Top 5 Ways to Get Your Kids to be Interested in Programming. The When, How, and Why.
I once had a 10-year-old Java Student. She wanted to learn how to build games using JAVA. The first time I met her, I was sure I had a quiet kid in my care. She proved me wrong. Every programming concept I taught felt like some war code to her. For the first few weeks, it was a wrestling match with Java.
This match I speak of featured the following Java modules: variables, data types, conditional statements, loops, and arrays. Three weeks after the first class, we had a heart-to-heart talk about if she wanted to continue to take my Java classes. During the hour-long conversation, she revealed she hated the reserved “println().”
According to her, she felt it was too repetitive for her. She didn’t want to write “System.out.println();” every time she prints a variable or a string. It took hours of persuasion before she could fully understand why she had to use the println() reserved word.
The rest of our time together went smoothly except for a few programming hiccups.
How did I get her to love Java?
Oh well, I cannot remember if she exactly loved Java before the end of her studies. But, before the end of her time with me, we built 3 games together. We were able to create those three games after I had spent two months, once a week, teaching her the fundamentals of JAVA.
This brings me back to the answer to the question of how I made her, in my own words, LOVE JAVA.
Visualization is key.
Kids love to look at designs and results. Before you introduce coding to them, let them understand what the end result (the website, app, or game) would look like by the time they are done. Showing them what they can do with programming before writing codes can pique their interests. This can also encourage your kid, ward, or student to want to go on the coding journey with you.
Fun Coding exercises are good too.
To pique the interest of your ward/kid/student in programming, include fun coding activities into their training schedule. Most of these activities include short coding exercises as games. Some of the games do not have to include a computer. Sometimes they can be other physical objects such as a deck of cards, small toys, and/or mobile apps. These games would teach kids the importance of Algorithms, critical thinking, problem-solving, and other essential coding skills needed for coding beginners.
One step at a time…
If your kid or student does not seem to get it or understand the fundamentals you are trying to teach, DONT SWEAT IT. Kids learn at different paces and in different ways. Instead, try to find out what works for that child. This can be how the child learns and how they assimilate. You can try explaining each programming concept with visuals and bright colored illustrations.
Be Patient
When dealing with kids and programing, try as much as possible not to show your frustration. For easy assimilation, programming concepts should be broken down into bits. Teach them the syntax one step at a time. Make them understand that programming can be fun too.
If you can follow the tips above, I can assure you of a kid who would love programming/coding as much as you do.
Wishing you good luck. You are going to need it. Winks!
And oh, my then 10-year Java student is now a 12year old learning Robotics under another instructor. Sounds like fun, right?
