Kids learn essential skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic in the everyday classroom. However, the ever-growing importance of technology remains outside of many school curricula.
Certain school districts fail to update their curricula with regularity. Some educational models use the same requirements as they did in the 1970s. Kids who attend these schools later find themselves at a disadvantage once out in the workforce.
Kids miss out on the key skill of learning how to code at these schools. Countless high-paying career paths call for proficiency in coding (or programming) computer languages. Without learning to code at a young age, a kid misses out on valuable opportunities.
Once you have established the critical skill of coding, you must next explore what computer languages are appropriate to teach a kid. Despite the demand for coding in the modern workplace, a child is not worried about the job marketplace. Perusing a job site to see what coding skills are in demand is unnecessary.
As a matter of fact, choosing a coding language based on what professionals use causes further issues in education. You may end up picking too complicated a coding language to teach in everyday schools. Furthermore, some coding languages rely on higher forms of math that children do not encounter until high school or later.
By the time your kid enters the workplace, coding languages may have changed to the point that the language you chose solely due to its career value may not be relevant anymore. Picking a kids’ coding language for its relevance to the marketplace is not wise.
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When looking for a language that better appeals to kids, avoid compiled languages.
Compilation, a complicated step in coding, requires a high level of fluency regarding abstract concepts. Enough adults find the idea of compiling too difficult to comprehend — kids cannot even begin to grasp the concept.
Certainly, there are kids and teenagers in the world capable of grasping the ideas behind compiled languages. For the majority, however, the rule stands.
If you do not know what compiled versus interpreted means, please see the JavaScript section. We will avoid compiled languages when considering kids programming languages.
We want to introduce kids to coding via languages that have relevance in today’s society, as opposed to an outdated language or those that do not work well. Teach coding languages that achieve immediate results, rather than languages that require more time and input before making any progress.
Focus on languages that rely on visual elements. Children learn better when presented with illustrated information, as opposed to other types of data. For example, a kid’s coding language that works with graphics or web pages would be better than a language that focuses on databases or server management.
Highly-Recommended Kids Coding Languages to Try
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Introducing kids at an early stage in education creates an interest. Cultivating an interest in young minds defines the main idea of coding as a standard in common curricula. A graphically appealing kids coding language helps you create and foster that interest, even if it does not produce a coder ready for their first big job right out of high school.
Keep those thoughts in mind while you consider teaching the following computer languages to kids with hopes they spark an interest in coding.
1. HTML/CSS
While HTML is not technically a programming language, it is similar enough to be mentioned here. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the standard language that most web developers use to create pages on the World Wide Web.
HTML, a markup language, uses English abbreviations to “markup” a document. This language tells the computer how large the heading should be or what words should be italicized, for example. An official definition can be found through Merriam-Webster.
HTML fits the language criteria required to teach kids. Hypertext has been around for decades, and Hypertext Markup Language still is used all over the world to program and design webpages.
One line of code using HTML can produce an almost immediate effect a kid can see and understand. Teaching coding through the HTML language requires minimal lessons on understanding the internet. Without time wasted teaching about browsers and such, the process of learning to code begins sooner.
HTML Advantages
Among other advantages, learning HTML does not require a high proficiency in math. The average middle schooler can handle the math HTML requires for coding.
Markup originally specialized in editing documents. Considering this fact, the appropriate math needed to code in HTML makes sense. The language was designed for editors, not coders. More information on markup can be found at Lifewire.
In order to program in HTML, you only need a web browser and a text editor, such as Sublime or Notepad. With other languages, the instructor must install software packages themselves or give permission for students to download software packages. There is no need for downloading software when using HTML.
Seasoned instructors know that permitting children to download software packages on school computers never ends well. Unless you enjoy working with anti-virus programs and deleting games on student laptops every so often, consider a different tactic.
”HTML” often includes the abbreviation “CSS.” CSS ( or Cascading Style Sheets) adds a lot of customization to HTML.
