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Kids Need to Learn Coding Fundamentals from the Start
Here’s a great article from The Crazy Programmer
All parents know that the jobs of tomorrow will rely on STEM skills and programming knowledge and that it’s necessary to get ready for this today. But if you don’t have these skills yourself, how can someone recognize the best coding instructors from the rest?
It’s crucial to find an online coding camp for kids today that imparts programming fundamentals. Let’s check out more about how they work and what you can expect to find.
Goals Like Video Games
There’s hardly anything kids love more than video games, and framing lessons around something they love so much is a perfect motivator for learning. The best coding programs for children teach them how to build their own video games that they can play afterward and show their friends.
In a way, building a video game can feel like playing a video game. Kids will have so much fun doing it that they won’t even realize they’re learning.
Professional Coding Languages
Some courses teach novices programs like Scratch, a drag-and-drop language designed to give beginners a sense of how coding works. The problem is, nobody uses these languages in the classroom or in the workplace.
Kids as young as seven can and should learn coding languages that professionals use to build programs, apps and games used by millions of people. The best coding programs teach:
- Python
- Java
- C#
- C++
- Unity
Get your kid learning the languages that they’ll need in the field right from the start. By absorbing such language early on, they’ll absorb all the mental habits needed to become fluent in coding languages.
Small Classrooms
In-person classrooms are best when there is a low student-teacher ratio, and this doesn’t change when lessons move online. Ideally, there should be four students per teacher, so your child can get all the attention they’ll need.
It’s difficult for anybody to absorb new topics, especially if they’re complex. Even young kids can learn to code, but they need ample attention from their instructors.
Young, Fun, Qualified Instructors
Finally, it’s crucial to find a program that hires teachers who are experienced coders young enough to have also grown up playing video games themselves. When students learn from a passionate teacher, not only will they retain more of the material, but they’ll become more enthusiastic and energized about coding.
Undergrad students with Computer Engineering or Computer Science backgrounds make the perfect instructors, especially if they’ve taught the subject for a while. The best programs select teachers personally. It’s better for your child to have a younger teacher with a lot of energy and knowledge than the world’s most sophisticated programmer who can’t relate to children.
No parent wants to prepare their kid for the workforce at the expense of undermining their sense of childhood innocence and play. By enrolling them in coding lessons with the right focus, structure, and teaching environment, children will develop the coding fundamentals to be ready for the jobs of tomorrow and will have a great time learning them.
The post Kids Need to Learn Coding Fundamentals from the Start appeared first on The Crazy Programmer.