Saturday, December 17, 2016

Coding for Kids


Our students use technology on a daily basis. Understanding this technology is essential for 21st century learning. So what is coding? Coding is another word for programming which consists of writing the directions for what you want a computer to do.

What?? We want to teach young kids how to program a computer? Yes! The first steps for coding is understanding the sequence of directions needed to complete a task. Sounds overwhelming, right? It is not, it is totally fun for kids! Teaching coding is as easy as giving children a maze where they have to move an object.  Children use critical thinking skills to figure out the sequence of moves and turns an object has to make to get to the end or complete a task. It is as simple as that. As children become more proficient, the sequence of directions gets more challenging and complex. There are lots of coding activities available online (and hopefully you have access to computers in your school) to help your children begin their way to becoming computer programmers.






How Do we begin?
You can start by introducing young children to some game board games such as the following:
Robot Turtles by ThinkFun teaches programming fundamentals to kids starting with age 4.

3 Coding activities created by my K kids using Scratch Jr.: 

The Four Seasons


Bird Learns to Fly 


I Want to Be a Pilot Like My Dad



Coding Books: 

My Favorite Coding Apps: 


Coding Product: (coming soon)






No comments:

Post a Comment