Teaching Code in a Home School Setting
August 24, 2016
Everyone knows that kids who learn to code, will have a big advantage in the workplace and in life. Besides the fact that coding is a valuable skillset with an amazing number of high paying jobs, the mental training that comes with learning to code cannot be underestimated.
Homeschooling your kids in code
If you don’t know web design and coding, you need a structured curriculum that will gently teach your kids. Courses have to be easy to understand, fun and practical. Yes, practical: nothing motivates kids to learn when they see that they are building real things.
… What’s more fun for a kid, to learn to drive a go-cart, or a real car?
Which coding languages should kids learn?
Teaching your kids to code in any language is great, but I would say the most important and effective languages to teach are the languages of the Web:
- HTML5
- CSS3
- JavaScript
Besides being used to create all the world’s websites and web apps (ex: google, facebook, amazon), these coding languages are also a popular choice in creating games and mobile apps that work on iPhone, iPads, Android devices and even Windows mobile devices.
Another great thing about these languages is that they are visual: students see their code come to life in real-world projects. This touch of reality is far more engaging than writing code that moves a character around a screen in a simulator.
Conclusion
I’ve been coding since 1994, teaching code since 2003 and helping schools teach code over the last 6 years. That experience teaches you a lot about teaching. If you want to easily home school your kids in code, feel free to check out StudioWeb.com.
Thanks!
Stefan Mischook
