Parents love enrolling their children in fun programs that help them down the road. For many, online coding classes are an excellent way to have fun learning.
However, there’s a busy marketplace of programs offering to impart STEM skills to kids, and they aren’t all of the same quality. Younger kids need the right environment to learn new skills, especially involving something as novel as learning how to code. Here’s what that looks like.
Video Games at Heart
Children as young as six can learn to code video games, but they need to be enjoyable. The last thing any teacher wants is to sour kids on computer skills before they’ve really had a fair chance to absorb the lessons. Programs that are too dry and dull may turn kids off of computers too early.
The best coding classes for kids show them how to build their own video game, one they can play with friends and family. If you’re a parent who has ever tried to stop their child from gaming, you understand the magnetic attraction games have over kids!
Harness joy to help them learn. Leading coding programs also use gamification concepts in their pedagogy, making kids as addicted to learning as they are to playing.
No Large Classrooms
Whether kids are in an online or offline learning environment, they can get lost in the shuffle if they’re surrounded by too many other students. This applies extra to young students.
That’s why the best online coding programs cap class sizes at four, so teachers can easily lavish all their focus on each pupil. Very young students may be meek or timid. Even if they aren’t, no students should have to be especially vocal to get their teacher’s attention.
Young, Relatable Teachers
It makes sense for kids to learn how to create a video game from teachers who grew up playing video games when they were young. That’s why the best online coding courses tend to hire computer science or computer engineering undergrads.
Young teachers are relatable, being fellow gamers. Their enthusiasm and first-hand experience with games are infectious. Excited teachers make for more fun learning.
Coding Languages That Matter
Even young coding students should begin with actual coding languages, not drag-and-drop programs that merely convey what coding is like. Leading Python coding classes are perfect for children as young as six, or a few years older.
As they advance, teachers will help them delve further into each language until it’s time to learn a new one. The best programs teach powerful, popular coding languages, such as:
- Python
- Java
- JavaScript
- C#
- C++
Young kids will have the right mix of feeling challenged but not overwhelmed. They’ll leave class with a smile on their face after having absorbed many vital STEM skills.
Sometimes, children’s activities should primarily be fun and playful. Not every bit of programming needs to focus on giving them employable skills. However, kids love learning to code video games, and they’ll emerge with abilities that will help them later in life in numerous ways.
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