Coding for kids: How to get the most out of the experience
Coding for kids programs has been on the rise these days. From online coding camps to one-on-one coding tutorials, there are now lots of available programs that your kids can choose from.So to help your kids get the most out of the experience, we have listed a few things that they should do.
Don’t Skip the Basics
Coding for kids programs has nailed teaching the basics and fundamentals to kids. Rather than read off of textbooks and write long lines of codes they do not understand, kids now have a more immersive learning experience. They learn the basics easily because the lessons and projects are a lot more fun and engaging.Take logic and syntax for example. These are basic concepts that every aspiring coder should know. However, logic and syntax is not an easy topic to teach to kids. So rather than provide long definitions and list tons of examples about these concepts, the coding programs nowadays focus more on drilling down these concepts to these kids’ through easy-to-digest learning lessons and fun projects.That said, even though these basic concepts might seem easy to learn, your kids still should not skip them. This way, once they decide to take on and learn a more advanced coding language, it would be much easier for them to grasp and understand them.
Complete and Participate in All Projects
To get the most out of these programs, your kids should try to finish and participate in all the projects assigned to them. This way, once they finish the online course, they would have a better understanding and they can easily apply all the things that they learned in other areas of coding as well.Many kids often skip the projects and assignments part. They think that attending classes or lessons is already enough to properly learn how to code. However, while this may be effective to some, it usually does not turn out well for many kids. Because they did not do the projects and assignments, they have no firsthand experience of what it is like to code. They are unfamiliar with all the tools needed for coding and they have no idea how to fix a problem once they encounter one.So to get the most out of what you pay for, your kids should try to complete and participate in all the projects assigned to them. This way, they can practice and apply what they learned as well as get firsthand experience of what it is truly like to be a real coder.
Explore Other Projects
One of the best features that these coding for kids’ programs has to offer is their 24/7 online support for kids. So if your kids are having some problems with their code, they can easily reach out to their teacher and ask for help. To get the most out of this feature, you can encourage your kids to explore other projects and apply all the things that they learned in class.For example, if your kid started learning Java in class, then you can introduce them to other fun projects that call for Java as the programming language like Minecraft modding. Once they start on these new projects, they would probably face problems or have some questions about them. If that is the case, then they can simply ask their teacher about it since Minecraft mods use the same language as the one they are teaching in class.However, as much as we want you to get the most out of this feature, always remember that their teacher is not an expert in all things related to coding. So as much as possible, try to ask questions that are related to the lessons. If you think that the subject or project is beyond their scope, then you can simply ask them for resources or have them refer your kid to someone who knows more about the subject. Since most coding programs nowadays are composed of a diverse and talented pool of educators, chances are there are other people from their team who can help your kid.With that, always remember to check and utilize all the features that these coding programs have to offer. This way, your kid would be able to learn how to code in no time.