When you're looking for summer activities for your children, few can be as fun and fulfilling as summer coding camp! Unlike many summer camps, coding camp teaches a genuine skill which can serve your child well throughout their lives. Knowing how to program, even a little, can be a major selling point when applying to college or jobs.
The issue, then, is one of finding the right summer coding camp. Since this is a relatively new concept in summer activity, they're still somewhat rare and can be a little tricky to vet. Here are a few tips from our team at Real Programming 4 Kids.
4 Tips for Finding A Great Summer Coding Camp for Your Children
A good starting point is to simply ask friends or co-workers, particularly if you have some who are involved in the tech sector. If that doesn't work, try asking around at your local YMCA, or even any nearby colleges. If nothing else, the nearest university CompSci department will undoubtedly have suggestions!
The entire concept of coding camps only goes back around 20 years or so - which makes it extra important you find a camp with experience. Broadly speaking, the older and more established the camp is, the better. A lot of newcomers are starting to jump into the field, and not all of them are reputable enough to be trustworthy.
As with sending a child to a private school, you want a low teacher-to-student ratio. Teaching programming requires a lot of one-on-one tutoring! We suggest looking for a camp which has at most a 4:1 (four students per teacher) ratio, to ensure every child gets the personal attention they need to succeed.
Coding camp isn't just a fun activity - it should be preparing your child with useful life skills. Camps should be teaching languages such as C++, C#, Java, XHTML/HTML5, or Python. It's also good if they utilize common development environments such as Android Studio or Unity.
RP4K Is A Leader in Summer Coding Camps
We were founded in 1999 and can legitimately claim to be one of the oldest and most-respected coding camps in the world! To give your child an amazing summer experience, contact us.