It’s wonderful when your child expresses a desire to learn to code. Programmers are in demand nowadays and they will be in the future. Not to mention the salary they usually have. So, if your child wants to study coding you better create all the conditions for it to happen. Trust me, it’s a great investment in your child’s life. In this article, we will discuss how a student can begin learning programming languages.
Introduction
Studying coding is not easy and sometimes stressful, so you should be supportive. Your child might be struggling with keeping up with the school program, so if you don’t want this to happen be ready sometimes you will need to hire edit my paper services to help your school student with homework projects and different writing assignments.
So, you have decided to help your child become a programmer. First, you need to determine the interests of the future developer – further steps depend on them.
We will tell you in order, where to start training, how to choose textbooks and what will help not to lose motivation.
Determine your goal
Before looking for lessons titled “Programming for Kids,” it’s important for parents to know what their child wants to do. More often than not, kids dream of creating games, but some teens are fanatical about cool websites, robots, or Google services.
Depending on the goal, the desired programming language is selected. Among thousands of names, about 50 are in demand today. Some languages are tailored to specific tasks, while others are universal. For example, Swift is used to creating iOS applications, while Python is used both for games and artificial intelligence.
The most popular, versatile, and easy to learn languages are Python and JavaScript. Thanks to the first one, World of Tanks and YouTube were updated, and the second one gave us Netflix and Am Niamh from Cut the Rope. It will not be a mistake if a teenager consciously decides to learn Java, C, or C++, but they are more demanding for the student and difficult to master. I recommend starting with them after getting basic knowledge in more intuitive languages.
Children under the age of 11 are often encouraged to start coding with Scratch. The interactive interface and ease of learning are designed primarily to interest the child in the world of programming, not to make him a specialist. Only simple projects are created in Scratch – small games and animation. However, it is a good starting point to go on to mastering Python and JavaScript.
Find a mentor
Understanding the basics of a programming language is not that difficult. It does not matter what is easier for a school student – computer science or literature. It is another matter to become a full-fledged specialist.
Considering your age, hobbies, and school lessons, learning algorithms and tools on your own is not an easy task even for an ambitious teenager.
It’s easy to make a list of resources for self-education and hope that the teenager will study diligently. Most will save the links in their bookmarks and forget about them. Unfortunately, the infinite amount of free content has made people procrastinate: everything useful and free is put off for later. Statistically, only 3-5% of students in open online courses complete them.
Another important point is that during the study there are always questions: why the code gives an error, what textbook to choose, what to study next. In the huge volume of information on the Web, the child is easily confused.
Private schools and educators come to the rescue. Both options give students the most important things: a well-thought-out educational program and mentor support. Private schools are more expensive but offer a proven course of study, collaborative work, and various services. Parents can also find a private teacher: lessons with a technical university student or Junior programmer will noticeably accelerate the pace of learning. The teacher will be a guide, pointing in the right direction in the search for knowledge. And most importantly, the child will not lose motivation to continue learning.
An extra school will make your child extremely busy, so make sure you find good services on reddit that will be useful when dealing with all the homework, if you want your child to be happy and healthy. Don’t forget that children or teenagers need time to rest and have fun with their friends as well. Diving deeply into studying might cause early burnout.
Use helpful resources
You don’t need expensive and “heavy” software to start coding. Some developers use Sublime Text. It is a handy text editor with support for many plugins. It has a free version. Later, the child can choose a tool for himself, there are a lot of analogs: from Notepad++ and Visual Studio Code to the standard Notepad.
Textbooks
Before buying books, pay attention to the date of publication. Although the basic concepts are the same, programming languages are constantly being updated. Choose textbooks that are newer and keep track of the latest versions of the languages on the Internet, either on specialized sites or by typing into a search engine.
HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett. It’s easier for a teenager to start on the path to programming with HTML and CSS. Although they are not programming languages, learning the markup will help you understand the structure of websites and make it easier to master Python and JavaScript later on. John Duckett’s tutorial is filled with clear examples and practical illustrations.
Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction To Programming by Jason Briggs. A wonderfully illustrated textbook with practical assignments. Many schools and private educators work with the Briggs program.
Learning JavaScript Programming by Eric Freeman, Elizabeth Robson. The simple narrative and clear structure have ensured this book a place on the shelves of many programmers. Don’t let the child be intimidated by the impressive volume. The book is packed with illustrations, examples, and graphics, and the content covers everything you need to start developing in JavaScript.
Websites
1. Code.org – Free interactive classes in your browser. This is a charity project with the Code Break column, which offers mini-lessons, tasks, and challenges for students of any age and level of knowledge.
2. freeCodeCamp – Over 6,000 free lessons.
3. Invent with Python. Al Sweigart’s free library. There are tutorials on the basics of Python and Scratch, creating games, and practical video courses.
4. CodeCombat. Interactive classes dedicated to Python and JavaScript, as well as the basics of computer science. Gamification makes learning easy and fun.
Also, it’s important to mention the YouTube channel Sentdex. Over 1,000 videos on Python development, including real-time project creation.
Conclusion
- Find out what your child wants. Programming covers many areas, from creating games to developing robots.
- Based on the goal, choose a programming language. For teenagers, we recommend starting with Python and JavaScript. Children under 11 can start with Scratch, and later move on to “adult” languages.
- Choose a private school or a teacher. The mentor will advise the young programmer on a suitable textbook, point out mistakes, and help him or her gain knowledge independently without losing motivation.
- Choose more recent literature. Keep up to date with the latest editions and programming languages.
- Join the community. Learning as a team is easier and more fun than working alone. Your child will be more motivated by sharing their results with their peers.