Do you want your child to be one step ahead of their peers and learn skills now that they can use later in the workforce? For many students, learning to code is something they truly enjoy, and they absorb a range of transferrable skills too.
Plus, modern online coding classes are so much fun that they’re worth signing up for, since your child may not even know they are learning! Please keep reading to learn more.
Coding for Young Kids
You don’t need to be a computer whiz to learn to code. In fact, kids as young as seven can learn how to use real programming languages that professionals rely on every day.
It’s a good idea to sit in on the first session to see what are online classes like and help your child with practical issues that may arise, such as not knowing how to use the controls or the mouse. Hover, you don’t want to get overly involved, as they need to absorb the material for themselves. Just be there to get a sense of how the class works and help solve any potential minor technical issues.
Coding a Video Game is Fun
You’ve probably already seen how driven young children are to play video games. The best coding classes take advantage of this drive by using video games as a frame through which to teach coding.
Your child will likely create and program their own video game in the session, which is the best motivation possible. If you think playing video games is fun, watch how much children enjoy coding them.
Languages the Real Professionals Use
Some coding classes teach drag-and-drop languages that give children a vague sense of how coding works, but they don’t teach the actual languages that they’ll use one day in the field. It can be hard to teach a large group of young kids something so new, so look for a program with a small ratio of teachers to students.
Some programs have as few as four students per teacher, so every student receives the care and attention they deserve. Teachers in such programs have an easier time teaching professional coding languages, such as:
- Python
- Java
- Unity
- C#
- C++
Most schools that teach coding don’t get to these languages until the later years, so your child will be more than ready when the time comes to learn it. Many children who learn coding from a young age develop a passion for life, with some even using coding professionally to build video games for companies like Microsoft.
Learning to code involves absorbing many STEM skills that can be useful in countless ways, but it also imparts specific domain knowledge that will be directly applicable years later in both the classroom and the job market.
It’s been a long year filled with countless challenges, and everyone is looking for diversions that are safe, fun and possibly even productive. Let your child enjoy the best of all words by signing them up today for online coding lessons.