Let’s accept this – coding is tough and involves complex concepts. Coding is something we as adults sometimes find daunting, tending to give up learning once in a while. Now imagine what kids would have to go through when they have to sit in front of their computers, tackling something that is way beyond their age, comprehension levels, attention span and mindsets.
However, tons of kids out there enjoy coding. This is mainly because the way they are introduced by their parents, teachers or afterschool programs instructors. Though coding for kids revolves around a fairly similar approach – logics, tools, programming languages, basic algorithms, functions and more – what actually kids learn and the fun they have learning depends on how they perceive coding. And that entirely depends on us. So, if you intend to introduce coding to your kids and sustain their interests for long, here’s how you can do it.
Focus on their Creativity Aspect
Firstly, do not think from your – adult perspective when it comes to teaching your kids coding. Our mindsets and theirs are completely different. If career growth, skill set or job is a prime aspect for learning coding, fun and imagination are what make kids sit down to learn it.
Therefore, you need to focus on making coding creativity-centric. Do not carried away with the complexities of topics but channelize your focus on balancing learning and fun. For this, you have to associate coding with their creativity. You have to let them use coding as a tool to unleash their creativity. They need to let their creatures, imaginative landscapes, functions and ideas come out live on their computer screens with their coding skills. The more creative they are, the faster they would grasp concepts.
Let Them Explore
You remember the days you learned to explore Windows 95 or probably 98 on your own? Remember how you realized your computer could do much more things than let you paint? And did that sustain your interests and leave you with an everlasting learning impact? Well, that’s what exactly happens when you give your kids the driver seat in learning coding and watch them steer ahead. Learning by exploration is an evolutionary experience and this tendency prevails more amongst kids. That is why it is best to let them learn concepts by exploring various options and tools on their coding platforms. This way they truly understand what a particular logic or a function is and its application.
Healthy Peer Pressure
Kids are very competitive if you notice. The moment they see their friends doing something, they tend to either repeat or aim to do it better. So, why not take a similar approach in making kids learn coding? One of the best ways to make coding fun for kids is by talking to the parents of your kids’ friends and conducting fun competitions, games or sessions on coding concepts and projects. This not just paves way for enhanced learning but collective evolution as well.
Let it Be Self-paced
One of the most practical ways you can make coding fun for kids is by allowing them to take their own time in learning new things. You need to understand that the moment you come with a preset goal or idea in mind and force coding on your kids, they would lose their interests to learn for good. You need to walk with them, understand that they are kids with minimal attention span. Most importantly, you need to realize that you are not preparing them for life or competitive exams. You are just making things easier when they actually grow up. So, don’t force your kids to learn coding. Keep it self-paced open ended. You can actually see kids progressing quicker this way.
Apart from these, you can also ask them to come up with ideas on apps or website they would love to create that could help with their life, draw charts on processes or steps they would take to work on their ideas and keep rewarding and encouraging them with gestures and appreciations. Work on simple and fun projects with your kids and set an example. You would see kids having a really good time learning coding.