By itself, HTML resembles the plain websites of the 90s. CSS gives coders a lot more options. As a matter of fact, CSS Zen Garden illustrates all of the different ways CSS can change the appearance of a website, even if the HTML stays exactly the same!
CSS also has all of the advantages for teaching kids coding languages that HTML does, including the fact that you only need a text editor and a web browser in order to code using CSS.
CSS is not a programming language — it would be most accurately be classified as markup. But, like HTML, CSS is still heavily used by the world and is not in danger of going away any time soon.
In fact, certain functions previously available only in JavaScript are now available in CSS. Its popularity has probably never been greater. For these reasons, consider HTML as a kids coding language.
2. JavaScript
JavaScript is one of the languages mentioned most when it comes to web development. What is JavaScript exactly?
Unlike HTML/CSS, JavaScript is a scripting language. In other words, JavaScript has many (if not all) of a programming language, but instead of using a compiler, it uses an interpreter to convert its syntax to machine code.
You see, coders must convert all programming and scripting languages to a machine language to run them.
Interpreted languages do this as the program is running, not needing an additional step to translate the language.
The major downside to this process is that it slows the computer down a bit when compared to compiled programs, but this slowdown isn’t enough to affect any coding, especially at the student level. JavaScript is still plenty fast enough for the average student. (Find an excellent tutorial for JavaScript at w3schools.)
Meanwhile, compiled programs take an extra step to run. The student must code the program, then the compiler compiles it and checks for errors, and finally, the program runs. This process may be counterintuitive for most students and involves a step in which nothing happens, which kids see as boring. In this article, we will not recommend programming languages that require a compile step as a kids’ coding language.
Advantages of JavaScript
JavaScript is an interpreted language, which is an advantage in teaching it. What other benefits does JavaScript have over other languages when considering it for the classroom?
Well, like HTML/CSS, JavaScript is used by nearly every browser to create functionality on websites. Anytime you see an effect on a website or play a browser game, the language used to create it is almost certainly JavaScript.
Source: Pixabay
Also, like HTML/CSS, a coder can program with JavaScript using just a web browser and a text editor. So, you don’t have to worry about installing a lot of extra software. Some examples of great usage of JavaScript can be found at CreativeBloq.
However, unlike HTML, for a student to truly become proficient in JavaScript, they will need some skills in mathematics. While basic Algebra may be enough for a talented student to understand the syntax, the student should at least be familiar with Geometry, and possibly even more advanced Mathematical principles. JavaScript is more demanding than HTML/CSS and should be treated accordingly. Even so, it is worthy of consideration as a kid’s coding language.
Also, JavaScript doesn’t reward the coder quite as quickly as HTML/CSS does. With HTML, large results generally originate from small amounts of code. With JavaScript, small results typically originate from small amounts of code.
For example, with HTML/CSS, it is relatively easy to change the background color of the browser with one line of code. But with JavaScript, it takes a lot of effort by a kid coding (and debugging) to create something simple in the language, like a number-guessing game.
So why teach JavaScript at all? Well, JavaScript shares a lot of syntax with advanced coding languages, unlike HTML/CSS.
JavaScript was created using a patchwork of commands from C, C++, and Java(which is an entirely different programming language). So learning JavaScript will give a student some insight as to how other computer languages work.
However, JavaScript tends to be more forgiving of errors than many programming languages, so there won’t be as much frustration for students. As long as your kids are of the appropriate skill level, JavaScript is an excellent choice as a coding language for them to learn.
3. PHP
At first glance, PHP doesn’t appear to belong on this list. It is an interpreted language, like JavaScript, but unlike JavaScript or HTML/CSS, PHP generally focuses on databases and server management.
While important, databases and server management will generally bore kids to tears, which has the possibility of making them hate coding languages and perhaps even your class (perish the thought!).
However, PHP has gained several graphics tools over the years and now can incorporate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in its framework. Now, PHP is used for substantially more than databases, although it still excels at those tasks. So, if a kid wants to create the next Facebook, they could do worse than starting by learning PHP as a coding language.
