{"id":4102,"date":"2023-06-09T18:36:31","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T18:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dadstuffsite.com\/?p=4102"},"modified":"2023-06-17T11:40:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-17T11:40:03","slug":"a-parents-guide-to-the-15-best-coding-sites-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dadstuffsite.com\/a-parents-guide-to-the-15-best-coding-sites-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"A Parent’s Guide to the 15 Best Coding Sites for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this post, at no additional cost to you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We live in a digital world. While I try to limit my kids’ tech time, the truth is they will live their whole lives with technology that didn’t exist for most of my life. My kids will need a level of digital literacy I’ll never have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amount of technology in our everyday lives has skyrocketed. Unfortunately, the curriculum in schools changes slowly, so including digital literacy and coding is slow and insignificant, if it happens at all. It’s time to be proactive and get involved in my children’s education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So where do I start? There are a number of learn-to-code sites, but which one is best? And even those fancy posts that say what’s best, honestly, don’t explain what the difference is between many sites. So as I approach writing this article, I’m honestly doing it with personal motives: I’m looking for what’s best for my kids (and to share with you what I learn along the way). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is originally from www.dadstuffsite.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does your child learn best?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the first things to figure out before you start looking into different coding programs is your child’s learning style. How does your child learn best? And I’m not talking about learning types (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, reading\/writing). New research<\/a> is starting to debunk those. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I mean is, in what learning environments does your child thrive? Does your child do well with personal instruction, or do they want to jump in and figure it out themselves? Does self-paced, asynchronous learning (that is, a pre-recorded or text-based lesson, not a live interaction with a teacher) work well or do they need interaction with a person? Does 1-on-1 instruction work best or do they do better learning with a group?<\/p>\n\n\n

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My two kids are super different. My youngest is all about discovery learning<\/a>. Give him basic instructions and let him figure out a task for himself. When he hits a barrier, give him a couple of tips, and he’ll move right past that challenge. A simple, asynchronous video can give him all the answers he needs to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My oldest (like myself) does not work well this way. If you give him too much freedom to create anything on his own, he gets paralyzed. He needs step-by-step instruction with application. He can learn independently with a video, but he does much better with the personal interaction of a live teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when trying to pick out the best site for your kids, the answer is, it depends. In most cases, many of these sites work well together. Use one site for instruction, then another for experimentation and creation. Your child may do better with some experimentation first, and then instruction, or vice versa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following list is organized by sites that focus on instruction (free, paid, and some with live instruction) and sites that serve as a playground for experimentation and practice. Find out your child’s interests, figure out how they learn, and start with one before moving to the other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to learn more about synchronous coding programs, check out Teach Kids Coding: Top 5 Programs with a Live Teacher<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is originally from www.dadstuffsite.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coding Sites for Instruction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Code.org (Free)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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If I was a smart writer, I’d save the best free site for last. But I’m not. This is one of my favorite sites and is what my two sons (8 and 10 years old) are currently working through. The interface is easy for parents to navigate and set up for their child. Curricula are arranged by age, so simply start with your child’s age group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The instruction has a great mix of asynchronous video teaching and hands-on application in a gradual, step-by-step way. Beginners start learning with a grab-and-drop block language (where you use blocks of code instead of typing everything) and work their way up to more complex text-based coding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students can work their way into learning how to create and tinker with apps, games, and digital animation. The interface is fun and uses Minecraft, Angry Birds, and other popular games. Once you work through the different course levels, you move on to creating your own projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great for kids grades K-12. The program starts as young as 4 years old with a pre-reading sequence. Coding languages include Blockly, JavaScript, HTML\/CSS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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