How and when to teach a child to program?

How and when to teach a child to program?

Many modern parents sooner or later begin to worry about the question – where to start teaching children programming? Indeed, today it is not only an opportunity to develop logical thinking and improve academic performance, but also the chances of finding a promising job with a programmer salary in the near future.

Specialists from the IT Future School online school tell how to teach a child programming so as not to “kill” motivation from the very beginning and get the desired result.

Choose a language that the child will understand

Programming courses for children from scratch are compiled taking into account the age of the students and their desires. Modern children dream of creating games, building their own worlds, creating applications and smart robots. Depending on the goals set, the programming language is selected.

• ✓ Children from the age of 8 most often start learning in Scratch, a programming environment that was created specifically for children. Here you can make interactive stories, games, drawings, animation.
• ✓ At 11-12 years old, you can safely start mastering the most popular programming languages ​​Python and JavaScript. They are simple and versatile, easy enough to learn and ideal for the first steps in coding.
• ✓ The main motivation for children to learn programming in childhood is to learn how to create 3D games and applications, master website building and make money on web development. Therefore, at the age of 13-15, you can safely choose HTML and CSS courses, learn Java, computer animation, Photoshop, 3D modeling, computer game programming.

Finding a Mentor

It is not realistic to powerfully motivate a child and hope for his consciousness and the fact that he himself will regularly study – it is not real! Come to terms with the fact that an experienced mentor should teach your child to program. The online school gives students the most important thing – a well-thought-out educational program from A to Z and mentoring support.

During the training, children constantly have questions, and it is sometimes difficult even for adult students to find errors in the code on their own. Therefore, a teacher is indispensable here. It will not only set the desired vector and pace of learning, but will also fuel the motivation of children to learn programming in childhood.

First steps

The first step is choosing the right training program. Some children like to program 3D games on the KODU GAME LAB constructor, others will be interested in working with the Minecraft programming language, others prefer creating games on the ROBLOX platform. The cost of education is approximately the same, but the effect will be better if the child decides on the program himself.

Everything can and should be tried. Moreover, the online school makes it possible to register for a free lesson, and you can take it from anywhere in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus.

The right game approach to learning

Teaching programming to children of 10 years old should take place in a playful way, exciting and varied. But this does not mean that the guys are exclusively engaged in games and entertainment.

Classes are conducted on a computer, so 85% of the lessons are practice. The work is built on the principle of “From simple to complex” – first the child masters the basics, and then moves on to more difficult tasks.

Instead of conclusions

Why teach a child to program? Then, to develop logical and creative thinking, to form problem-solving skills, to teach how to study correctly. And just so that your child enjoys the learning process.