Teaching Programming To Kids Aged 6 To 12

Children grow at different rates, therefore it is somewhere not possible to teach programming to children six to twelve years old.

Some children are developmentally able to learn at six while others cannot until they are 10 or 11 years of age. 

But remember, learning programming is not only about the aspects of telling your children how to code; but it does help them to know how computers function and how to think logically– both of which are valuable in the future job market. 

Below are general recommendations that may help to begin teaching programming to children of 6-12 years old and younger children if the proper approach is chosen.

1) Importance of coding

It is important to teach kids how to code so that they can acquire valuable skills that are so important in their lives. Such classes also assist the students to develop a problem solving and analytical skills .

Also Read, Scratch As A Beginners Platform To Teach Kids How To Code to get help in teaching code to beginners.

And it can be a lot of fun” Many programming languages such as Scratch are designed to simplify this procedure because instead of using words that form lines of text they use graphical blocks.

2) The best way to start

If you are interested in teaching your kids programming here are some things you should know. First of all, one must find a language that would be suitable for their age.

Second, ensure that the lessons you choose are interactive and engaging. Later on, the third step talks about the practical application of the concepts that are being taught.

Fourth, try to use graphics and visuals in teaching. Fifth, use concrete examples. Next, try to add exercise and engaging activities. And the final points concerns about giving proper and necessary feedback time-to-time.

3) Get them started with these 5 basics

Explain to them the basic principles of the computer as well as its functions. This will give them some ground to stand to understand how programming is done.

You start with visual programming language such as Scratch. This will assist them understand the concepts rather than worrying about the syntax used in writing the sentences.

Make sure that you give them many chances to try and to play around. Explain this to them and tell them it’s alright to try and break things and see the result.

Explain to them techniques on how to identify errors on their programs. This is an important feature of any programmer in order to be able to see the result of programming work.

Encourage them with creative tasks that the children can handle but at the same time will make them work on their brains. This will assist them to remain motivated and engaged in the learning process.

Also to know how you can keep your children motivated in homeschooling method of education, read How to Help Your Child Stay Motivated in Homeschooling ?

4) Get them going with Scratch

Kids are encouraged to engage in programming by providing them simple exercises that have to be performed in an online editor.

This will enable them to know how to use coding in developing something they’re interested in.

5) Have them read books on their own

Ensure that there are a lot of books of different types in order to capture their interest.

They may easily get bored if they only read the same type of books all the time, therefore, there is a need to be more varied.

Try and make them read to you or with their siblings or friends or some one they feel comfortable with. This will help them to build better reading skills , especially in fluency and comprehension.

It is advisable to let the students select what they would like to read but be around to assist in case of any challenge.

You are also able to assist them in identifying books which are within their reading range of difficulty and which they will find interesting.

Discuss what they read, question them on the books they read and also discuss any new words from the books they come across.

6) Give them practice exercises with online editors

By using online editors, giving the kids some practice exercises is an excellent way to get kids interested in programming.

This will enable them to understand how coding can be of use and how the basics of coding look when creating something they would like to have.

7) Encourage them by setting aside time every day

There is a need to ensure your child spends some time daily practising the various programming skills. This will assist them to have the morale to cover the material that is being taught to them.

Besides, it will enable you to have some little time with your child and see how they are growing on your own.

8) Go out there and get inspired yourself!

Being a parent, there is no better way to prepare your child for the future than by introducing him or her to programming at an early stage in life.

Read The Best Age For A Child To Start Coding so that you don’t miss the right time to start teaching them.

9) Invent your own game.

Many educators can find out that teaching children to code can be a fun and rewarding experience.

The initial possible move is to determine what the game should look like, what the player should do and how many points he/she gets after each task.

The next step would be to write the code which will make the game functional on paper before typing it into the computer.

Conclusion

Programming is quite a challenging task even for the elders or the adults. Even the definition of programming may not be easy to provide and mastering any language involves a lot of effort, time and of course, determination.

However, for those people who have children interested in the concepts of programming as well as computer science, there are various things that should be considered when explaining programming to the children.

We hope that the above points will help you in teaching coding to your children.

Also Read, Why Kids Should Learn Code As A Second Language ?