3 programming languages that children can learn

Nowadays as digitalization becomes more widespread in all areas of our lives it is not rare at all to teach coding for children. But do you know what kind of tools kids can use to successfully learn how to code? The short answer is programming languages.

Programming languages: what you probably know about them is that they are complicated to pick up. Therefore the next question is: how could children tackle applying them efficiently when creating their self-programmed computer games if these programming languages are so difficult? Is it magic? Yes, it is, but at Logiscool, we know the spell and how to teach magical coding for children!

What are programming languages?

Programming languages are various sets of instructions to communicate with a computer. Through programming languages, people can make themselves understandable for their computers. If you would like to write a computer program, you should first learn the appropriate programming language.

Although programming languages differ from usual human languages and are primarily used to communicate with computers, programming specialists can communicate with each other by using these special codes.

Programming languages convert letters, numbers, and signs in series, that are not understandable to non-experts, into codes that are an obvious way of communication with the computer.

The difficulties of the programming languages are diverse: some of these are adequate even to teach coding for children. Students at Logiscool can learn complicated programming languages (Python, C#, etc.) too, however, these programming languages require preliminary studies what children can obtain in programming holiday camps, on semester-long afterschool courses, or on workshops.

Programming languages for children

Programming languages like Python or C#, consist of numbers, letters, and signs in series that are structured along a particular logic and method. The main point of programming is to understand these methods and different ways of thinking about how to construct a program. As you see clearly how it works, you can easily apply the characters and do the programming.

Therefore when it comes to teaching coding for children, the first step is revealing to them the “magic” of this programming logic and “translating” it into their language in a fun way.

At Logiscool, a special programming language, the StageScript (Javascript optimalized for educational purposes), is used on a special education platform, Scoolcode, on 3 different levels to teach children coding. First level, BLOX is ideal to introduce even to the youngest (6+ years old children) to learn the basic principles of programming. With the visual building blocks of BLOX, children can pick up the main points of programming and become able to code their computer games. Through playful and practical tasks, this learning process seems to them a fun game rather than a complicated classroom exercise.

When children feel comfortable with using BLOX level, they can deepen their knowledge. The next step in StageScript is called MIX. With this level, the coding for children is taught in a unique way: the combination of the visual building blocks and the text-based programming language can both be seen on the screen. The third level of StageScript is TEXT, where only a simplified text-based programming is used. 

With the well-structured curriculum of Logiscool, teaching coding for children has become a real and feasible goal. By their teenage years, children are ready to learn text-based programming languages such as Python, C#, if they had started learning the basic programming principles in their 6-9th years.

However, at Logiscool we say, that it is never too late to start getting to know how to program! Kids at the age of 12-14 years can begin to learn programming with the visual BLOX as well. Since older kids probably have a deeper pre-knowledge in IT, the introductory “chapters” are going to be much shorter for them.

StageScript

This is the Javascript language optimized to educational purposes by Logiscool to teach kids the basics of programming logic as written above. It is used on a special education platform, Scoolcode on 3 levels: BLOX, MIX and TEXT. When reaching TEXT level children can change from the simplified coding language to the ‘real’ coding languages.

Python

Despite its age (more than 20 years old), it is still one of the most popular text-based programming languages, even when teaching coding for children. It is an open-source programming language that is easy to integrate with web services, machine learning, deep-learning applications, and last but not least, data structures.

Applying Python you can create 2D imaging, 3D animations, and videos. Even science benefits from this programming language: Abacus and FreeCAD also use Python, and its popularity is constantly growing. Because of its versatility and simplicity, Python is a great choice to teach coding for children.

C# (C-sharp)

A very popular programming language among kids is C#. It’s not a wonder: C# is one of the languages that Unity and Godot, the two big game engines understand. With Unity and Godot children can program their own 2 or 3D computer games. C# is an object-oriented programming language that is a great tool to teach coding for children.

At Logiscool, the education is based on a well-structured method and is constantly being developed according to the feedback of the children and their parents. The main concept of this method is that even the most complicated things can be taught to kids if the proper, fun-based “language” and tools are applied to do that.

Children at Logiscool can pick up the science of programming at holiday camps, after-school courses, or workshops. Are your kids ready for the the best coding program for the school holiday or for the best after-school classes during the school year? Let us teach them how to create their own computer programs and games! For more information click here: www.logiscool.com