How to Make Learning Code Fun and Engaging for Kids

If you told your child they were going to be coding for an afternoon, you may get “the look”. But, if you told them they were coding to create their own video game, you’d likely see their eyes light up. It’s all about how you present it to them and about making activities fun.

When kids have fun activities to look forward to, they will become more engaged. In fact, they’ll be more likely to want to do it. They’ll look at it as a hobby that’s fun and exciting. 

If your child is learning to code, here are 5 tips to make it fun and engaging:

5 Ways to Make Coding Fun and Engaging for Your Child

1. Keep Lessons Short

Many times, kids have a short attention span, especially if they’re younger. By keeping lessons short, you’re more likely to keep them engaged. They also won’t get frustrated with the process. 

When the lessons are too long, they’re likely to either get frustrated, bored or both.

2. Find a Mentor

If your child is younger and you can find an older “buddy” to mentor them, they’re more likely to stay engaged. If your child is older, an adult in the field can also be helpful. This person can help them remain focused and also help them with their tasks.

3. Stay Involved as a Parent

Kids like to show off their work. Knowing they have a parent who is just as excited about their project as they are, will help. As a parent, stay involved in their project. Ask questions, react when they tell you what they’re doing, and most importantly, applaud their success when they’re done.

Knowing their parents are involved in their projects will help them to keep focused and will keep their project fun for them.

4. Make Sure Kids are Challenged

How many times have you heard the word “I’m bored” come from your child’s mouth? When children are coding, you don’t want them to get bored. Make sure the coding program you’re choosing is challenging your child so that they won’t get bored. If they’re not challenged, then they’ll become disengaged and less likely to want to continue the program.

5. Find the Right Program

If you don’t find the right coding program, your child is not going to have fun and not want to do anything. You want to find a coding program that makes coding fun and makes kids want to be a part of it. They should be with their peers so that they can have fun and learn something cool at the same time.

Coding at MakerKids

When you’re looking for the right coding program for your child, MakerKids is the way to go. At MakerKids, children get to engage in online classes that allow them to learn in the comfort of their own homes. They can learn with their peers and see other kids who have an interest in coding too. 

At MakerKids, we believe in keeping kids with their peers which is why we split our classes between those in grades 3-5 and those in grades 6-8. This allows them to be grouped with children in their age group so that they can learn from each other and relate to one another. 

Our coding classes teach children:

• Storyboarding
• Character development
• Animation
• Beta Testing 
• Environment and level design

Classes are also divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels so that kids can work at their level. Our classes offer a mentor-to-student ratio of 1:5.

To learn more about coding classes at MakerKids, call us at 1-844-MAKERKIDS to schedule a free trial class.