Parents should think long and hard about how to introduce their children to the digital world. On the one hand, they live in it, and technology isn’t going away any time soon. They’re going to grow up in a world of screens displaying entertainment, video games, news, and more.
However, parents may be understandably reluctant to throw their children into a digital world, one they didn’t grow up in themselves. Kids need to play, explore, and roam freely in ways that kids have for centuries. Some parents may feel like modern technology undermines the type of classic childhood play kids have had for millennia.
It’s a type of paradox. How can parents introduce computer coding to kids in a way that prepares them for the digital world, while still leaving space for timeless pre-digital childhood joys? The coding language Python holds the key, so let’s read more about how RP4K lessons incorporate this powerful beginner coding language for young students.
The worst thing coding classes can do for young kids is turn them off of computers. RP4K understands that kids need a great first impression when it comes to learning how to code, so they aren’t soured on the digital world’s foundation before they’ve had a fair chance to absorb some lessons.
Our lessons do a lot to help in preparing your kids for the future, but we take pains to ensure they enjoy them at the moment. RP4K lessons revolve around teaching kids how to design and code their own video game, one they can play with friends and family.
In a way, creating their own video game becomes its own type of game. When children understand why they’re learning, they get a sense of mission behind it and naturally want to complete the task.
Your child will learn how to create a game called Serpent Temple, where a treasure hunter needs to find the ultimate lost treasure. Standing in their way are snakes, traps, boulders, and other dangers. Can the hero ride an alligator to find the gold?
Your child will love learning how to create this game, perhaps even more than kids love playing them. Indeed, we embed gamification concepts into our lessons, so the same design features that make video games so addictive and fun for kids work to make learning more enjoyable.
Kids can learn at their own pace, so they’re stimulated by the material but never overwhelmed. Coding should always meet children at their level. They should be eager to learn and swallow it down like it’s dessert rather than their vegetables.
Choosing to start by learning to code in Python ensures kids have fun learning a vital and important coding language.
Once your kids have a taste of computer coding, it’s important to ensure they stay hungry. RP4K classes make the material difficult by degrees, ratcheting up the complexity gradually.
The key is to make sure that engagement is always natural by balancing relaying new information and building on information they know already. RP4K takes pedagogical scaffolding seriously.
We believe that kids have a safer and more enriching experience navigating the digital world when they understand the underlying coding driving it. The key is to keep them engaged once they’ve been hooked on it.
That’s why RP4K offers classes that represent a gradual climb in coding knowledge. The program lets children flourish within a coding language. Then, it enhances their skills before advancing to the next coding language.
We offer coding classes for beginners, developing students, intermediate levels, more advanced children, and elite programmers. It doesn’t matter if your child is just starting with computers or has considerable skill — RP4K offers lessons at an appropriate difficulty level.
Kids may lose focus during class when there are too many other pupils. Even the most engaged and driven student can slip between the cracks and lose their concentration when the classroom environment is disorderly.
RP4K is careful to cap sessions at four students per teacher, so instructors can focus on the material instead of classroom management issues. Getting your child to understand how fun computer coding can be is a great first step that needs to be followed up with constant support from fun and engaging teachers.
How much experience does your child have in computer coding? Answering such a question is crucial because otherwise, your child may be bored or overwhelmed. We offer a complimentary trial lesson, so you and your child can observe for free online coding courses to see where is right for you.
Your child should be able to recognize the coding languages used and some of the commands, but if they understand everything, it’s probably too basic for them. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us at (877) 307-3456.
RP4K is proud to teach kids Python, a fundamental coding language used to build some of the world’s most popular platforms. After your child has explored Python and has considerable command of it, they’ll learn other industry-standard coding languages, such as:
These are the languages that employers expect the people they hire to know. RP4K always makes the class revolve around video games, so learning to code is always engaging. In a sense, we understand that introducing your children to digital skills is to constantly reintroduce your child to coding — anytime they learn something brings them to a new, high blank slate, where they need to be ready to learn another new concept.
Small, supportive classrooms with young and engaged teachers breaking down the most in-demand coding languages in a fun way are what computer coding classes should be all about.
Technology is here to stay, and people should be fluent in how it works to get the most from it. Getting left behind in the tech world might mean not being able to get a job requiring computer skills. In a more basic and holistic sense, it could mean feeling alienated by the digital technology all around us instead of empowered. Computers can be unbelievable tools that help people stay connected and entertained, but they should be introduced to how they work gradually in a fun way.
