How to teach a child to program

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, once said that in the near future almost everyone will master the elements of programming, not just specialists in the field. And we agree with him. Science is advancing, and we must not lag behind. Our children have this advanced future, so it's worth teaching them programming skills so they do not get lost in it and find their place. Even if they never need it, the basics will help kids think logically, analyze situations, and plan ahead.

We'll tell you the secrets of how to teach your kid programming and get him excited about this work.

Steps.

1. Answer the question: what does your child need programming for? Does he want to become an advanced user or master this profession in the future? The plan for moving forward depends on this.
2. Talk to your child. Find out what might be interesting for him/her. There are programs that require a lot of typing on the keyboard or knowledge of English, but there are also applications based on symbols. It is important that the kid understands what is required of him/her. Then the game will be a joy.
   
3. Select the educational programs. They should be suitable for the age and stage of development of the child. It is considered that you can start programming from the age of two. Do not let children perceive letters yet, but they can remember a sequence of actions and images. Also, at such a young age, their brain is like a blank sheet of paper. It is quickly filled with information that can be easily added to and improved in the future.
   

1. Kodable. This game is a maze with a total of 105 levels. The main characters are aliens and with their help the child learns programming elements such as loops, conditions and functions. The application does not use text, only graphics. Therefore, it is suitable for teaching children of kindergarten age.
2. Lightbot. The game can be downloaded to a tablet or smartphone. The hero is a robot whose task is to light up light bulbs in certain places on command. The child designs the path of the toy, thinks about the process and creates elementary algorithms. The game can serve as a launching pad for mastering more complex programs.
   
3. CodeMonkey. A fun online game with a monkey in the title role. The child controls him by commands in the form of symbols, the sequence of actions is written down as a real code. At the end of the game, the monkey must get to the banana. This usually takes only a few minutes. The baby does not have time to get tired and lose interest.
   
4. Code.org. This website offers learning courses for children from 4 years old and adults. Training is step by step - to create your first program, you need to go through the levels in order. The characters of the game are characters from popular cartoons.
   
5. Scratch. This is not only a programming language, but also a program that can be used to think up and create animations and games. The biggest advantage is its accessibility. The program is understandable for children from 8 to 16 years old and teaches them logical thinking and professional communication. Finally, the created project can be sent for evaluation to the community, which also uses Scratch.
   
6. Snap! is a more complex variation of Scratch. Here you can build your own blocks, create functions and lists. Suitable for both elementary and high school students.
   
7. Tynker. Free app (but with paid extra levels) with a large number of tasks. Kids can program drones and robots, create their own apps and mods for Minecraft. The information is clearly presented, which makes Tynker one of the best apps for learning programming.
   

Practical tips for parents

To make sure your child does not get bored with programming, keep the following rules in mind:

1. leave out the theory. Few children are interested in the concept of this or that game, they want more practice. And rightly so. It is enough to explain them the basics, describe the code they need to create, and look for interesting things in the application;
2. help less. You should sit next to your child while they learn the secrets of programming, answering questions, but not writing the code for them. Be patient;
   
3. do not study for more than an hour. The optimal time is 30-40 minutes. In this way, children will not lose interest. Otherwise, concentration deteriorates, the child gets distracted and bullied;
   
4. Learn new things. Look for exciting books on programming, which do not cause boredom, but arouse interest. Read useful articles, look for tips, share information with your child;
   
5. Encourage it. It will not work without it. Think of a reward for correctly written code, another mastered program. This will serve as motivation for further learning.
   

If you want your child to gain a deeper knowledge of computer science and programming, take him to school CODDY. Here it will be immersed in a real IT atmosphere. The courses are led by experienced teachers who will help him take the first steps into the world of programming.