Coding For Homeschoolers with CodaKid
Coding for homeschoolers is fun with CodaKid.
We’ve all heard about coding, and we all know it is important, but if you are anything like me you probably have no idea how to teach it!
Getting kids coding is so important that I needed to find some way of teaching it in our homeschool.
We originally started with coding in early elementary grades with Play Osmo, which is a great coding game for younger students.
But now we are in middle school I wanted to find actual courses with proper coding instruction.
Carry on reading to see which coding websites for kids we are using, and why we feel getting kids coding is important in our homeschool.
**Disclosure: I was compensated for my time to write this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only share resources that I would use with my own family and those that I believe other homeschool families will enjoy. There may be affiliate links in this post.**
Coding in homeschool
Carry on reading for an ultimate guide on how to get coding for kids, and why it is something your children should be doing.
But first I wanted to explain a little more about coding in general.
Kids coding languages
Coding is simply how we talk to computers. It is a list of functions that tell the computer what to do.
See it seems simple! However, it is a completely different language, that I can’t speak!
There are approximately 700 computer languages!
These are the top 10 computer languages for kids.
- Python
- Scratch
- Java Script
- C++
- BASIC
- Lua
- Unreal
- Arduino
- SQL
- HTML & CSS (not really languages, but used for creating websites)
Benefits of kids coding
There are so many reasons why you should encourage your kids to start coding.
Career opportunities
There is currently a lack of experienced software engineers, and with technology changing so quickly this will not change.
It is a very well-paid job too. Check out our career test for teenagers to see if your child would excel in this field.
Exploring creativity
Coding encourages children to develop their own games and websites.
They will be able to create something that is completely unique to them and watch their hard work create something new and exciting.
Coding boosts problem-solving skills
Coding is a lot about practice, trial and error, and testing your work.
If you get a piece of code wrong the game, or whatever you are trying to create will not work. Therefore, you have to go through methodically to problem solve and find the solution.
Storytelling skills
This may not be as obvious as some of the other reasons, but with coding, there has to be a start, a middle, and an end, just like a story.
Persistence
This is definitely my favorite benefit!
Coding takes time, when Freddie first started out with coding he wanted to create a game in 10 minutes!
As we have gone through the online coding classes to make his best game so far took 2 hours, and even by his own admission was incredibly basic.
Although he was so proud of himself. If your kids like to push themselves, why not try some challenging Lego sets!
I honestly think my son’s love of Lego has made his understanding of coding so much better.
CodaKid review
The only way we could learn homeschool coding is through an online coding class. As I have previously discussed I just haven’t got a clue!
If you are looking for even more homeschool curriculum reviews check out all of the others we have reviewed over the years.
We have been taking coding classes with Codakid for the last couple of weeks and they are fantastic.
What I especially love as a homeschool mom is that there are detailed instructions and when the course is completed you get a certificate of completion.
So far we are up to 15 certificates that are kept in our homeschool portfolio.
Freddie uses his IPAD to watch the tutorials and at the same time sits at his computer and follows along.
Why not try Codakid for yourself, there is a 7 day free trial to see if it fits your family.
This is an example of one of the many games he has created with Scratch.
There is a detailed tutorial that goes through each section, and at the end, you have created your own video game.
The first few were of course very basic, but the scratch planet defense one took ages to create and was fun to play.
Private online coding classes
We prefer self-paced courses, but if you prefer private online classes, Codakid has you covered.
These classes are taken with a live tutor over a Zoom call. Schedule your call with a CodaKid enrollment counselor to activate your free trial.
Coding books
If you love books as we do, these are are the best coding books for kids? These are great, however, you will still need to get online to actually learn to code.
- Code This!
- Coding For Kids – Scratch
- Get Coding!: Learn HTML, CSS & JavaScript & Build a Website, App & Game
- Check out our top 15 Coding Gifts for Tweens
Last Updated on 21 April 2024 by Clare Brown