{"id":679,"date":"2020-04-30T08:40:10","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T07:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/?p=679"},"modified":"2022-05-16T09:34:27","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T08:34:27","slug":"how-can-i-teach-my-child-to-code","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/how-can-i-teach-my-child-to-code\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Teach Kids Coding"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Coding and computer programming are skills that are currently highly desired in the job\u2019s market. This isn\u2019t going to change soon; coders and software developers are going to be even more in-demand over the next two decades.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In fact, according to statistics, computing jobs are growing at two times the rate of non-computing jobs, showing that coding is becoming a highly desired skill set.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/organisations\/uk-commission-for-employment-and-skills\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">research<\/a> by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills show that there simply aren\u2019t enough candidates available to fill these roles.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s quite the eye opening statistic, particularly when you consider how well paid computer programmers can be, the potential to earn up to 40 percent more than the average wage (<a href=\"https:\/\/code.org\/promote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">see source<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With this in mind, there\u2019s never been a better time to get your kid interesting in coding. But how exactly can you teach your child to code if you don\u2019t have any experience yourself?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>with over 24 years experience of coding classes for kids, we feel we\u2019re in a great position to give you some ideas on how you can get your child to code this year, hopefully setting them up for a very exciting future.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How can I teach my child to code?<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you want to get your kid coding, read our tips below. There are also some ideas on apps, classes, and online lessons they can also use to increase their skills a bit further down the page.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>What is the best age for kids to start coding?<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Before we get into some of the ideas, it\u2019s key to understand what the best age is for kids to start coding. We personally believe that at 7 years old they can start to grasp the concepts and complete basic coding tasks.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Children younger than this age will often struggle. That\u2019s not to say younger kids can\u2019t code, but in our experience, the age of 7 is where their interests start to peak, reading and comprehension improves, and attention spans start to get better \u2013 all aspects that are key to starting coding \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/latest\/at-what-age-can-a-child-start-coding\">you can read more about this here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>How can you encourage your child to code?<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One of the best ways you can get your child to code is to place fun at the core of it all. We\u2019ve found that one of the easiest routes into coding at a young age will be video game development.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you can take your child\u2019s existing passion for computer games and turn that into a fun learning process, it\u2019s a lot easier to teach them coding\u2026 and thankfully there are plenty of apps and lessons that you can sign up to \u2013 but more about those in a moment.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>What the best coding language for kids to start with?<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When choosing which coding language is best for your child, don\u2019t get too hung up on it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Kids don\u2019t have to exclusively stick to one coding language as often the fundamentals of one language will overlap with another. Once they understand the basics, they will find it much easier to flip between different coding platforms.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Younger kids will often learn how to code using <a href=\"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/course-descriptions\/python-coder\">Python<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/course-descriptions\/scratch\">Scratch<\/a>, and these are better suited for beginners.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, as your child gets older, you might want to consider what they are into as this can have an impact on the type of programming language they should focus on.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As an example, kids that love robotics may benefit from focussing on Lua. Kids that are Minecraft fans will appreciate <a href=\"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/course-descriptions\/minecraft-with-mods\">learning to code in Java<\/a>, as this is what the game is based upon.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The bottom line is this; coding is meant to be fun at this age.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And here are some fantastic ways of making learning how to code fun\u2026<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How to get your child to code<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One of the best ways you can encourage coding will be by using a dedicated course or class. At FunTech we have been teaching kids how to code since the mid 1990s.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Coding classes and coding camps<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We currently offer both summer camps at various locations in the UK, plus run a series of online coding lessons. Our online classes are live and not pre-recorded and hosted by a professional tutor with class sizes that don\u2019t tend to exceed 8 students.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Our summer coding camps are run from 9 until 5 in the school holidays, are Ofsted-registered, and hosted by professional coding tutors who have been DBS checked.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You can access both of our options on the links below.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/course-descriptions\">Coding summer camps<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/virtual_camp_types\">Online coding classes<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Our coding classes include subjects such as Lego Robotics, Minecraft with Mods, Scratch Coding, Roblox Game Maker, Code-a-Bot Robot Wars, Python Coder, and Indie Game Builder.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Coding apps and games<\/h3>\n<p>There are also apps and games you can download to iPads, iPhones, and Android devices. Here\u2019s a short selection of some of the best rated ones which can help you teach your child to code.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kodable<\/li>\n<li>Scratch Junior<\/li>\n<li>Algorithm City<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>As the world evolves more and more into a digital future, kids that can code are going to become the adults that companies want to employ.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A recent survey from the Royal Society of Arts suggested technology could make certain mundane job roles redundant, with possibly four million jobs being at risk.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As we\u2019ve established, coders and programmers will still find themselves being in demand, despite concerns over job automation\u2026<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Let us help you teach your kid coding\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to discuss how FunTech can help you teach your child to code, please do <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/contact-us\">get in touch with us<\/a><\/strong>. One of our friendly specialists can help you decide which course or class will best suit your child.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Keep me informed<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Be the first to know about\u00a0<strong>Flash<\/strong> and <strong>Early Bird Sales<\/strong> as well as new courses, summer locations and more.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/funtech.co.uk\/sign-up\/blog\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-weight: 700\" class=\"eltd-btn eltd-btn-large eltd-btn-solid btn btn-primary\"  >\n    <span class=\"eltd-btn-text\">KEEP ME INFORMED<\/span>\n    <i class=\"eltd-icon-font-awesome fa  \" ><\/i><\/a>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coding and computer programming are skills that are currently highly desired in the job\u2019s market. This isn\u2019t going to change soon; coders and software developers are going to be even more in-demand over the next two decades. &nbsp; In fact, according to statistics, computing jobs are growing at two times the rate of non-computing jobs, showing that coding is becoming a highly desired skill set. &nbsp; However, research by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills show that there simply aren\u2019t enough candidates available to fill these roles. &nbsp; That\u2019s quite the eye opening statistic, particularly when you consider how well paid computer programmers can be, the potential to earn up to 40 percent more than the average wage (see&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":689,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_meta":{"yoast_wpseo_title":"","yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","yoast_wpseo_canonical":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=679"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1291,"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679\/revisions\/1291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funtechsummercamps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}