Fun & Educational Ways to Teach Your Kids to Code

Coding is a skill that takes many years to learn and perfect. It is better to teach coding to children early on, so they can become efficient in it by the time they reach adulthood. The only question is, "How do you get children to be interested in coding?"

Below we will explore the top 5 fun and educational ways to teach your kids how to code.

1. Lego Mindstorms

Most of us grew up building toy robots with Lego pieces. Did you ever wish you could make the robot move? Nowadays, children have that luxury. 

Lego Mindstorms is a unique Lego product line that allows children to build a robot and program it to move. It contains a series of sensors and motors that link to a programming device. 

As your child learns the programming language, they can command their robot to walk and talk. It is truly a fun way to get your child started on learning to program. 

2. Build Websites

The internet is the present and future of our society. Your children will most certainly be using the internet more as they grow older. But what if you could teach them skills to program and develop their own websites? 

Programs like Code Ninjas and Tynker offer web coding lessons to kids online. The lessons are made to be fun and educational at the same time.

Eventually, your children will understand the backend of web coding and how websites rank high in search engines. Search engine optimization will be something they can master. 

According to Ignite SEO, "SEO is the process of ranking in Google & since Google is the most dominant search engine in the world, learning to code websites could teach your child an invaluable skill that will be desired for decades to come. 

3. Mobile Apps

Have your children already become addicted to their smartphones or tablets? If you want to turn it into a positive thing, you can introduce them to fun apps that teach them how to code. 

Three recommended apps include Lightbot, Kodable, and Move the Turtle. These apps feature colorful graphics and fun activities that will make children learn to code while having a good time. 

4. Create Minecraft Mods

Children of all ages love to play the game Minecraft. It gives them a chance to build structures and explore a world with never-ending terrain. Not only is it fun, but children can learn teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills. 

Minecraft users love to create mods for the game in the Java coding language. There are tutorials on the internet which teach kids how to code and create Minecraft mods. If your child loves Minecraft, then they'll be eager to learn how to code these mods.  

5. Remixing Games

MIT has created an original programming language called Scratch. It is designed to let children create and modify their own interactive games, animations, and stories. They have drag and drop programming tools to make it simple for children to experiment with the language. 

If your child does not have the skills to create a game from scratch, they have the option to modify the programming of an existing game. As they change certain variables of the game, they can play it to see the changes that were made. It will help your child understand coding from a hands-on perspective.