Coding for Kids

What is Coding for Kids and Why our children should learn it? 

Coding? Huh? Can my kid learn to code? Well, coding seems like a daunting activity for kids. It is not as easy as to tell them to learn mathematics tables! Simply asking kids to imagine themselves with the ability to, say, create an app or develop software, is a challenging enough challenge!! 
There are many reasons why coding is important to learn, and why coding should be taught from an early age in schools. 

The early kids learn to code, the higher the chance they have of success. Recent studies put coding at the leading edge of prospective careers. 
So, the question is how are we learning and teaching our kids to code and why is this so important? Moreover, how early we should start them to teach coding?

  

What is the meaning of ‘Coding for Kids’?

 

Kids’ coding refers to the gathering of opportunities available for children to engage in coding. As already mentioned, while it may be difficult to imagine a young mind learning something so apparently complex, it is an attainable reality. Coding can be enjoyable and understandable due to the development of many summer camps, projects, websites and toys. 

Coding is what helps us to build computer applications, software, and websites. Your browser, your operating system, the apps on your phone, Facebook, Instagram and this blog-all made with code! 

How to make kids learn to code and when? 

Well, this question has several answers. But let us focus on one main point, I.e. exploration. The more your kids will get to know about coding, the more interested they would feel and start by exploring themselves that what it actually is! 

Let’s follow these steps in order to start coding: - 

• Why should kids learn to code? 
• What are the main benefits of coding? 
• What are the best coding languages for kids? 
• Understanding the difference between coding and programming. 

Why should kids learn to code? 

A long time ago, coding was confined to professional programmers and ‘software people’ only. This was because people, especially parents were not familiar with features and benefits of coding for kids as well as the idea was new in the education system. 

 

Until, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education system was introduced. According to STEM stats of 2018, about 71% of the STEM jobs were in computing but only 8% of candidates qualified in computer science. Imagine the situation, even today people think that coding is difficult to learn.  

Facts say that these jobs have high pay scales. Which means that the demand for coders is high. Which also means that this is the main reason why your kids should learn to code! 

What are the main benefits of coding? 

Coding improves the overall academic performance 

Math, science and English are the most scoring and important subjects of all. They help build the foundation of every kid. 

1. Math: Coding helps children imagine abstract ideas, encourages them to apply math to real-world scenarios, and makes math fun and imaginative! 

2. Grammar and Writing: Children who code, understand the importance of concision and planning which leads to better writing abilities. 

Coding helps in self-enrichment 

1. Creativity: Children learn through experimentation, and when they code, strengthen their brains, allowing them to embrace their creativity. 

 2. Trust: Parents say enthusiastically that they have found confidence building for their children as they learn to solve problems by coding! 

Coding helps in building soft skills 

1. Focus and Organization: Children naturally develop better focus and organization as they write more complicated code. 

2. Resilience: debugging comes with coding-so there's no better way to create perseverance so resilience than challenging! 

3. Communication: Coding teaches logical communication, reinforcing verbal and written competencies. Think of it: Code learning means learning a new language!

 

Coding opens the doors for better career prospects 

1. Empowerment: When children code they are empowered to make a difference! 

2. Life Skills: In the digital age, coding is basic literacy and it's crucial for children to understand – and be able to innovate with – the technology around them. 

3. Career preparation: In the tech industry there is a high demand for workers; mastering coding at a young age allows children to excel in whatever field they choose! 

4. Competitive Advantage: In the eyes of potential college admission officers and employers, if you have a hot skill that many of your peers lack – such as the ability to code – you instantly appear more desirable. Plain and easy. 

5. Problem Solving: When children code, they take up complex problems and divide them into smaller parts. Children learn how to approach a problem with logical, computational thinking, the way a software engineer does.  

What are the best coding languages for kids? 

A programming language is a specific, coded language used to convey instructions to a machine — in most cases, a computer — to ensure we 're on the same page. Because machines work in a particular way, programmers must use formal languages to communicate with computers, develop software programs, express algorithms, or give specific instructions. 

Here is the list of 7 best coding languages for kids to learn: 

• Scratch- Visual programming languages like Scratch provide a solid foundation for programming principles when it comes to coding for kids, with kids being able to drag and drop blocks of code to animate characters, create games and build apps. 
• JavaScript- It is an object-oriented and procedural programming language that is used on the user's computer for front-end or client-facing applications. 
• Java- It is one of the world's most widely used programming languages, with analysts claiming about 90 per cent of Fortune 500 companies are leveraging Java. So, for students who want a rich understanding of coding that can be built upon for years to come, it is a great option. 
• Lua- Lua (which means "moon" in Portuguese!) was created in Brazil and is a lightweight coding language designed for embedding in applications. It's a language of multi-paradigm, meaning it has a set of general features that can be applied to many problems. 
• Python- It is considered one of the easiest to learn coding languages, partly due to its simplified syntax and focus on white space. To get up and running, Python needs fewer lines of code so even beginners can start creating relatively quickly. 
• C++ (C plus plus)- This language will give teens a very deep understanding of programming despite the time and complexity required to learn C++. C++ can be used to build operating systems, games, and a few other programs. 
• C# (C Sharp)- C # is an extremely popular programming language used to develop most Windows-based third-party applications. It is the fourth most in-demand programming language for jobs and maybe a great starting language for new coding people. 

The above languages would be discussed in detail with their features and advantages in the next article. 

Understanding the difference between coding and programming. 

Programming is a broader discipline at the most basic level whereas coding is a narrower one. 

Coding involves writing many lines of code to create a program for the software. Programming involves not only coding but also other tasks, such as analyzing and implementing algorithms, understanding data structures, problem-solving and more. Programmers typically have strong analytical skills and are technically minded. 

To put it simply, all programmers are coders but not all coders are programmers. Some experienced programmers use the word "coder" as a jargon which refers to a software developer for beginners (junior). 

So, as you can see there is something for kids that would be totally engaging and they would be having a lot of fun while learning!