While students often participate in after school activities like sports, dance, and gymnastics, parents should also turn to coding as an extracurricular. With so many resources available, learning to code can be right at your fingertips. Soon, your child will be able to set up a computer program or app using the skills they’ve learned online, through a tutor or an after-school coding program.

If your child is interested in learning to code, here are few resources they can use to gain this valuable skill:

Online Courses

Online courses give children the opportunity to learn coding at their own pace. Nowadays, children are immersed technology, but most are only consuming it rather than developing an understanding for how computers or programming work. Online courses are fun way for children to learn coding skills through the very platform they can develop.

In some courses, puzzle pieces represent blocks of code, and it’s up to the students to assemble them. Others use gamification techniques, text based programs and animation projects with online communities - all different and effective approaches to teaching children how to program.

Private Tutors

Every child has a unique learning style. For some kids, it can be beneficial to hire a coding tutor like you would hire a subject tutor for one-on-one attention. A tutor can tailor a coding program to your child’s individual needs and learning style, teach him/her step by step instructions and help your child problem solve as he/she goes through the learning process.

Self-teaching

If your child is more self-directed, there are plenty of online resources that can aid them in learning about coding and computer programming. Research papers, blogs, articles and books are a few outlets available. Local libraries also have a surplus of helpful books and information.

Coding Programs

Last but not least, children can go to after-school programs or camps, like those offered at Hatch. Kids often learn best when they’re guided by trained coaches but are still able to have some control over their education. Most coding programs help kids develop skills by allowing them to choose their own projects that teach them how to think critically and creatively. A program like Hatch gives children the chance to collaborate with other kids, share ideas, excel socially and solve problems as part of a team.