Many free kids coding programs are available today. According to expert advice, parents should enroll their loved ones in such courses because coding is a fundamental skill required by most employers.
More importantly, children can learn faster at a younger age.
If you’re wondering what to look for in a coding program for kids, note that there are countless options out there. However, not all offer quality courses and lessons. To ensure your kid ends up in the best program, look for a platform with the features discussed below.
1. Fun, Interactive Courses
Kids are more likely to participate and invest themselves in an interactive learning environment. Plus, fun learning is key to boosting students’ information retention capacity. For these reasons, pick a coding program that makes learning fun for children.
Reputable online coding courses for kids make lessons fun and interactive in several ways. The best courses offer game-like, approved courses that help kids transition seamlessly from beginner levels into real-world programmers.
Gamified courses are not only fun and engaging but also indispensable in connecting lessons learned in the classroom environment to actual applications and problems in the real world.
2. Live, Expert Coaching
Your kid stands to gain immensely from a program offering live coaching. Why? First, live online classes and courses allow students to interact with their instructors in real-time. The two parties hold live discussions; giving learning the “realness” it needs to be interactive and impactful.
Kids can also ask questions and seek clarification from their teachers during live training sessions. And there are lots of those that your munchkin may need to ask at the earlier stages. For instance, they may want to know the differences between coding and programming, whether they must be exceptional in math to be good coders, etc.
Not to forget, your child can record live classes and revisit them whenever necessary. Or, if any event prevents them from attending a specific online session, their classmates can do the same and share.
3. Focus on Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning comes with more than a few perks. For starters, it’s key to helping students develop key content knowledge. Kids can be forgetful, more so in an area where they get distracted and bombarded, often simultaneously, by information from different sources, including smartphones, TVs, and the internet.
In addition, hands-on projects enable kids to code their own games, animations, etc. As they tinker with different projects, the challenges and discoveries they encounter along the way shape their imaginations. Children also learn perseverance and persistence through project-based learning.
4. Self-Paced Learning
Every child is unique. As such, they have different learning preferences. On the one hand, some get more from classes through reading, while others learn better from hearing. Also, many may only retain information longer when hands-on projects are involved.
With the above in mind, ensure the coding program you pick for your kid focuses on self-paced learning. It should encourage an environment where students use all available resources to customize learning to suit their interests and preferences.
A splendid course with self-paced learning should rely on instructors who put students’ needs at the forefront and provide guidance or feedback in positive tones. They should also encourage participants to explore concepts and courses at their own pace instead of rushing through everything.
Besides becoming great coders, self-paced learning will allow your kids to learn vital life skills. Their self-confidence and assurance will improve as they pick fitting learning pathways, gain a deeper understanding, and excel.
5. Lessons Centered Around Real-World Technologies
Technology has changed and continues to do so by the day. In the recent past, the world relied on devices and solutions such as dial-up internet access, overhead projectors, and phonographs. But today, we use more developed replacements like broadband internet, artificial intelligence, and smart mobile devices.
If you’ve been wondering what to look for in a coding program for kids, you can see it’s not really that difficult. While searching for free coding resources for students, keep a lookout for programs that match modern technologies. For instance, a course with Python coding classes can offer splendid pickings by allowing kids to explore the workings of marvels like machine learning and artificial intelligence.
