How should I introduce coding to kids?

How should I introduce coding to kids? It is one of the main questions that come in the minds of parents who want to enhance the critical thinking skills of their children. Yes! You heard it right! Coding one of the main factor in improving problem-solving skills in kids. I know that introducing a child to coding is quite difficult for parents, especially those who do not have a programming background. As we all know, the digital world has taken a large part of all lives. That’s why it is wise to learn the fundamentals related to it.

“Coding is today’s language of creativity. All your children deserve to become a creator instead of the consumer.”

Maria Klawe

We are well aware of the reality that 90% of the public school in America do not teach coding as the significant subjects to kids. In this environment, it is the parents’ responsibility to take it one step further and introduce the kids to coding, problem-solving and critical thinking.

At what age should parents start introducing coding to kids?

From art to work and play, every activity suit a child according to the age. I know many of you aware of the programming; even if you do not know it, it does not matter. You only need the right techniques at the right age to train your child. For this purpose, you can take a deep dive into our writing.

“In simple words, coding is the creative process executed by the computer programmers to tell an A.I machine how to perform a task.”

Parents should start immersing children as early as possible, but if it is something technical, 6-10 is the ideal age to shape a young mind. The teaching of coding skills has gained popularity in recent years as technology revolutionized. It has become a part of everyday life, and we can see the seriousness of this field with the help of statistics. Here are some following reasons for which experts continuously endorse introducing coding to kids at a young age.

• The fresh young mind picks up coding easier at an early age.
• It can give successful opportunities to kids in the future.
• Coding helps kids to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills along with many others.
• Coding is one of the main reasons through which a kid understands the reality of the technological world.

Reasons why introducing your kids to code is important

“Coding is an invaluable skill to give to your child, and it has numerous academic benefits.”

As we all know, coding is not everyone’s cup of tea. That’s why it requires special skills. Everyone needs a little dose of motivation if they want to go ahead. In this case, it is a matter of your child’s future. Take all the essential measures and go through some vital highlights below.

• Coding is one of the primary sources to foster creativity in your child. If you want to teach your kid something new and at the same time, enhance cognitive ability, then it is the right activity to focus on.
• Coding and logic go hand in hand, so programing is indirectly enhancing the logistical skills of your child.
• Coding is one of the most demanded skills in this new world. By teaching programming, you are opening the waves of the future for the kid. According to the STEMS, around 90% of the world’s jobs are in the coding field.
• Coding teaches kids the skills of planning and organizing their thoughts. Eventually, it helps the kid to excel in their academic performance.
• Programming comes with new challenges every day, as it directly affects the ability of problem handling. If a kid faces these types of problems every day, then the kid can improve him/herself to handle the pressure and solve the problems.

A starter pack to teach coding to your kids

We all know the fact that kids pick up the information more quickly than adults, but it is also a fact that it is harder to explain the technical related items. That’s why it’s key to introduce coding to kids at a young age. If the concepts are more abstract, you need proper planning to develop different ideas. Computer coding, although it has a broad scope, is a topic that needs more focus to teach to the kids. For better understanding, we divided the conversation into the following two steps.

• Rules to follow before taking a start into the coding world
• And how should you start?

Rules to follow before starting

Before starting the technical information, here are the following things through which you need to set the ground.

Start with the coding basics

It is one of the basics steps to introduce your kids with computers and different apps. At this step, you need to let your kids understand how the machine works and support various forms of language to give us the final result. The primary level also includes explaining the data input, output, and how the computer handles it. Try to communicate with the child how programmers interact with the network and in which way the computer replies back.

Ask relevant questions to kids

Now you have given them little insight into how a computer works and how programming relates to the computer. Next, one of the effective practices is to indulge them in question-answer sessions. Always interact with questions so that they can correct any misconceptions. If you ask the kids basic concepts more often, it will help you assess their knowledge. It is one of the most significant opportunities to correct confusing doubts.

Make it coding relatable

Kids are small, and they do not have the same knowledge level compared to adults. Kid between 6-10 age does not understand processors and database related terms at an early stage. As a result, convey the knowledge accordingly. Your kid understands simple terms like bookshelves, toy box, or LEGO toys. If you are trying to explain the basic concept, then make it relatable with what the kid already knows. It is better to explain the things of computers in the form of bookshelves or toys and make them relatable with programming.

Always be precise and repetitive

You are dealing with kids here, so it is vital to repeat yourself more often. It is a good idea if you can use simple images. It is an excellent technique to keep the technical concepts in the mind of a kid.

Avoid computer science and coding terms.

