Technology is everywhere. For children, learn to code can help them improve their problem-solving and computational thinking skills. It can also expand their career opportunities in the future and give them an avenue to express their creativity and ideas in unique ways.
Learning to code is like learning to speak a foreign language. Young children learn faster than adults because their brains are still developing and made to learn.
Unless parents know how to code, they have to rely on other sources to teach kids how to code. Fortunately, there are many free and low cost children’s websites available in the market today.
JR Code Avengers is one of the Code Avengers Courses. It is an online platform used to teach kids how to code.
There are three options to choose from based on age and level of experience:
- Communication for inexperienced five to eleven year olds.
- Intermediary for ten to fifteen year olds with just the basics of coding.
- Advanced For ages thirteen to sixteen with a more basic understanding of programming.
JR Code Avengers requires registration. Choose from individual, parent or teacher. The courses are not free but offer a 30-day free trial.
The three prices are $29/month, $25/month for a six-month plan (billed semi-annually for $150), and $20 for a full-year plan (billed annually for $240). They all provide the following similar features:
- Unlimited access to over 500 lessons.
- Over 100 projects with tutorials and quizzes.
- Access to Code Avengers cloud storage.
- Certificate of course completion.
- Exclusive Slack channel.
Coding
Coding is a coding game for five to seventeen year olds. The core levels are free. Additional levels are available for monthly subscriptions.
This free coding game for kids teaches JavaScript and Python coding use text-based programming. Children play through different levels of a role-playing game.
Lessons begin with concepts like syntax, methods, loops, and variables. The game has fun graphics to help kids learn to code.
It also provides the ability for them to connect with other players in the community and participate in a team sport.
Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that offers classes to any student anywhere. It offers hands-on exercises, personalized learning, and video tutorials to empower learners to learn at their own pace.
Khan Academy’s mission is to provide free and world-class education to educators, parents, and students.
Personalized learning allows parents and teachers to help identify gaps in progress. Khan offers a variety of coding courses for kids, including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
Khan Academy also has basic coding tutorials that teach kids how to build interactive graphics, animations, and images,
Lightbot is a programming based puzzle game. It requires applying programming logic to solve levels.
It’s available through a Flash-enabled browser or as a paid app for Android, macOS, iOS, and Windows.
It is designed for first-time programmers and is useful for children of all ages learning how to code. Children have fun playing games while learning programming logic, such as overloading, sequencing, recursive loops, procedures, and conditions.
Swift Playgrounds is a free app for Mac and iPad. It makes learning fun and interactive and requires no coding knowledge.
Swift Playgrounds is a perfect starting point for kids to learn coding skills. The design of the playgrounds is to help children learn to code in a fun way.
Swift Playgrounds is simple, engaging, and fun, and comes with a bunch of Apple-designed lessons. Children solve interactive puzzles in guided coding sessions to help them master the basics of coding.
Children experiment with a variety of challenges while they explore different coding experiences. The playing fields include drones and robots waiting for commands. As kids learn to code, they control what robots and drones do. Once children master the basics, they can move on to additional challenges when they reach the next level.
Kodable is a creative and programming app to help kids learn core programming for ages four to eleven.
Free Basic Course. Kodable also offers a flat fee for parents that includes advanced curriculum accessible on any device. Children use computer science basics through self-directed lessons. They create and play along with cute characters.
Programming for kids starts at Kindergarten level. Students progress to reading and writing JavaScript. As they progress, kids build their own characters, create levels, and work with other programmers.
Kodable courses are organized like a classroom curriculum. Each lesson includes a teacher’s scenario, unplugged activity, independent practice, and a test or quiz at the end.
Tynker offers several samples of free programming courses online for kids. Access to a complete library of more than 40 text-based, block-based courses and over 3,700 learning modules requires a monthly subscription.
Children learn in an online environment at their own pace. Space-themed and game-based programming courses using rocket ships and space aliens. Children create and build their own apps and games at their own pace. Tynker is suitable for all ages from beginners to advanced programmers.
Stencyl is a free coding kids game maker where users can publish Android, iPhone, Mac, Windows, iPad, HTML5, Linux and Flash games without coding.
Children ages six and up build their own games, characters, and worlds. For young children, the graphics are child-friendly.
More advanced students have the option to view and edit text-based code in the games they play. They are required to download and set up the software. The forums provide invaluable support.
Children who appreciate game development and design details will love learning to code with Stencyl.
Blockly is a free resource that provides access to fun coding games for kids best suited for ages eight and up. It uses a block-based approach to teach JavaScript and programming principles.
Students learn through a series of blocks and puzzles. Educational games that teach programming skills to kids who have no prior coding experience.
The goal of the game is for kids to solve challenging and fun puzzles using drag and drop to create a story that solves a problem. The puzzle pieces are displayed on the screen. Children complete the story that makes up the show by completing puzzles.
Ready to start coding for your kids?
In today’s modern world, everyone knows that learning to code goes a long way towards their future. Choosing the most appropriate resource for your child will depend on his age, interests, and level of understanding.
The free and paid resources listed above will help you figure out where to start your child’s exposure to coding.
