Benefits of Git and GitHub for Kids - Overview Guide

GitHub is a place where parents and kids can find lesson plans and activities that make coding fun, engaging, and easy for kids to learn as well as showoff their own work.

This article discusses the concept of GitHub and its meaning, functions, benefits, and how kids can maximize its resources to learn to code.

Overview of Teaching Kids GitHub

GitHub is a popular code management platform for programmers and software developers. It is the number one go-to platform for storing, editing, tracking, and sharing codes among software developers.

GitHub is also a social networking platform where users can connect, share codes, and work on projects together. GitHub can be compared to other social networking sites like Instagram, Facebook, etc. The difference, however, is that GitHub is solely meant for software developers and programmers to share codes and collaborate on the platform.

GitHub provides several collaborative tools for developers. It is an open-source web-based platform that is free and easy to use. GitHub can also serve as a virtual meeting space for users to discuss code-related “stuff”.

Kids have a lot to gain from using GitHub. Since it is an open-source programming platform, kids, with the guidance of teachers, can study other projects to create similar projects. Teachers can also maximize the GitHub platform to teach kids how to code.

What is GitHub and How Does It Work?

Teachers must understand the full essence of GitHub before teaching it to kids. GitHub, just as mentioned earlier, is a web-based programming platform for programmers, and software developers.

It is also a great platform for budding programmers to learn from others and share ideas with them. Teachers can also teach kids to program GitHub through the platform’s numerous learning tools. They can collect assignments, share codes, assign group assignments, and set deadlines, among others, on the platform.

The collection and submission feature was introduced to the platform in 2015. Teachers can interact with students and vice versa. GitHub is interesting, and allows for project-based management and a collaborative learning environment.

What is Git?

Simply defined, Git is the technology that GitHub is tailored after, hence, the title “Git-Hub”.

Git is an open-source control system. It is a distributed version control software that allows developers and other users to make countless changes to repositories without altering the original repository.

Git can be utilized by teachers to track code files and all revisions that are made to them. Kids can also compare changes their peers have made to various repositories.

With Git, kids can make as many revisions as they want to a repository without affecting the user experience. They can revise, comment, save, and track the changes made to the source code.

What Can Kids Learn From Coding GitHub?

Kids stand to gain a lot of coding experience from learning on GitHub. Asides from discipline and teamwork, which are only a plus, there are a host of other things to learn by teaching kids coding GitHub.

Overview of GitHub Platform

This is the core essence of teaching kids how to code using GitHub’s platform. GitHub is not limited to one programming language alone, so kids can learn as many programming languages as they want.

The top-ranked programming languages on GitHub are JavaScript and Python. They are considered the most utilized languages on the platform. There are also numerous repositories for kids and other learners to learn.

Kids need the guidance of parents to effectively learn how to code on GitHub. There are countless languages and repositories on the platform, and without adult guidance, kids might end up not learning anything meaningful.

Teachers can guide them through coding the languages- each at a time. They can also assign group projects and set deadlines on the platform. Also, teachers can give out code samples for kids to follow and create their own projects.

Coding on GitHub for kids is great, as there is an abundance of resources and experts to learn from.

Team Collaboration

GitHub’s open-source software system helps to promote great teamwork ethics among users. Kids can learn how to collaborate in team projects on GitHub. With adequate supervision, they can engage in teamwork, exchange ideas, contribute to their repositories, and comment on other teams’ projects.

Teamwork promotes a healthy relationship and fosters friendship among team members. Kids can learn the art of good team collaboration and create beautiful projects with their team members.

STEM Skills

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are the current “hot topics'' in our society today. Luckily, GitHub provides the perfect opportunity for kids to acquire STEM skills.

Kids are not limited to the confines of a physical classroom during learning. All activities will be conducted virtually and kids can work towards deadlines and collaborate with their mates. In addition to learning how to code on GitHub, kids will also learn computation skills and how to utilize various online tools for effective learning.

With GitHub, kids will learn how to think outside the box and make decisions based on practical resources from unlimited repositories.

GitHub is a progressive online community where everyone matters and no idea is outrightly invalid.

Benefits of Sharing on GitHub With Kids

Sharing on GitHub is great and has a lot of benefits, for teachers and kids. Here are some of the benefits of sharing on GitHub with kids/

It Promotes Independence

GitHub is an online platform that encourages users to learn by doing. The list of all the amazing things you can do on the platform is endless!

Kids only need to learn the basics of coding on GitHub and apply their knowledge to acquire more innovations. They can study and copy the repositories of other programmers, ask questions, make suggestions, and share their ideas on the platform.

All these activities and more help to build and strengthen an independent mind in kids.

Transparency of Activity

This is beneficial to not only kids but their instructors as well. GitHub operates on an open-source system, so everything you do is visible to the entire community of users.

Kids can be rest assured that their work is safe, as GitHub keeps a record of every activity that takes place on a repository. Teachers can also monitor the participation and progress of kids to ensure everyone is actively involved with learning.

Share Your Work

Kids can kickstart a career as a programmer or software developer from GitHub. There are millions of users on GitHub and one has a higher chance of getting noticed by people.

Several recruiters watch out for new talents on the platform, so kids can seize the opportunity to share their ideas. Teachers can encourage and support their kids in whatever they do.

Sharing your work with the public takes a lot of guts, but with the right support from parents, kids can be rest assured to perform excellently.

It Encourages Participation

GitHub is an interesting platform that encourages participation from users. Since GitHub helps teachers to keep track of their students’ activities, kids have no other choice than to stay active.

Moreso, kids love challenges and are always motivated by their peers’ successes. They can share ideas as individuals and as a team.

Things to Know About GitHub For Kids

Here are the pros and cons of teaching GitHub for kids.

Pros

• GitHub makes it easier for teachers to monitor their kids’ progress and participation.
• It encourages learn-by-doing and independent learning. With a little parental guidance, kids can source resources and study live examples on the platform.
• Since it is an open-source platform, kids can actively participate in the online community and share their ideas with other experienced members of the community. Some popular developers share nuggets with other users, so kids can follow their patterns and learn from them.

Cons

• GitHub is not very suitable for younger kids, as it requires a level of accountability absent in younger kids. For better learning, GitHub is only recommended for kids aged 13 and above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary About GitHub Coding for Kids

GitHub is a great platform for kids and anyone at all to learn to code! There are numerous things that kids can achieve by coding GitHub.

Parents and teachers should endeavor to provide proper guidance and support for their kids as they begin their journey as programmers.

Just as mentioned earlier, the benefits kids stang to gain from learning on GitHub. GitHub is not limited to learning how to code alone, as there are a host of other things kids and other users can achieve on the platform.

More Inspiration on Coding Platforms for Kids

These are some of the best platforms we've found that can help foster kids ability to code. These platforms have been built to support kids as well as allow them to grow and scale their learning journey in computer science and programming.

• Best Platforms to Teach Kids Coding
• Big Tech Platforms that Teach Kids Coding and Programming
• Learn All About Git and GitHub for Kids
• Jupyter Notebooks for Kids
• Coding Platforms for Kids to Learn Computer Programming