Learn how you can easily teach your children basic computer abilities even at the tender age of 4 years old.
For some parents, 4 year old kids may seem as though they only learn through just gamifying an educational experience. However, preschoolers these days are more familiar with computers and applications, and they may get more fascinated with them as they grow older. Thus, it is essential to teach them coding skills. And here is some excellent news: starting at the age of four, you can begin preparing your child to code.
There are a variety of approaches that you may use to introduce your children to the world of coding. Others use coding toys, unplugged coding activities, coding apps, or even puzzles to accomplish their goals.
Below are some tips and strategies on how you can teach coding to your child starting at age four.
Overview of Teaching 4 Years Old How to Code
As a parent, you may believe that teaching coding for 4 years old seems to be complex and complicated. It can be, but that is not always the case.
Even if you do not have prior knowledge about coding, you don't need to have substantial programming experience to educate their children to code.
Best Tips to Teach Your 4 Year Old How to Code
Technology has revolutionized our daily lives, even in the preschool game. And coding – as a part of technology, plays a vital role in our lives and our children's future.
Coding may sound complex, but it can be entertaining, interactive, and hands-on for preschoolers when introduced correctly. The following are some tips to teach your 4 year old how to code.
Start with Introductions of Basic Foundations
There are no shortcuts to learning something new. The best way is we take it one step at a time. Most children as young as four years old will not be able to grasp things faster than an adult, so a step-by-step approach is recommended for the remainder of the course.
The first step is to explain it to children in terms they can understand. When it comes to teaching children to think like computer programmers, the first step is establishing the groundwork in preschool.
You can introduce the basics of coding through play, as it is the best way for children to learn.
Use Basic Programming Applications
Did you know that according to a wide range of studies, children learn more effectively when they use technology in novel ways? In teaching your 4 year old how to code, you can take advantage of the numerous educational opportunities available by downloading and using a simple coding program on their mobile device. There are multiple download apps in Google Play or Apple Store appropriate for 4 years old such as Daisy the Dinosaur, Hopster Coding Safari, and Code Karts.
Introduce Hands-on Games and Coding Activities
When children enjoy, they are more open to learning. They will not even realize they are learning how to code because of the fascinating activities.
Below are some preschool activities that can help four years old develop coding skills. These will help them as these games will help them develop problem-solving skills and logical thinking in able to work out the game:
Solve Puzzles
Computer programmers need to solve problems, thus solving puzzles can help them develop problem-solving skills. In solving puzzles, kids need to look at the puzzle and the pieces to figure out how to put them together to finish the puzzle.
Building Blocks
Logical thinking is one of the skills 4 years old need to develop to learn to code. With building blocks, young kids will learn how to think logically as the kid will learn how and if the blocks can balance and where to put them to do this.
Also, building something out of blocks takes a lot of patience, persistence, and determination, which are all skills that are important in computer programming!
Math Games
It's a good idea for preschoolers to participate in any game or activity that requires them to employ arithmetic skills. Fun and easy number sense games for preschoolers will help them learn about numbers.
For four years old, you can try easy-to-understand math games such as a board games or let them participate in a maze.
Try Offline Activities Such as Coding Toys
Children should be shown that they may learn to code in other ways than through computers.
One offline or unplugged activity that your 4-year-old can use to introduced to the world of technology is the use of coding toys. Coding toys are a fun, hands-on way for children and young adults to learn coding and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills in a hands-on way.
For four years old, there are numerous coding toys available for them to learn and to be introduced in the world of basic coding.
Encourage Creativity and Freedom to Make Mistakes
It is essential to enable your children to be creative when learning to code. It is also best to let them fail even a little bit.
While letting your 4 year old fail when we know their code will not work is difficult, it is still a must-have experience. We must allow 4 years old to acquire basic ideas, patience, and resilience! Keep in mind that most children become motivated and eager to learn when making mistakes.
Books for Coding
Many instructional websites and coding games for children are available for children to learn coding. If your four-year-old already knows how to read and prefers learning by it, there are also available options for them to learn.
We all know that regular reading provides several benefits. Reading has various advantages, ranging from increasing one’s IQ to enhancing their ability to read and write. For four years old, reading may also sound complex, but there are still various books available for them like illustrated stories and hands-on activities to keep 4-year-old engrossed in learning.
Start with a Project
Starting a project for a 4-year-old may look challenging if you do not know where to begin. But these days, there are a lot of applications you can use to start a project and make it the first step for your 4-year-old to learn to code.
Scratch, for example, is a kid-friendly coding environment that enables kids to use Scratch's block-based programming language to build interactive stories, games, and animations.
Frequently Asked Questions
For children as young as four years old who are interested in learning the principles of coding, there are a variety of resources available, including coding toys and hands-on coding exercises. Given the fact that children learn best via play, these two activities are among the most effective ways to teach your 4-year-old child how to code.
Summary About Teaching 4 Year Old to Learn How to Code
Even at four years old, your child can learn how to code. If they seem interested in computers, technology, and fixing things, you may want them to explore the world of coding. Children can learn the basics of computer coding in a fun and educational way. Explore more ways to inspire kids to learn how to start their basic fundamentals of learning how to troubleshoot and explore the world of computer science.
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