The pace at which computer technology is taking over the world is nothing short of wonderful. Sooner, computer literacy would become a primary requirement for most of the jobs and, coders and programmers will be given special treatment for their ability to interact and modify computer programs.
Computer engineers understand the language of computers and interact with the machines with the help of their knowledge of maths, logic, and algorithms.
If you are a parent and are worried about the type of education you need to provide for your kids so they can have a successful career, you should definitely consider teaching them how to code. You can get them started with computer programming and coding easily, thanks to the vast number of resources available both online and offline.
Here are a few tips to get your kids started with coding:
Start with visual coding blocks
One of the best ways to get your kids started with coding is through block-based coding and the best block-based coding program out there is Blockly. With Blockly, kids can build algorithms by stacking blocks on top of each other. This particular style of coding has become popular as more entry-level coding programs such as Scratch started to implement it in their own interface. Moreover, block-based programs can also run on tablets, making them more convenient to operate.
Introduce them to the textual algorithm
Having introduced your kids to Scratch, Blockly, and other visual-based programming languages, you have established the basic concept and the underlying logic behind programming with your kids.
Now, you can take your kids to the next stage of computer programming. However, since there are a plethora of computer languages out there with some being “functional” and others “object-oriented”, you might find yourself confused as to where to go next.
There is no universal answer to this quandary since the field of applications vary from language to language. Any direction that you want your kids to move will require them to learn about commonly used libraries, variables, syntaxes, arithmetic and logical expressions, loops, etc. Most of the coding classes for kids including Java, Python, and C have these concepts.
Knowledge about real-world programming language
Now that you have familiarised your kids with the basics of programming and the elements one needs to know and understand before being able to code, it is time to move to a real-world programming language.
As technology is evolving, computer languages come and go with very few of them remaining strong in the rapidly changing scenarios.
Nowadays, JavaScript in conjunction with HTML and CSS remains the dependable programming language for website development. There are multiple variations of JavaScript-based framework that can be used to build high-quality, dynamic websites.
Besides JavaScript, Python is one of the most commonly used computer languages in the world. Companies like Google, Disney, and NASA use Python to build their applications.
Motivation is the key
It is important to motivate your kids to learn to code otherwise they would fall off and be reluctant towards learning computer programming. Children who have to learn on their own are faced with the quandary of using the computer to play games or watch movies or using the computer to learn something new and useful. That is why it is important to keep your kids motivated about learning the right way.
One of the best ways to keep kids motivated about learning to code is to explain to them the vast applications of coding in the modern world. You can tell them that most of the technology we use every day and the entertainment we consume have some sort of coding behind them. And learning to code gives you the ability to create something of your own from scratch.
Your goal, as a parent, should be to encourage children about learning to code by making the practice enjoyable rather than an obligation.
