Scratch, Tynker, among others are platforms that teach coding through a more visual, tactile approach without the impediment of typing.

This also serves as a bridge to Text-Based Platforms.

For teens and pre-teens, a course on HTML and CSS is a great place to start, which teaches students about how to create Web pages from scratch. Python can also be an excellent first programming language because it has a simple syntax and produces readable code.

Other resources for Text-based programs can be programs such as CodaKid, Codecademy, and Khan Academy. 

Acquiring adaptive learning and lots of hands-on practice with the source code will always help to better grasp the coding skills. Parents should refrain from solving problems for kids or adopting a strategic teaching plan.

The best method to teach coding is to allow kids a trial and error process, while gently steering them towards the proper steps and approaches to support their learning.

Coding Is Fun And Creative

Coding or computer programming is stereotyped as a job of math nerds. One of the aspects of coding can be about science and problem solving, but coding is also about creativity and giving life to the imagination in the form of applications, games, robots, etc.

While steering kids towards coding, you must refrain from the mundane and academic curriculum. Instead, focus on engaging courses which capture your kid’s interest by emphasizing creativity. They will automatically learn some core programming concepts if it is not forced upon them and they can just have fun.

Tap in to their interests. Kids love to create. Let them design robots and their operating programs. Avid readers can create websites to publish book reviews or online reading, and sports fanatics can build websites about sports, their favorite teams, etc.

They can be encouraged to create video games, interactive stories, or short video sequences. The best approach would be to follow their interests and keep problem-solving fun. They should always be encouraged to get curious, tinker around, and get creative.

Designing games could be a great way to start your child's coding journey. This could involve various coding concepts in a fun and engaging way, eliminating the fear of failure. These games should be simple ones for beginners to help build the problem-solving thought process.

A Mentor Is Compulsory

A mentor can be an asset, by sharing his/her enthusiasm and thus inspiring and guiding your kids when they hit roadblocks with their coding programs. They also challenge them to keep exploring different coding solutions and career paths.

This mentor could be a friend or colleague who works in the technical field, or professional tutor, or make a team with older students.

The guidance from an experienced developer can be invaluable and the interaction can be over Skype or any other video conferencing/screen share solution. There are also several companies, which specifically offer this mentoring.

Coding Should Be A Social Activity

Finding opportunities and encouraging students to code as a team or having a network of friends who are similarly interested in coding will go a long way in keeping them engaged. In the same manner, group coding projects also encourage teamwork, allowing students to learn from each other. You can also find online or offline classes.

Conclusion

In this tech-savvy world, coding is an added skill that enables kids to see the world through the eyes of innovation and understand the language of the future. It can inculcate traits such as patience, memory, and concentration. Introducing coding to children will open up a whole world of possibilities for them. There are many apps and resources for kids to learn coding, but it’s not just about giving them the right tool, It is also about patiently showing them how it’s helpful for their future.

However, all said and done, you need to first understand what interests your kids. Asking them to jump on the bandwagon without a genuine interest or inclination to learn is not the right way to go ahead. Do not burden them with the task of knowing everything!