Coding Apps for Kids

Coding is the future. No matter where you turn, computers are going to impact the lives of your children. The only way to be prepared for this is to impart them coding knowledge early.

You can take the help of coding apps for kids which greatly simplify the process of learning. Coding apps are applications that you can download on your mobile phones, be it on Android or iOS platform. They may be free or you may have to pay a small fee. Once you have downloaded any of these apps, you can get your children started on coding with the interface these apps provide.

In this article, we have listed five of the best programming apps around.

You can make use of these apps and get your kids started on coding!

What is Coding for Kids?

While we do not expect children to become expert coders at a young age, coding for kids is greatly simplified. They still learn some of the core concepts of programming such as sequential thinking, loops, structures, etc. Children can understand these concepts by playing games. These help them to solve problems while still being engaging. This method projects coding as a fun activity and children get reeled into the joys of coding.

Why has Coding Become Important for Kids?

Before we take a look at some of the best coding apps for children, let us understand why coding has become a vital skill for children. In this digital age, where computers have virtually taken over everything, children need to engage and communicate with these machines.

The only way they can be ready for this is by communicating with devices, and there is only one way to communicate with machines, that is through coding. So, coding will become a skill every child should have, as a sign of his or her ‘digital literacy’.

Here are seven reasons why coding is a skill children should develop.

• The first thing coding apps for kids helps to achieve is the art of problem-solving. Children need to be confronted with problem-solving when they are young. This will help them hone a skill that is not really taught in schools except through the subject of mathematics.

• Children develop an essential attitude of resilience when they start coding. When anyone first starts coding, he or she knows that failure is inevitable. There are many days when you have to spend debugging the program to understand what went wrong. So, children will also learn how to stick to a problem and bounce back from failure.

• A crucial reason why children need to code is that doing so helps them to enhance their mathematical concepts and skill. Coding takes the help of many mathematical concepts so it can help children develop a love for Mathematics.

• Many businesses are relying on computer applications to stay competitive, so there is a vast scope for coders in the industry.

• Coding inspires children to get creative. Children can see and sense their code come to life as they program. It engages the mind in a positive direction that enhances their thinking as well as creative ability.

• Coding also improves the language ability of children. Since children have to “write” the code in a particular language, they express their ideas in code which also translates as expressing themselves in English or their native language.

• The last thing coding helps with is academic performance. As children solve problems and develop both logical and critical thinking skills, they improve in other subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. This can also help them in future to secure better occupation.

• Coding is a fun activity which engages young minds. Children can be weaned off mobile phones and onto coding at an early age since they will be playing and learning at the same time. This can prove beneficial for their future.

For more reasons than one, coding has become vital for the future. Get your kids started on any of these best programming apps now and secure their future.

5 Best Programming Apps

The listed apps are meant for first-time users. The list is aimed at much younger children who will not be mentally prepared to take on the rigours of coding on a core scale.

1. ScratchJr

ScratchJr is a version of the Scratch language aimed primarily at children. MIT educators and students created ScratchJr to encourage and help students grow to love as well as learn to program. The app is entirely free and is available both in the Android and iOS platform. Scratch Jr is aimed at children in the age group 5-7.

The best coding app for kids lays the foundation for solid programming skills with the help of a cartoon cat character. Using this app, children can develop their own “projects”. What they have to do is use code blocks which they can drag and drop to make a cartoon cat sing, dance and move across different scenes. Thus kids can make their own interactive stories as well as games.

ScratchJr’s interface is clean, straightforward and easy to use. There are plenty of sample projects that children can take help from to get the hang of the interface.

Essentially what the app does is develop a child’s algorithm building skills. Programming relies heavily on creating and understanding algorithms. So the first point children learn through the app is how to logically “write” what they want to create. Introduce your child to this app and open the road to a bright future in computer programming.

2. Algorithm City: Coding Game

What better way to introduce children to the fine art of coding except through the equally entertaining activity of playing games? Algorithm City is developed by a company called Musteren, and it makes programming a fun activity. One of the best coding apps for kids, it is exclusively available on Android platforms.

This app’s interface is clean and easy to use, but very small children may falter to understand the different symbols, so parental help is advised. Since the app uses games to develop the concepts of programming, it makes copious use of two programming constructs - algorithms and problem-solving.

This means that children learn to approach tasks in a step-by-step manner instead of a haphazard fashion. This initial problem-solving lays the foundation for a better understanding of more complex problems as the children move to higher classes.

The app makes use of many levels of games which the user has to solve using drag and drop blocks of code. At each step, you can collect gold coins as you progress through the various stages.

The USP of this app is that it helps children establish the fundamentals of problem-solving by breaking any problem into smaller, more easily solvable steps.

3. CodeSpark Academy

CodeSpark Academy coding app for kids is more fun, interactive and very close to real-life programming as it gets. Over 20 million children use the app over the world. Its popularity is due to the lively, engaging interface. Children will surely have a lot of fun on this app as it makes programming a mind-teasing activity.

The app makes use of different levels where kids have to solve easy tasks. These tasks are as simple as collecting coins and gems. To complete these tasks, children have to write code using drag and drop blocks of instructions that are easy to understand. Voila! The program to solve the problem is complete.

You should consider using this app because of the host of computer science fundamentals that the app helps to develop. Logic flow, conditionals, loops and step-by-step approach and sequencing are some of the basics the app helps to cover.

This app is available on both iOS and Android platforms, and it contains no in-app purchases. Choose this app not because it is one of the best programming apps around but because it is very close to real-life programming.

4. App Lab

Code.org developed a platform where children above the ages of 13 could make their apps. The app is a creative place to express your ideas and watch them come into life. You simply need to sign up to use the functionalities. Once you have created your account, start developing the app you always wanted. It is not at all a laborious process and requires minimal knowledge of coding.

The interface is user-friendly and the workspace where the code is slowly developed is wide and clear to handle. Even the commands are intuitive and comfortable for first-timers to use. While this website is aimed at teenagers, some exceptional kids below that age group can also make use of it.

Children are projected to learn about debugging and pair programming as well as fundamentals like storing information and using conditional statements. Use the best programming apps out there to begin your child’s app development journey.

5. Vedantu Super Coders

Vedantu recently developed its online platform to introduce children to coding. The platform, as well as the interface, are lucid, apt and easy to manoeuver. Children from the age group above five years can begin coding on this platform even with minimal background in computer science.

Vedantu aims to become one of the best coding apps around, but more importantly, it was created keeping the future of the young ones in mind. The tutors who will help your child get started have many years of experience in teaching and can clear the fundamental concepts efficiently.

You can make use of any of these best coding apps and applications to aid your child on the road to a bright future in computer science. The basic principle all these apps follow is to slowly make a child think like a programmer. To do this, they take the help of small tasks or games which the child has to solve. To think like a programmer means you have to break up more significant tasks into smaller tasks. The next item kids should be able to do is think sequentially and in a step-by-step manner.