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6 Websites to Teach Your Kids Coding/Programming

Judging by the ever increasing demand for sophistication in the technological devices, and in daily life, programming will continue to grow in demand. It is as a result of this perceived need that thousands of tech start-ups around the globe continue to source for the best programmers around.

Although many experts would say coding is easy, the practical truth is that coding is not easy. It is not easy for adults and definitely cannot be easy for kids. It is true that coding can be simple but not easy. But complex as code lines can be, there are online resources that can make the learning of programming simpler for kids. And if you are still wondering if coding knowledge will help your kids, you need to consider the following advantages of learning coding at a young age.

Reasons Kids Need to Learn How to Code

  • In many schools today, coding sessions are becoming increasingly popular aspects of their daily activities, mostly extracurricular.
  • At such early age, it is easier for them to understand coding because they see it as a regular language.
  • Coding allows kids familiarize themselves with computational procedures hence makes them fluent in handling the ever evolving technology.
  • A sound background in coding creates better employment chances in the future as the demand for programmers will continue to rise.
  • Above all, learning coding helps children develop analytical skills.

You might also like: Teaching Resources for the ‘Tech Savvy Generation of Kids’

In this article, we share some of the best educational websites for kids to learn programming. They are not arranged in any particular order, but we shall start with one of the most popular names in this niche.

Educational Websites For Kids For Programming

 1.     Codeacademy

Codeacademy is a website that makes the learning of coding easy and fun for everyone. With over 25 million users from virtually every part of the world, newbies and learners will never be without friendly help on the platform.In another way, it is the online coding classroom of the world and that’s why it is number one in this list.

Languages taught at Codeacademy number more than 30 and some members of the community have started programming careers shortly after joining the platform.On a closer look, it is easy to notice that the website was not built for kids solely; any individual of any age can use the site to their advantage.

Codecademy - Programming for Beginners

2.     Codakid

Built for kids and just the way kids will like it, Codakid has gone on to become one of the most beloved websites that teach kids coding.  The interesting thing about Codakid is that is not just a regular websites that teaches coding; it is a business that passionately renders the service of teaching coding while making a name for itself in the industry.

This site has online classes which kids can be part of upon signing up and logging in.And while most coding sites teach kids “coding” by just dragging and dropping, this site carefully teaches kids how to write codes manually. What perhaps, is the most interesting attribute of Codakid is its dedicated customer support which kids can always turn to in the event of recording any difficulty while using the website.

Codakid - Educational Websites for Kids

3. Lightbot

In a bid to make coding an easy concept to understand, the Lightbot platform has done a great job making coding fun to learn. In an age where kids would give anything to play their favourite games, see their favourite movies characters and more, it becomes reasonable to teach them through entertainment. This what Lightbot simply does.

The Lightbot technology presents its coding lessons in a game form. This makes the whole process very appealing to kids as both adventurous ones and reclusive ones often attempt to try these games. Understand, however, that the game in question will not teach the kid any particular language. What it does is to get kids in tune with the basic concepts in the world of coding such as procedures and loops. Unlike many other sites that teach kids coding, Lightbot does not require the visitors to sign up before accessing its features.

Teach Your Kids Coding

4. Code.org

When a website ends with a .org, what comes to the mind is a non-profit. And yes, code.org is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to teaching young children especially girls how to code. Loaded with a lot of videos, illustrations, applications and other resources, it is the leading online destination for all women seeking to learn coding for free.

One of the aims of founding Code.org is to promote coding in the girl child. With popular female names such as MalalaYousafzai making waves in the field of technology and inspiring a lot of girls in the process, it becomes very clear that the goal of founding the website will be realized.

Code.Org - Coding Educational Website for Kids

5. CodeCombat

If you grew up playing the Mortal Kombat blockbuster game, then you already have a clue as to what CodeCombat is all about. Codecombat is a website that teaches kids how to code but in a way, I believe kids love the most: the competitive way. Pitting one kid against another kid or obstacles, the Codecombat leverages on the kid’s natural desire to win which makes the child persist until success is achieved. Success in this aspect occurs both in the game played and the code learned. It is one of the rare educational websites for kids, that tries alternative ways to teach programming to young minds.

Code Combat - Interactive Programming For Kids

Are you a teacher? You do not want to miss these 7 websites!

6. Scratch

This is another interesting website to teach your kids coding.The building language on Scratch is very easy to use and avails kids the opportunity to create any game, application or website they conceive. With Scratch, it is more of building blocks by arranging those blocks creatively. That’s all. And perhaps, this is the best way to easily teach kids between the ages of 8 and 16 how to code.

Creative Educational Websites For Kids

Conclusion

There are several other websites that teach coding skills. They include Treehouse, Scratch, Alice, HacketyHack, W3Schools, OpenClassroom, Codea, and others. The ones this article focused on are the ones designed for kids. As a parent seeking to use one or more of these sites in teaching your kid coding, you may want to consider a few factors such as:

  • Budget: some of these educational websites for kids are expensive, some are cheap, some are free.
  • Age: Depending on your child’s age, some website could prove more suitable.
  • Ease of use: Compare the websites listed and identify the one you are most fluent using.

I hope this comprehensive list of educational websites for kids will help your little ones learn coding at an early age. But if you know some interesting website that is not covered in our list, feel free to share in the comments section below.