Children are rapidly growing up together with technology in a way that millennials have not experienced. Simply watch a toddler use an iPad or tablets, and it is understandable that tech comes naturally to the modern generation.
Because we continuously evolve into this digital society, coding has become a fundamental skill to establishments everywhere, making programming a bright career for the generations to come.
Coding applications come in a variety of formats intended for different ages and skills. They usually include adorable characters, bright colors, and components of game design to appeal to children.
Novice, in most cases, learns to make programs through dragging and dropping visual code blocks. Intermediate consumers are good enough in programming languages which are child-friendly, mainly designed for coaching beginners.
Advanced coders can begin engaging with actual programming languages that have a greater learning curve than what the professionals use, and still create refined outcomes. Regardless the status of the children, there is always a tool that will keep on the computer screen to indeed produce content.
Minecraft
There is a great chance that your kid already plays this boxlike pixelated game on phone, tablet, or computer. It serves as a method to keep children amused and entertained while they also discover the basics of coding.
The game is so popular worldwide that videos of Minecraft are the most viewed gaming videos on youtube.
Scratch
Source: schudio.com
Scratch comes from Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT, and the game emphasizes on getting children between ages 8 and 16 interested in coding. Children can program animations, games, and interactive storylines that they can share with other members of the Scratch community.
The game is not only restricted to kids ages 8 to 16 as its website indicate. Any age groups can test Scratch for a simple and fun Code Camp. It is accessible in at least 150 countries worldwide and collected fundings from several institutions including the National Science Foundation, Dell, Google, and the LEGO Foundation.
Lissa Explains it All
This site has been around a decade, and its bright yellow and pink site displays its age. However, do not let the old-looking site trick you, because it is an excellent tool and resource for children who desire to learn HTML, and it was the first website committed to the task.
Lissa Explains it All provides an abundance of information to assist children to create a website with direction on everything from HTML to CSS to JavaScript, and much more.
Alyssa “Lissa” Daniels, the site founder, created the website in the year 1997 when she was just 11 years young. She wanted a method to monitor the entire HTML code she was studying and started categorizing it on a website, in the course of time, people discovered the site and Alyssa made it a public resource.
Hopscotch
If you own an iPad, you can download Hopscotch app for your children to train them how to produce pixel art and basic games. Children will learn to code at the same time they play together with the games and view educational videos.
Children can participate in various challenges to further improve their abilities as well as an active community where they can pose inquiries when they stumble into any struggles. The application is entirely free and designed for ages between 9 and 11. However, it has not prevented adults from also getting hooked on the fun and interactive scheme.
Hackety Hack
Hackety Hack focuses on assisting children who want to learn how to create software, and it is an entirely open source. It emphasizes on teaching children Ruby in a method that is together amusing and accessible.
It utilizes the “Shoes” toolkit, which directed at making it uncomplicated for people to improve programs using Ruby. Hackety Hack declares it is perfect for people without coding or programming experience.
Kids Ruby
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Another spectacular resource if your child wants to learn Ruby is through playing Kids Ruby, which lets your kids write and test code on their computers.
It functions across several programs, so it is not a concern if you are working on a Mac or PC. Kids Ruby give priority to “hacking your homework,” which truly means making programs that will help make their homework easier, and it is an excellent catchphrase to capture a kid’s attention.
For children who do not require motivation to have their homework done, you could have them a Sphero, which they can program to do various activities using Ruby.
Takeaway
Technology has become a vessel that is constantly evolving and improving to the point that it is now child-friendly. Not all people were given the benefit to code easily unlike today, and kids can only learn if they are having fun or if they feel entertained.
And having these interactive applications are the perfect tools not just for kids, but adults as well to learn the basics of coding.
