How to get your kids off the smartphone is one of the hottest topics on parenting forums. Adults show miracles of ingenuity and perseverance, trying to distract children from computer games, and time after time, they are defeated. Fighting progress is unrealistic: curious kids are drawn to gadgets, as they help them learn about the world, which is becoming more technological savvy. Whether we like it or not, children will continue to use phone and pads in future. Therefore, it is better to teach them how to spend time learning and create by the monitor with fulfillment.

Educational coding software benefits

Along with developing critical thinking, improving problem-solving skills, and grow creativity, coding will give the basics of using a mobile phone, TV, computer, tablet, exciting secrets and hidden capabilities of gadgets, how coworking software works, or what are chatbots and how they function, they will also be working with text, managing files, and managing files and folders. All this will open the world of technology to the child and show him that these devices are created not only to watch cartoons and play.

Additionally, classes in algorithms develop logical thinking. This skill is the basis for programming, tasks for the development of logic can become the foundation for a future profession and it will be one of the franchise opportunities. After all these benefits of coding education being mentioned, it is easy to realize that homeschoolers should definitely develop coding skills by using educational coding software.

Scratch

When using Scratch as educational coding software, teaching coding is almost the same as playing computer game: learning can be simple, fun, and enjoyable. Classes with Scratch help to acquire initial coding skills, develop logical thinking, creativity, and the ability to independently gain knowledge, deriving patterns from practical experience, and testing assumptions experimentally. Coding with Scratch teaches homeschoolers to study. It is perhaps the most valuable skill nowadays, setting them up to constantly acquire new STEM knowledge and skills. In addition, teaching children to code helps in career guidance, instills interest in IT field. It might happen that they develop a passion for coding and instead of enrolling in MBA for engineers, as homeschoolers, they have more alternative ways of developing skills.

Code Monkey

Code Monkey's developers decided to approach the code learning process from the right side and turned it into an exciting game. It will be difficult to tear away from such programming not only children but even their parents. Imagine a simple online game in which children can learn the basics of programming. The whole process is divided into different levels, and you will hardly need more than a few minutes to complete each one. At any time, you can interrupt the passage (progress is saved) or go back a few steps. Hints are given before each level so that even elementary school children can cope with the task. Moreover, the tasks very gradually increase their complexity. It all starts with effortless actions, but then the child will learn to make complex algorithms.

Swift Playgrounds

The main idea behind Apple's Swift Playgrounds is that learning is accessible. Children (and even their parents) can create their apps right on the tablet, using existing templates or coming up with unique ones. They can develop software to the smallest detail, experimenting with graphics, interface, and support for various modules. And since Swift Playgrounds is a natural programming language, development can be loaded directly into Xcode.

Tynker

 

Tynker has an exciting STEM play environment and funny characters that will catch children's attention and are sure to pique their interest; Fundamentals and basic principles of programming are presented in a simple and accessible way. It is not like learning: children go through a game in which they are asked to complete simple puzzle tasks. In STEM education, the child goes through educational mini-games, learns to draw and create animation, and develops his project - a game or a cartoon.

mBlock

  

Once your kids have progressed from beginner to intermediate skills in coding, they should learn a “real-life” language. By real life, we mean a language that people use in the professional world, like the three we mentioned above.

With mBlock, kids can easily switch from elementary drag-drop coding blocks to REAL code programming language, Python.

With one click, kids can code in Python, a higher level of STEM practicability and coding practicality language, in comparison with Scratch languages. By writing codes in Scratch and view the corresponding Python codes behind the blocks, mBlock's Python mode not only enables children to create stories, games, and animations but also allows them to program STEM hardware like Makeblock robots, Arduino, and Micro:bit.

Kodable 

The creators of Kodable claim that their software is available to two-year-olds kids. You can learn the code before learning the letters. Even kids can drive through the labyrinths, and at the same time, master the preparation of programs, indicating the sequence of actions. Hints and recommendations are made using graphics so that the child does not have to read anything. Kodable is recommended for learning computer science in elementary school: teachers and parents can control the learning process, set difficulty levels, and track progress. An excellent start for the youngest kids.

Conclusions on Coding Software

Kids learn basic concepts and algorithmization principles with the above STEM educational coding software and learn to solve non-standard applied problems excitingly, training their imagination and cognitive skills. Also, this approach will develop systems thinking, create a good basis for further achievements.