PHP and WordPress
PHP has also taken on an added importance for kids as well as adults because it is the primary coding language that powers WordPress. WordPress is a website CMS (or Content Management System) that also allows users who are not familiar with HTML to build their websites.
WordPress has become more and more popular in the last few years, and all students should probably at least know WordPress basics, which require no math and are relatively easy to pick up.
Nearly all WordPress sites and applications are written in PHP, and WordPress is so vital that you should include PHP in your curriculum due to that fact.
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Many articles and opinions state that the future of websites is in WordPress. If that is the case, then the future is inarguably PHP, and teaching this language to your students will make life easier for them later.
Unfortunately, unlike the previous kids’ coding languages we have covered, PHP is only available as a download. So you must either download PHP on every student’s computer or allow them to do it themselves.
As mentioned before, I highly recommend that you or an aide download PHP onto the students’ computers as opposed to allowing them to do it themselves. The download is free at PHP.net.
Complications of PHP
PHP is more complex than the other kids’ coding languages listed here. It would be a good idea if your students already had training in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript before attempting to learn PHP.
Perhaps, you could include a small amount of PHP for kids when teaching a WordPress class, or at the end of a course in HTML/CSS and JavaScript. While useful, a PHP coding language class on its own may be a bit too much for most students.
PHP also requires a solid understanding of math. Algebra almost certainly is necessary, but PHP may also require the equivalent of an Algebra II class for kids, to truly master the coding language. PHP requires a high-school level or above understanding of math, along with some maturity and patience.
As you can see, there are many options available for instructors who wish to teach their students how to code. From a simple HTML web page to a complicated JavaScript program, there are many levels of difficulty available for the teacher who wishes to challenge, but not frustrate, their students.
However, the importance of teaching coding to young people cannot be denied. Across the world, coding is taking on more and more significance as humanity relies on computers for even the most mundane tasks.
Make sure to teach your students coding, if you can. They may not always enjoy it now, but they will benefit from it later.
Honorable Mention: Python
Suppose you have a class of gifted students, and you feel that teaching them JavaScript or PHP wouldn’t be enough of a challenge for them.
Although both of those languages can get very challenging in some of their tasks, I would recommend teaching them a language like Python. Python differs from the languages listed here in many ways but definitely is a viable language to teach advanced high schoolers.
For example, Python is an interpreted language, just like JavaScript. So, like JavaScript, your students won’t have to wait for a compiler in order to run a program. Unlike the languages listed above, though, Python is much more versatile.
Many programs, from Dropbox to some Call of Duty games, run on Python. This popularity stands in contrast to PHP—generally used for internet content—and JavaScript—usually used for small applications. Python can be used for pretty much anything.
One note about python syntax (the way the language is structured). Unlike JavaScript, CSS, and PHP that use braces to separate commands and functions, Python uses indentation. Indentation makes it more challenging to keep the code clean if your students tend to be sloppy (as many kids tend to be).
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If your students tend to be more disorganized, you may want to consider teaching them JavaScript or a kid’s coding language that makes it easier for them to keep things neat.
Also, mastering Python requires quite a bit of math, so I would recommend that any student who wishes to learn Python be required to know Algebra at the very least.
Even simple concepts such as variables may go over the heads of students who are not conversant in Algebraic ideas. The last thing we as educators want to do is to throw kids into the deep end of the metaphorical pool and let them struggle with a coding language. Proper background learning is necessary for anyone to succeed in any endeavor.
Python is not impossible to learn, however. Unlike many other computer languages, Python accommodates different learning styles. If your students cannot wrap their heads around object-oriented programming, then you can try a different tactic. The language can work with you.
Also, Python is known for being more forgiving of kids’ errors than certain other coding languages, and it is written in English syntax. More information can be found regarding Python as a kids’ coding language at CodeWizardsHQ.
Get Your Kids into Coding!
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Once again, no matter which language you decide to choose, the important thing is to get your students coding! From HTML to Python, coding will teach your students valuable skills that will accompany them through life. The time to start teaching them is now.