Tips on How to Teach Coding at Home

Teaching kids about coding can be an intimidating task for anyone. When it is possible to teach coding at home, why not take on the task of teaching coding yourself at home. The benefit of teaching coding to kids at home is that the kids would have undivided attention, and you would make sure that the kids learn actively.

So, if you are looking to teach coding to kids at home and don’t know what to do? Don’t worry; we have got you covered. Let us start! Our tips for teaching kids coding at home can surely usher in pleasant and productive experiences.

Motivate to Develop their Interest

Sometimes kids don’t have the motivation or genuine desire to learn to code . This reluctant attitude could make it difficult for the kids to understand the coding process, especially when learning at home. Also, writing the data processing algorithms could be boring for kids. Therefore, you must find the right way to boost the desire of your child to learn to code. The best approach to explaining coding to young ones is what all they can do to achieve with coding and gradually develop their interest. For instance, you could tell kids that they could create games or design websites with the help of coding . Playing with coding would allow kids to create something fun and unique. Thus, it is essential to motivate kids to develop their coding skills.

Suitable Programming Tool

An appropriate program must be used to teach kids and ensure that the coding learning process becomes more accessible. Two possible tools would make teaching coding easy for students – Scratch and Python. Scratch is a free programming tool recommended for younger children. It is a very powerful interface that would make coding easier for children. In addition, it can also be used by children who don’t know how to type. However, text-based coding could be more fun and accessible among younger children. While for pre-teen kids and teenagers, Python is an optimal choice. It is often regarded as one of the best first programming languages for kids . The best part is the language has an interactive shell, simple syntax, and the creation of readable code.

Know What Your Child Enjoys

You could make a coding fund for children by knowing what your child enjoys doing most. There are several coding tracks, and your approach would engage the kids . It is considered a good practice to decide which programs to use in advance, visit their website, and assess the best option for your kid. You can always make a personalized textbook with graphics for your kids to make teaching easier. For instance, if you teach your kid conditionals, you could use code to determine when the player would jump in the game. You can make the coding process personal by adding a screenshot of your child’s favorite character.

Practice

The continuous practice would make it easy for kids to learn to code thoroughly. After all, teaching without practice might not yield desired results. With direct tutoring, the kids would learn the ways of coding. Also, experimentation makes coding a little more fun. Let your kids learn while they experiment with the codes. Plus, in coding, the attempts and do-over make the learning experience fun , so the sooner the kids learn, the better it is. 

Variety of Sources

Introduce dynamics and variations in the home classes using a different information source. As children have a short concentration span, various teaching tools must be used to retain their attention. Of course, you could always turn to YouTube, coding kits, 21k school , or programming games to make the learning process fun for them. Diversified learning helps children retain their interests. 

Computer Science

Never force your child to select computer science as a subject if he or she has no interest in it, and always start with simple concepts in the beginning. Focus on terms like variables, loops, conditional statements, and functions. Avoid technical terms at the start so that kids start enjoying coding. 

Be Patient

If you want to teach coding to your kid at home, then patience is the key. Coding is a complex concept that requires time and dedication. So, adapt your teaching schedule to your child’s focus time. Also, repeat the same exercise as many times as needed. Explain to them as often as necessary, which is the only way they would learn.

These tips help make home a productive environment for teaching kids about coding. Remember, it is essential to gauge your child’s passion for coding, as it is the first step toward making coding interesting as a subject.