Basic coding fundamentals are no longer optional for high school graduates who want to excel in the modern workforce. Every child won’t grow up to be a developer, but the ability to understand how computers and AI work is important in almost every industry – and becoming more so every year.
Luckily, there are tons of gadgets, games, and resources designed to disguise programming lessons as fun recreational activities. Finding the right way to motivate your child can make all the difference, so here’s a few options broken down by age group.
Ages 5 – 8
In this age group experts recommend lots of hands-on activities. There are, of course, thousands of educational apps and programs, but nothing gets little ones jazzed up like a robot.
We managed to test out several robots for children that were designed to help teach fundamental coding skills and here’s a few of our favorites:
Evo: We reviewed this Ozobot robot recently and, while it’s the smallest one on this list, it’s one of our favorites. Instead of using a smartphone or remote control, children draw lines with different colored markers to ‘program’ Evo. It can also be controlled with a phone or tablet, and it supports a drag and drop programming language, but the tactile sensation of ‘coloring’ with markers is a fantastic way to relate logic problems to children.
No comments:
Post a Comment