At What Age Can A Child Start Coding?
Nowadays, there is an extensive pressure on parents regarding their kids’ academic and extracurricular development- how to get admission in the best schools or what is the next best course or activity that they can enroll in?
Coding is the new best thing that kids are supposed to be learning these days. Is it really that important or is this another learning trend that will fade away once the next best thing arrives. Well this much we can tell you that with rapid technological advancements taking over the world, to prepare our kids for an abundant future all kids must be well-acquainted with the understanding of technology. Coding is the “ABC” of technology and therefore it truly is an essential skill to have.
Now that the “Why?” is out of the picture, let’s move on to the “When?”!
When is the right time for kids to start learning to code?
According to experts, kids should be taught coding as early as possible. Kids can actually start to learn coding as young as 5 or 6. These little ones can begin practicing the syntax, writing codes and even building basic applications. You can start teaching them basic concepts such as math operations, loops, arrays and conditional statements as an exercise. These exercises can help the child to form a strong base understanding for coding. According to various studies kids who learn coding early on perform better in academics than the kids who don’t. The prime reason for the same is that coding as an activity helps develop cognitive skills such as- logical thinking, reasoning, memorization and critical thinking in the learner. If a child has a healthy cognitive development from a young age that means their thinking and learning capacities are enhanced for all academic subjects alike. An early base in coding also helps to learn and adapt to much more advanced tech concepts, such as space tech, artificial intelligence and communication technology, a lot more easily.
So, now that we have established the importance of coding and how young children are ideal to learn this skill, let us see, how can we make this experience as easy and adaptable as possible for the child?
We can do this by starting their coding journey with easy coding languages! Not all coding languages are made the same, some are more complex and harder to grasp than others. Therefore, we should pick languages which are more children-friendly.
The best coding languages for kids
1. Python
Python’s syntax is simple and thus can be easily learnt and understood by young kids. This is since Python employs text-based commands that are like nearly the same as communicating in English. Despite of being appropriate for beginners, Python can actually enable coders to perform some exciting and high level programming such as game development and animation.
2. Java
Java a little bit tougher than Python, but learning Java will make any subsequent language much easier to grasp. It is a highly usable language, and is excellent for developing your own apps or websites. One of the reasons that makes Java an excellent beginners’ language is that it has been functional for more than 2 decades now, and therefore there are many online resources, toolkits and tutorials easily available for beginners to take advantage of.
3. Scratch
Scratch is a free language developed by Mitch Resnick for teaching coding to kids. It is very appealing to kids as it provides an easy-to-use and intuitive visual block interface and does not require the programmers to type long coding commands. Scratch significantly simplifies the creation of animations and games.
4. JavaScript
JavaScript is a great beginner language for kids, since most of our internet browsers run on this language. By learning JavaScript, kids can learn to transform web documents into awesome apps and games. JavaScript is also great for learning and practicing robotics for beginners.
5. Ruby
Ruby has a very simple and easily graspable syntax which makes it perfect for young beginners. Despite of its simplicity, it is also highly efficient and was in fact the initial language used to create the leading social media platform- Twitter.
We hope this blog was helpful to you. It was brought to you by BeSingular.
BeSingular offers online coding classes for kids, globally. It offers live and teacher-led sessions, where the child not only learns programming but also applies it for creating real-life workable tech solutions. Tech Programmes offered at BeSingular include- Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Game Design, Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, App Development, and Augmented & Virtual Reality (AR/VR).
Visit BeSingular by clicking on this link: www.besingular.com
