Families today are busier than ever. Many households have two working parents plus kids sports and after-school activities throughout the week. How are busy parents supposed to fit in additional education even for something as important as coding? Here are a few tips to get you started!
Schedule a Regular Time on Your Calendar
If something isn’t on the calendar, it isn’t likely to happen. A coding education isn’t something that can be achieved by one random Saturday or with one summer camp. You wouldn’t expect to learn how to play the piano that way, so coding should also be consistent as well.
The first step is to schedule a regular time to fit it in. Depending on your family’s schedule, this could be after school, on the weekend, or even in the evening. Having a regular time to focus on coding will help your kids to stay motivated and on track.
Creating a comfortable environment for your kids to focus on coding is also important. If possible, create a designated space for coding that is free of distractions. This could be a desk in their room or a spot in the living room. Make sure to provide all the necessary materials, such as a laptop or tablet, coding books, and an internet connection.
Finally, celebrate your kids’ successes and reward them for their progress. This will help to motivate them and keep them engaged in their coding education. You could give them a small token of appreciation, such as a new coding book or a gift card to their favorite store.
Making Coding Fun
Parents should try to make coding something their son or daughter wants to continue to do over months and years. It needs to be fun in order to hold their interest and unlock the incredible future benefits to knowing how to code.
One way to introduce coding to kids in a fun and interactive way is to play coding games or do coding puzzles. These activities allow kids to explore coding in a way that interests them, such as creating a video game, building a robotic car, or making a website.
Coding is usually a solitary activity, but parents can find ways to make it social. Look for friends who can collaborate on projects or science fairs to participate in. These social touch points can motivate kids to put effort into their projects and provide inspiration from seeing peers a little ahead of them.
Provide a Coach or Mentor
Ultimately busy parents can’t do everything themselves. If you don’t want to constantly find the next coding activity, class, or camp, you can hire someone who can help.
There are 1-on-1 online kids coding classes where your son or daughter can regularly meet with a college Computer Science student mentor. This solves many problems for busy parents since it is a regular set time and the personal interaction can keep kids motivated.
If you don’t want to pay for a weekly mentor, perhaps you can find a coach more similar to a sport. FIRST LEGO League is one robotics organization that has teams across the country and world. Look to see what coding teams might be near you.
Don’t Delay Getting Started
As parents, finding ways to introduce coding education to our kids can often seem daunting. But it is incredibly important to their future and the window of time may be smaller than you think. Once they are in high school and even busier, do you think they will listen to their parents’ suggestions about activities?
Start small. Don’t feel like you need to jump into a full-scale educational pathway right away. Just establish the regular time with some fun activities and games. This will help your kids get comfortable with the concepts and build their confidence.
Find a mentor. Consider finding someone who can help guide you through the process of learning to code. A mentor can offer advice and support, as well as provide resources and connections that can help you get a jump start on your coding journey.
By following these tips, parents can easily get their kids coding education started. With the right resources and support, coding can be a fun and rewarding experience for the whole family.