Teaching young students to code is beneficial because it can help them with problem solving, enhances logical thinking and creativity, and it can also help students enhance their math skills as many coding activities require working with numbers and algorithms. Some people may think that coding is only for older students as coding helps prepare students for professional jobs, but coding is really for all students. It fosters a growth mindset, encourages perseverance, and helps students learn how to troubleshoot and solve problems independently.
One of my favorite coding programs is Kodable. Kodable is a K-5 online program that helps students learn how to program while also being creative. This program was introduced to me from my school’s technology teacher. I used this program with my second grade students at the time and they really loved it! It was a great option for students to do when they finished their assigned work. I have not used Kodable in my kindergarten class yet, and I am excited to see how it goes. This program has visual instructions and step by step levels which will be helpful to my littles who cannot read yet.
Another coding app that I really like is Scratch Jr. This program is geared towards early childhood students ages 5-7. There is another program, Scratch, which is geared towards upper elementary. Again, I have used this program prior with my second grade class at the time but have not yet used it with my kindergarten students this year. This program allows students to create stories and games by coding! My second grade students had made some pretty impressive games. This was a great opportunity for students to be creative and share their creations with their classmates. My students were always so proud of their work.
Another program that I want to touch on is CS First by Google. This program is for students who are a little older, but I really enjoyed this site so I thought it was worth highlighting! This is a free computer science curriculum that uses hands on lessons with instructional videos to guide the learner. This site offers a lot of different courses. There are courses for beginners, intermediate and advanced users. This is a great program for teachers to incorporate computer science into their instruction as there are many different topics to choose from.