There are millions of languages around the world and we use them to communicate our ideas, thoughts, emotions and even imaginative thoughts. As the world developed, coding programs were invented to communicate and convey instruction to computers, robots and many other technological appliances.
Of course, you would be thinking that coding seems like adult stuff and that it will be too hard and complicated for young kids. This is because millennials’ life did not revolve around computers and electronic devices as it is for the current generation. Today, kids do not take basic typing sill classes because they learnt to navigate through phones as a toddler. For kids of this age, computer skills are like second nature, which is also why it is now considered important to teach them coding skills as the upcoming future revolves around it.
It has now become a necessity to learn basic to intermediate-level coding during childhood. Coding encourages problem-solving, persistence, resilience, creativity and imagination skills, thus it also becomes a means for a child’s strong foundation not only in computer science but also in daily life as the future of work is all about tech. When it comes to teaching coding, reading dozens of books with hundreds of pages each becomes boring, lame and lethargic, hence not an effective method to teach coding with. But worry not, this problem has been solved. Now there are thousands of resources of different means that are specifically designed to make coding fun, easy to absorb and age-appropriate for every age. These resources have established standardized coverage, and a tutor to help the child with any questions is all that’s needed to get started.
Parents do not require extensive programming experience to be able to teach young learners. Below are some tips that can help parents teach their children to code;
What is Coding?
First, a parent needs to understand the concept of coding and what it is used for. Simply put, coding or programming is a medium of instruction for a computer to complete a selective task through step-by-step orders. Coding can be used to instruct any electronic device, for example, it orders apps to run on mobile phones or to make traffic lights adaptable to the traffic flow for both pedestrians and vehicles. Coding also plays a role in creating online interactions and visiting websites. There is a common conception that computers are smarter and faster than humans, but actually, they are nothing without a code. Coding gives life and purpose to all digital devices.
Familiarity with Coding Terms
For a parent to be able to communicate with their coding-learning child, they need to learn coding terms and vocabulary. It will also help them when they are trying to teach beginner-level students. Some of the basic terms are described below;
Variables
Variables are like containers that hold an important piece of information or data. Variables can contain different sorts of data; it could be a number or a word etc. It can also be given a name to remember so that coders can remember they put it.
Training
Training is a procedure in which a large amount of data is fed to the algorithm. So that algorithm can improve and flourish.
Loops
While loops or For loops are used to repeatedly perform a set of tasks if a certain condition is true. For example, while time is between 9 am and 5pm, allow employees to order tea.
Loop is a block or a bundle of code that can be named to run the code it carries.
What are Coding Languages?
When it’s said that coding is used to instruct a computer or a website, one must consider that there must a specific method to provide instruction, right? Well, different coding languages are used, depending on the task and desired outcome. This language takes several forms, shapes and functions. Just like how language change is expected and essential to communicate with people from different parts of the world, different coding languages are required to communicate efferently and effectively with different machines. Below are given basic descriptions of the most common coding languages;
JavaScript
It is mostly used to develop and instruct websites and many other client-facing applications. Most of the interactive websites and games are instructed by JavaScript. It is used to control the behaviour of web pages. It is the most common and used coding language today. One of the reasons is that it is the easiest language to learn, it is also the most widely used programming language for web programming.
Python
It is a coding language that is also commonly used as it allows programmers to use multiple programming styles while creating a program. Famous online platforms like YouTube use Python for many functionalities. It is an ideal coding language for both beginners and experienced coders. As Python is being taught to students in many countries, we’ve seen learners make excellent progress when they are able to get some help from a personalized tutoring session at tutorbees.net
If you’d like to learn Python, you can register here.
HTML
HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. Though the name might sound complex, this language is more like easy stepping stones if one wants to enter programming world. HTML describes web pages with ordinary text. Unlike many other coding languages, it is restricted to producing and organizing the text of a site, such as sections, headings and paragraphs. At the tutorbees.net platform, 20+ children of ages [10 to 18] have successfully completed 6 weeks introduction to HTML course that helped them make their own web pages. See the sample projects made by these children.
If you’d like to get started with HTML, you can register here.
Blockly.games
Blockly is a free code teaching platform for anyone of 8+ age. It focuses on introducing programming principles and introduction of JavaScript by using the block-based programming approach. Its activities are more like solving puzzles, the only difference is that student needs to connect pieces of code and there is no missing puzzle (code) piece.
If a child can read, he or she can learn coding through Blockly. Though certain games include the usage of a number of degrees to explain the direction an object is moving and some other concepts that a young child might find difficult to understand completely, the overall experience becomes very engaging when there is a tutor to help roadblocks in progress.
But overall, Blockly is one of the coding websites which is appropriate for both kids and parents with little to zero coding experience.
Scratch
Scratch is another free resource that is designed to teach young children of ages 6-12 how to code. Kids can easily learn to program their interactive games and then they can witness it come to life using programming blocks.
At TutorBees.net, 60+ young learners have happily started their programming journey with Scratch and with a little guidance from the tutor in the 6 weeks course. See the following projects developed by kids who’re doing this at tutorbees.net
Click here to have a glimpse of how we teach our students.
If you’d like to get started with Scratch, you can register here.
Expert help to get you started
While teaching code to a kid, a parent is going to face some roadblocks, they could be questions by children or confusion on the parent’s side or it just could be difficult is keeping children engaged in coding. Though there are all types of information and guidance given online, sometimes an expert opinion for a certain situation is better than generic pieces of advice from the internet. This is why do not feel shy and hesitant to contact an expert at tutorbees.net that can help with dozens of questions and can also share tips on how to keep children interested in coding.
While learning to code, the most important thing is that it stays fun for everyone, this way kids can have more effective learning as well. And always remember that coding demands patience and resilience. Children must be taught coding in a certain right way, otherwise, it can become a boring class for them. If teaching is fun and educational, then positive results will be quite visible in both academic and professional skills.
You can register here to get started with Coding classes:
Tip – Give Authority to the Kids:
Indeed it is exciting to share knowledge that you know, but coding is more about practising than just listening and watching. This is why, allow your children to practice, let them work themselves, and only help when you asked to. But even while helping, do not take control of everything, just give them a hint or guide a little and let them continue on their own. For example, if they need to type a code, let them type it, it will be quite slow indeed but let them do it under your guidance. It will bring more confidence in them.
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