Coding Classes for Kids - Best Programming Language To Start

Are you looking for coding classes for kids ?

This blog is intended to keep in mind the parents looking for coding classes for their kids. Parents may have some IT and programming knowledge or be entirely new to IT. This blog will help them decide on the correct programming language for beginners if they look for a coding class for kids.

We are not covering Block-based programming languages like Blockly, Scratch & Scratch Jr, Tynker etc. Block-based languages are mainly for interactive learning for young kids (Grade 2 to 5).

Let's see the language options

We intend to cover text-based coding languages like Java, Python, C++ etc., which are recommended for kids from grade 6 onwards. In these programming languages, Developers used to write code by following language-specific syntax (structure of the statement in which you need to write the code).

The app we use daily for fitness tracking, games, reading news, navigation, online buying, OR platforms like Netflix to watch a movie is built using multiple programming languages. There are hundreds of programmers continuously working on these Apps, Websites, and platforms to continue creating huge code to build a new feature or improve the existing feature.

There are many programming languages which are used behind it. Suppose I take a few most famous programming languages, C/C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and Python. Every language has a specific purpose in large scale usage.

In the next part of the blog, We will mainly focus on Java Script (with HTML & CSS), Java and Python, which we recommend as a programming language for kids to start.

So what is the best programming language to start ?

So the common question is, what is the best programming language to start coding for kids?

At the early stage, most parents and kids are unclear on the end goal to achieve with a programming language like building a mobile app, building a website, building a game etc.

We would say it is more important for kids to start with one and check if they like it or not.

Let's talk about which one to choose to start learning to code?

Java

Java is the most widely used programming language industry-wide. Most of the applications that you see around are created using Java. It is a general-purpose programming language to start kids learning where kids can continue the learning path and build real applications. The only drawback in learning Java as 1st language is that it is complex to learn; hence kids may lose interest in coding if they have not been given proper guidance and support.

JavaScript

Let's talk about JavaScript. The first thing to know is that Javascript is very different from Java. It is a prevalent programming language; all the good websites use Javascript (with HTML and CSS) to have a dynamic and highly interactive look & feel. JavaScript is not a general-purpose programming language like Java or Python; it is a script-based language mainly used for web development. Javascript can be executed on any browser and show the outcome; it is also a trendy choice among kids. It has easy syntax; hence it's easy to learn also. The only drawback with Javascript is that it doesn't cover all programming concepts. Its application is not very consistent, which is confusing for kids in the early stage. Hence it is not the best language to learn programming concepts.

Python

Now let's talk about Python. It is one of the most popular choices among kids to start learning to code as it is a general-purpose and complete programming language with simple syntax. Python can be used for frontend and backend application development. Python is gradually becoming the most popular programming language due to its extensive usage in the current digital world with Apps, Data, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. The vast community and resources help a new developer learn and apply Python to build real-world projects quickly. The drawback is that it is weak in mobile app development.

Conclusion

To conclude, we recommend parents first check the kids' interests. If it is specific and kids are clear on the outcome, like what they want to build, it will be easy to choose the specific programming language. Otherwise, focus on the programming fundamentals and start with any general-purpose programming language. It would help if you also considered the available support system so that your kids will not be confused in the early stage of learning to code.