Elizabeth Rodriguez, Author at CodeWizardsHQ

Top 10 Coding Resources for Kids – November 2020

Elizabeth Rodriguez — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 00:14:37 +0000

Online coding academy for kids and teens ages 8-18. Enroll to learn real-world programming languages like Python, Java, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and more!

The holidays are here and there is much to thankful for, especially the safety and security of our families online. This month top 10 highlights cybersecurity and also goes over some great resources for remote learning!

1. 18 Chromebook keyboard shortcuts every student should know

Now that many students have gone remote, schools are passing out Chromebooks like candy. However, many schools give limited instructions as to how to effectively use Chromebooks. This is a fantastic list of keyboard shortcuts that your kid should know!

2. Coding for kids: how children learn to program and have fun doing it

Are you still trying to figure out how to make coding fun for your child? This article shares the important reasons your kid should learn to code and different platforms to help you do just that! Of course, our coding classes are a great choice too.

3. 10 benefits of coding beyond the computer

You may not be convinced that coding is one of the most important 21st century skills you could teach your kid. Check out this article to get an in-depth explanation of the soft skills that coding teaches kids for success in work and life.

4. 5 handy tips for early coders!

Coding can be incredibly hard at times so we often rely on the experience of others to guide us. That’s why handy tips like these can go a long way. This article covers 5 tips for early coders, all of which I’ve implemented in my own life!

5. Spooky Splats Coding Game for Kids

Halloween has passed, but you can play the Spooky Splats game through the holidays with your family. Unruly Splats uses code to deliver an adventure in a haunted house where your job is to keep the lights on. Play now!

6. Junior coding app teaches how kids can spot security flaws

What other exciting thing happens in October besides Halloween? National Cybersecurity Awareness Month! This article celebrates Cybersecurity by sharing a cool app that teaches young kids how to find security flaws.

7. This Jewish Teen Is Making Computer Coding Accessible to All Kids

Noah Rubin, a 17-year-old coding guru is helping out his community by teaching other kids how to code. Read how and why he did it!

8. The Importance of Teaching Kids About Cybersecurity and Privacy

Since it is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, here is a great article that talks about the importance of teaching kids about cybersecurity and privacy. Both of which are extremely important subjects for the safety of your child.

9. Internet Safety Guide for Kids

You’re probably well aware that keeping your child safe while they browse the Internet is extremely important. Read about some of the most common threats to your child online, as well as some ways that you can keep your child safe.

10. All-girl teen coding team develops app that rates restaurants on COVID-19 safety

Recently, there has been a big push for more women to get into STEM. Check out how this inventive group of girls, ages 16 to 19, created an app that rates restaurants on how safe they are in relation to the coronavirus!

The post Top 10 Coding Resources for Kids – November 2020 appeared first on CodeWizardsHQ.

Coding For Kids: 46 Free Classes, Websites, and Apps

Elizabeth Rodriguez — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Online coding academy for kids and teens ages 8-18. Enroll to learn real-world programming languages like Python, Java, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and more!

Coding isn’t just for the techy kids anymore. The impact of technology on our kids’ daily lives highlights the importance of learning to code. Coding for kids is less about writing code and more about gaining the problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills to build the future as entrepreneurs, artists, and innovators.

If you’re a parent who wants their child to learn code, this is the best place to start. These free kid’s coding resources will kickstart your child’s interest in technology and programming through engaging games and interactive lessons.

When your child is ready to dive deeper, join our top-rated coding classes for kids. They’re the most fun and effective way for kids to learn to code in Scratch, Python, and Java.

Read on to learn more about how to teach your kids how to code and free resources that can help you along the way.

Free Coding for Kids Resources

46 of the best free classes, websites, and apps to help kids learn coding.

Free Coding For Kids Apps

CodeKarts

Ages: 4+
Format: iOS/Android

A pre-coding game for preschoolers to play. Kids learn to develop observational skills, concentration, and logic by guiding a car through various tracks.

CodeSpark Academy

Ages: 4+
Format: iOS/Android/ Kindle Fire/Windows

With over 1,000 fun, free activities and a simple-to-use interface, CodeSpark Academy is the perfect app to introduce kids 5-9 years old to programming.

