This Summer, Let Your Kid Begin Learning to Build Computer Games
Summer fun is typically associated with things like running around the Great Outdoors and playing with friends. Nobody will ever advise against these wonderful traditions!
Many kids today are fascinated by video games, and it’s only too easy to see why. Arcade games were fun in the 80s and 90s, but they’ve come a long way since in terms of graphics, gameplay, storylines, and countless more things.
Learning to program video games teaches kids valuable STEM skills and gives them a foundation of knowledge that will be incredibly helpful down the road when it’s time to enter the job market. More than that, kids have fun, and that’s reason enough!
Here are some tips to keep in mind before selecting an online programming course this summer for your child.
Video Games as Motivation
Most kids won’t exactly salivate at the idea of summer school, but it’s a different story altogether when the online classes teach them how to design and program their own video game! The idea is to teach kids STEM skills that will help them (eventually) enter the job market, but without them even realizing they’re learning because the classes are that much fun.
When children are truly driven to learn, the results are incredible. They’ll be overjoyed to play a video game they built themselves and show it off to their friends and family.
Pro Languages Only
It’s understandable to think that video games played every day by tens of millions of people, worth billions of dollars, run on programming languages too complicated for children — but it’s not true! The best online coding courses let your child learn industry standard computer languages that professionals use on the job.
Avoid programs that teach only Scratch — while this “language” could be a helpful way to get young children to understand what coding is like, knowing it will be of no professional use. Instead, look for a program that teaches children real coding languages, such as:
- Python
- Java
- JavaScript
- C#
- C++
- Unity
Expert teachers should be on hand to determine the right difficulty level and ensure your child is challenged without being overburdened.
Small Classes
One thing all the best schools have in common is a low ratio of students to teachers. Children shouldn’t have to jostle with one another to get their teacher’s attention, and teachers shouldn’t have to struggle to get large groups of children to behave.
Look for an online coding course with a ratio as low as four students per teacher. Children, especially young ones learning a new concept online, need guidance and support. The last thing parents want is a chaotic classroom to discourage their child from having fun absorbing crucial skills. Coding Bootcamps offers a number of difference courses that, depending upon your child’s maturity and skill set, might be a good option for them to take. There is something for everyone there, with all sorts of different styles of classes.
This summer, kids need to see their friends and run around in the sun as children have since time immemorial. But video games are not what they used to be, and online coding classes that teach kids to program them are not the summer school kids dread! Give your child a real thrill that also imparts foundational career skills by enrolling them in online coding courses.