Helping Kids Deal with COVID-19 Through Coding

Over the past few months, parents have had to deal with helping their kids deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sometimes it can be hard to answer questions and know the right thing to say to keep them informed without scaring them. One way to do this is to keep their minds active.

The folks at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) developed the concept of the MIT App Inventor. This web-based, programming environment lets kids develop applications for smartphones and tablets. These apps not only keep their brains active but also allow them to create tools that can help with the pandemic, helping kids deal with COVID-19 in a positive way.

Challenging Children

In April, the App Inventor team launched a new challenge promoting the idea of building mobile technologies that could be used to stop the spread of COVID-19 as well as help local communities. All of these types of technologies use coding skills to come to life.

Since the Coronavirus App Inventor Challenge began in the spring, there have been inventors from around the world and from ages 9-72, submitting their ideas.

App Inventor has been so successful because people are learning about coding and having the chance to contribute to the effort of helping with the global pandemic. The apps that are being created range from ones that motivate people to stay healthy to ones aimed at mental health and education. Winners are announced monthly and honor apps for their creativity, design, and ingenuity.

For kids that want to create, they can use their coding skills to come up with any idea they want and see how it flies. The opportunity to work on various apps helps kids improve their coding skills while helping kids deal with COVID-19.

The project is also bringing people together virtually who otherwise would have never gotten the chance to meet. They learn how to work together and can learn from each other’s coding skills.

The App Inventor plans to continue the challenge as long as the pandemic continues to have an impact. There is still time for your children to put their coding skills to the test and create an app. If they can dream it, it can become a reality.

Coding Classes at MakerKids

As you can tell, coding is a skill that can be used in so many different ways. If your child has always wanted to try coding or wants to hone their skills, MakerKids can help. We offer virtual and in-person coding classes. For more information, call MakerKids at 1-844-MAKERKIDS or visit us online.

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