Parents are under considerable pressure to balance preparing their children for adult life while also ensuring they enjoy the pure and unadulterated play of childhood. How can children absorb the skills necessary to get a competitive job one day while also having a foundation for happiness and fulfillment?
The right path will be different for everyone, but signing them up for programming classes for kids can be a powerful approach. Let’s check out what separates the best coding classes for kids from the rest.
Learn to Code Video Games
Kids love video games, so why not combine education and play into the same activity? There’s no point in swimming upstream for no reason, especially when such productive lessons are so enjoyable.
Industry-leaders teach kids how to design and code their own video games. They don’t try to take kids out of their element. Rather, they teach them new skills in a domain that’s already very natural to them.
Kids will be motivated to learn when the reward is so tangible and fun!
Small Classes
Teaching is always easier in small groups, especially when the subject matter is new and the students are young. The best coding classes have a maximum of four students per teacher, a ratio that allows teachers to conduct organized and effective lessons.
If classes are too big, teachers have almost no choice but to teach more basic, drop-and-drag coding languages that won’t give students a leg up if they take coding classes later in school or enter the job market. It’s understandable if you’re struggling to juggle tasks at home right now, and you’ll love having a teacher who can give your child so much attention for an hour or so.
Professional Coding Languages
While coding may seem alien and complex to people who have never done it, you may be surprised to learn that young children can learn the languages professional coders use every day. Here are some of the languages your child can learn:
- Python
- Java
- C#
- C++
- Unity
Many coding sessions don’t teach these languages and rely on more basic languages that will give your child a sense of what coding is like but won’t familiarize them with what they can expect to find later in life at work or in the classroom.
Young Teachers
The best coding classes for kids are taught by teachers who skew on the younger side, usually undergrads in Computer Science or Computer Engineering. Young teachers grew up playing video games themselves and know first-hand how exciting it can be to play and code video games.
Teachers need to be experienced and knowledgeable coders, but passion and relatability are crucial intangibles that will help kids learn. Absorbing new skills is wonderful for kids, but it must also be fun.
Sometimes parents try too hard to prepare their kids for the job market and end up needlessly stressing themselves and their children without having much to show for it. Find coding classes for kids that balance pleasure with knowledge and experience, and your kid child will be grateful for years to come.
