Computer coding is an innovative activity for kids . It is simply the gamified
version for the kids to learn coding or computer programming in an interesting way
that involves creative input. It also has many benefits like the development of
problem-solving skills in child, thinking logically, and also start thinking out of the box
with their imagination creatively, like they are able to make their own characters,
play music and change background etc. At the same time, they are also learning
debugging skills.
Some of the general tips and good practices to improve coding skills for children are:
- First read the problem statement 2-3 times and try to understand it.
- Observe the play area and read the instructions carefully.
- Analyze the situation or the problem.
- Identify actions that corelate to input events.
- Find out different possible ways and try to find the most appropriate solution
where we need less numbers of lines of code/block. - If the problem is too complicated, divide it into smaller tasks and try to achieve
those one by one. - Find repetitive patterns and try to replace them with the appropriate loop .
- Recognize large repeated patterns as made from smaller repeated patterns.
- Identify the benefits of using loop structure instead of manual repetition. Here a
child can predict what will happen when a loop is put inside another loop – that is
using a nested loop. - Using of conditions in programs: Define circumstances when certain parts of a
program should run and when they shouldn’t. - Determine whether a condition is met based on the criteria. For example, if -else
statement, while loop etc. can be used. - Practice more and more to get good at coding.