If you are a software engineer or have a computer background, you might be more eager to introduce technical terms. Always keep in mind that the usage of technical terms can kill the essence of introducing coding to a young kid. Do not try to introduce the technical jargon to the kids because it can confuse them at early learning stages. Let your kid decide the own path and passion; do not try to impose things. Once the kids are familiar with programming, they would love to explore the other parts.

Some more tips for active learning how to code

Apart from the above techniques and methods, here are some tips that will help you efficiently to set the ground for kids.

• Use free programming tools to enhance the sense of visual style and graphical interface.
• Do not only talk about the concepts and theories to the kids; always try to speak with a source of actual code. Sit with your kid and try to help them write step-by-step codes by using variables, loops, and functions.
• Coding is a skill that requires more practice than other things, so always encourage the child to self-perform things. If you need them to click on the picture or code, just point out the finger instead of clicking it yourself.
• If you only have one computer at the house, if possible, purchase another for the kid to use according to his/her needs. This will give them a sense of ownership.

How should you start to introduce coding to the kids?

“It should be more important to learn coding for kids than to learn English, and it all should start from home.”

After explaining the core concept and rules, we now move towards tips that will help you while teaching the kids. A home is the first school of the child, so try to make it more effective by following simple ways. If we see the statistics, programming is getting lots of attention because it is spectacular to gain technical competency. We cannot jump into the field without the knowledge, especially when teaching the young kids. It is crucial to go slowly due to fresh and young minds.

Encourage hands-on play

Toys! Yes, it is one of the vital things that children love most. So, why do we not use this medium to teach coding to the kids? The LEGO toys and blocks building is the game-changer for the parents who are struggling to teach programming to the kids. Through fun activities, you are teaching your child how coding works.

Use online mediums and coding platforms

You are at the early steps to introduce coding to the kids, so using online platforms could be a game-changer. As a parent, you should find some easy ways to teach your kids the required skills. If you search up the things, then you can find so many organizations that are on a mission to spread knowledge of coding (https://code.org/ is an excellent source). Microsoft and Google are also working prominently to provide resources about networking, coding, and development.

Find a technical mentor for your kids

If you do not have a computer background, do not worry about influencing the child because you can find a mentor. A lot of ladies and gentlemen are on collaborative efforts to support the upcoming programmers. In this collaboration, the influencers document their struggles and experiences to provide a path and virtual mentorship.

Let them play with technologies

We are living in a technological age, and we will have to accept the reality that we can only conquer technology after learning it. So, if you want the child to learn to code, find platforms and apps that are always accessible. Code Monster (http://www.crunchzilla.com/code-monster) is a good platform if you are looking for some suggestions.

Sign the kids into summer tech camps

Summer camps are always excellent, where kids can find companions who have the same interest and activities. If you search online, you can find plenty of options where you can register children from ages 6-17 years. These camps help educate the kids by teaching them building websites, applications, video games, and new coding concepts.

Try to take your kids to coding events.

You can find lots of seminars and awareness camps that organize all over the country. These events help tremendously to bring awareness to the young generation regarding coding and gaming.

Create more real-life programming experiences

After giving a little bit of introduction to the coding, it is time to provide them real-life experience. At first, introduce the kids with robots or mobile apps development and how they work. After that, you can give them small tasks and challenges to polish their skills. The kids between 6-8 years are able to develop teamwork skills and understand robotic programming.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) on how to introduce coding to kids

There are so many questions that are circulating in the minds of readers, so here are the answers for some to remove the ambiguity.

What are the various approaches?

In the above discussion, we elaborated a lot on a very high level. For additional understanding, we can describe different approaches. Here are the various methods to keep our child on the right track.

• iPad can do more than cartoons, and you can download different coding apps for kids. Here are some examples to show the productivity of the iPad.
  • Daisy, the Dinosaur (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/daisy-the-dinosaur/id490514278)
  • Hopscotch (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hopscotch-programming-for-kids/id617098629)
• Online programming games for kids
• Teach coding with the child’s specialized toys
• Take a dip into the world of robot models
• Programming books for the kids

Why should my child learn to code? Isn’t the school enough?

“Coding provides a comprehensive medium for children to learn life.”

It is one of the common mistakes that most parents make. We know the immense importance of programming in today’s world, and it is much faster than any other occupation.

Unfortunately, at this time, schools are not offering coding classes. In this case, it is the responsibility of parents to think about the future and protect the future of the child. Schools do not have enough resources, so please do not restrict your kids’ progress to close platforms.

Final verdict on introducing coding to kids

If your kid does not make the way into the programming field as a professional, then do not worry, you gave your best. Programming for kids is not only career choice; you push them to polish their inner abilities. You helped them in building their creativity, problem-solving, organizational, and development abilities. If you’re ready to take the next step, check out our article on the best children programming languages in 2020.