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CAN YOU TEACH a child to code, if they can’t even read yet?
Why yes you can – that’s the premise of a new app that was created by researchers in Massachusetts. Called ScratchJr, it teaches basic computer programming to kindergartners (that would be children in junior and senior infants here).
The makers say that the free app is suitable for children as young as five, who can use it to craft their own interactive stories and games. They don’t even have to know how to read.
So how does it work?
Children can snap together graphical programming blocks to make characters and other elements move, jump, talk and change size.
The co-developers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University say ScratchJr teaches kids to think creatively and helps them become confident in their skills in math, science and technology.
Kindergartner Talia Levitt has started using the app at the Eliot-Pearson Children’s School in Medford.
She says it has taught her to concentrate and use her imagination.
Here in Ireland, James Whelton (aged 22) is the founder of Coder Dojo, which teaches young people computer coding skills.
He learned how to code when he was just nine – but speaking at the 2012 Web Summit, he said:
I was coding since I was nine but academically, I was pretty horrible. Stuff I was really good at wasn’t recognised anywhere on the curriculum. Teachers thought I was thick as wood but coding was my thing.
There are now 500 Coder Dojo clubs run by volunteers all over the world,
One of its members is Harry Moran, who was under 13 when his game Pizzabot hit the top of the iPhone paid download charts – beating Angry Birds.
So when it comes to technology, it’s clear that age really is nothing but a number.
What do you think about coding for kids? Tell us in the comments.
- With additional reporting from AP
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Here’s a thought. Let them play, discover, explore, fall, scribble, imagine and compose for a few years….
Why do the two have to be mutually exclusive? This isn’t like they’re forcing kids to hole away in a dark cubicle somewhere spitting out reams of code and robbing them of their childhood. It’s learning basic skills needed to code, and needed in other areas too like maths and science, and ensuring that the children become adept at these skills from a very early age. The Scratch course I did several years ago had barely any real coding, it was all drag and drop pre-made ‘code blocks’ from one place to another; extremely simple but extremely helpful in learning the fundamentals. Ireland falls way behind when it comes to computer and programming skills even though it’s a sector that’s creating jobs every day of the week, and this is 100% down to the fact that most people don’t write their first line of code until they’re in college. In other countries kids are learning to code when they’re young teenagers, in the UK they’re introducing coding to the primary level curriculum. Meanwhile here students, if my own experience is anything to go on, are left for several hours a week watching whatever movie the CSPE or religion teacher decides to stick on because they know the class is pointless and for the most part not even examined. CoderDojo and similar classes are invaluable for young people especially here where the tech industry is going from strength to strength. We either let kids use these tools to learn the skills they need or we let them be left behind.
We either let kids use these tools to learn the skills they need or we let them be left behind.
‘need’? did anybody say they ‘need’ them? let them choose of their own accord later in life
Are you suggesting children don’t need to develop logical thinking and problem solving skills? I would bet everything I own on saying that anybody who is opposed to teaching coding to children cannot code themselves, because if you did you would see how vital it is and how important the skills are that you gain from it.
As a student studying early childhood care and education I feel very passionate about children going outside and playing (children learn through play) but I have to say that i think this is also a great idea! It’s very important for children to learn all different types of skills at a young age and this is definitely one skill that would have a major (positive) impact on their lives!
Of course I would not encourage children to spend more than half an hour (total) a day using technology but wouldn’t it be great if instead of playing some silly game about peppa pig they were learning a very useful life skill?
I’m 100% sure that not everyone will agree with me but it’s just my opinion,,,
Coding is a wonderful way for them to learn other things too without even realising it. Things like problem solving, maths etc. The Coder Dojos are a fantastic initiative. Can’t recommend them highly enough.
Exactly! My 10 yr old started coding with coderdojo a year ago – it has improved his ability to think logically & problem solve hugely and really benefits him in his maths at school. I think it’s brilliant!
It’s funny to think what these kids are truly capable of mentally, but what’s the main thing most of of teach them at this age?
”A magic man in the sky sent his son to earth through his virgin mother, he didn’t really do much until his 30s when he died brutally nailed to a bit of wood in the desert, then he came back from the dead as a zombie…all this was to make ammends for the sins of the human race because a woman listened to a talking snake and ate an apple, and in order to live with the magic man in the sky forever and ever we have to eat a special bit of bread and drink special wine in this special building but they’re not REALLY bread and wine they turn into the flesh and blood of the zombie when the man in a black suit says a magic spell over them, and also the magic man in the sky has 10 special rules he wants us to live by which include not having false idols, which is why it’s important for you to pray to this statue of a saint when you loose your wallet rather than the magic man himself cos if you put money in his box he’ll find your wallet again for you….now on a totally unrelated matter when you loose a tooth you have to put it under your pillow so a magical fairy will give you money, the fairy works for a different outfit to the magic man and the giant rabbit…oh yeh about the rabbit…. a giant bunny rabbit that talks will hide chocolate eggs in the Garden once a year and you have to go find them…neither of these guys are related to the obese man in a red suit that sneaks down your chimney to give all the children on earth a present within 8 hours..now off to school where you can learn about science because it’s important to think logically”
Arthur Christmas is a great cartoon which addresses how Santa can be achieved through science (and a bit of magic) :D
Easter is actually based on the festival of Ishtar, which was the babylonian Goddess of love. Bunnies and eggs were her fertility symbols, chocolate is an aphrodisiac. So yeah, easter was initially about sex
My son is learning scratch in elementary school. We have also been teaching it at home. It’s a fantastic first step into coding and he is working on writing a game. For balance he plays outside, run cross country, skis and plays basketball :)
Programing in part of the curriculum in some eastern european countries we really need to catch up or be left behind.
Teach them Java. It’s the fisher price of programming languages.
Obviously you have never done java then. I would have said python or visual basic.
I would suggest Ruby …. no daft squiggly bits!
Fisher price what planet are you on lol
Any language with squiggly brackets… Respect
Scratch teaches basics of coding. On the web, JavaScript (node.js, angular.js, ember.js) is everywhere these days, but stuff like Ruby on Rails (or rack, sinatra, ramaze etc…) can lead to learning python, scala, java etc… most languages use frameworks these days anyways. Kids can build objective-c/swift apps v easily these days – a 12 year old’s app knocked angry birds off the top of the app charts after all.
It’s actually very easy and fun
Coding an important skill … even just to automate spreadsheets which are used across most industries.
French are probably best software coders due to emphasis on Philosophy in their schools …. gives a framework for rational logical thinking, essential for good software design and code …… also has a nice side effect in no irrational housing bubbles in France. —- Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby … win win.
Coding used to be called programming in my day. It had a terrible image problem so I guess something had to be done topchange that.
These days it’s easier to create things by yourself with smart phone apps which I’m assuming all this coder dojo thing is aimed at but still mostly programming is about being a piece of a massive jigsaw which limits creativity.
as someone who went to art college, and who has a masters in computer science I disagree J. Coding/programming can be fun, creative and interesting. Anything can be creative with the correct approach
Sounds like a program I could use?!
As if the Oedipus complex was not hard enough!! The kids they come. They steal our jobs too!!!
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