Hopscotch

Ages: 4-11
Format: iOS

Create games, art, stories, and more with kid-friendly programming. Kids, ages 4-11, can program and publish unique games and apps to Hopscotch’s fully moderated community, where others can play and learn from their creations.

Scratch Jr.

Ages: 5-7
Format: iOS/Android/Kindle Fire/ChromeBook

With the ScratchJr. app, children 5-7 years old can program interactive stories and games to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer. They can also play games created by kids just like them.

Move the Turtle

Ages: 6-12
Format: iOS

Using visually engaging graphics, kids as young as age 6 can implement various programming concepts to direct a virtual turtle and complete unique tasks. The app comes in both iPhone and iPad format.

Swift Playgrounds

Ages: 8-12
Format: iOS

Swift is a coding language for developing Apple iOS programs and apps. Especially useful for beginner programmers (even those with no Swift experience) Swift Playgrounds lets kids work at their own paces with visually appealing and educational challenges.

Mimo

Ages: 15+
Format: iOS

Mimo puts the power to learn in your child’s hands! With over 23 free courses to choose from and comprehensive lessons, Mimo enables kids of any age to begin coding and advance their skills.

Codea

Ages: 13+
Format: iOS

A fully customizable code editor, Codea allows users to introduce all the colors and visual aids they may desire to assist in their coding efforts. It’s a free app for kids that lets your child turn thoughts into interactive creations.

Coding Safari

Ages: 2+
Format: iOS

A free app with a focus on pre-coding skills like problem-solving, decomposition, and computational thinking. Coding Safari is engaging and educational for children as young as two years old!

Algorithm City

Ages: 8+
Format: Android

Algorithm City is a 3D style game where kids can learn the basic concepts of programming, such as command sequencing, functions and loops, and more. Play and code to make a character progress by collecting gold and solving levels.

LEGO Boost

Ages: 7-12
Format: iOS/Android

Lego Boost is an app that allows kids to build different Lego models and program them with code. Children can program their models to make sounds and move using drag and drop code.

Daisy the Dinosaur

Ages: 5-7
Format: iOS

This app teaches basic code concepts like sequencing and conditionals in the form of fun little challenges. Make Daisy the dinosaur move, jump, and dance with drag and drop commands as kids experiment and learn.

Cargo Bot

Ages: 4+
Format: iOS/Android

Students can learn to sequence with this app by choosing the preset actions of their robotic arm and putting them in the right order. These challenges can help students to think concisely and find the simplest solution to a given problem.

Box Island

Ages: 6+
Format: iOS

Box island introduces kids to fundamental coding and the basics of algorithms, pattern recognition, sequences, loops, and conditionals. The friendly characters, colorful and bright 3D game world and entertaining story parts make the experience fun for any child. Kids progress through the super fun and challenging gameplay as they build their coding skills.

Run Marco

Ages: 6-12
Format: iOS

This game uses simple commands like “move one step forward” and “repeat” to help students learn how to sequence a set of actions. Children will play and learn to modify their code to complete the task at hand, as well as design their own levels.

SoloLearn: Learn to Code

Ages: Varies
Format: iOS/Android

Aimed at older students, SoloLearn offers a list of programming languages like C, C++, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and Python. The course starts off with the basic foundations of each language and builds as you proceed through levels. Kids and teens can even compare their skills in head-to-head challenges with others.

Grasshopper

Ages: Varies
Format: iOS/Android

This app, created by Google, teaches JavaScript for kids through mini-games they can play. It offers two courses: one for brand new coders and another for more advanced coders. For beginners, the app will take you through a set of slides explaining the basics of how to code followed by a short quiz to review and improve their understanding.

decoder

Ages: Varies
Format: iOS/Android

DCoder is a mobile code compiler. This app is meant for more experienced individuals who are looking for fast and easy ways to compile and run their programs on the go!

Recommended: Coding Apps for Kids

Free Coding For Kids Websites

RoboCode

Ages: 5+
Cost: Free

Ever heard of robot fighting? Well here is a cool alternative! RoboCode lets kids build a robot in Java or .NET in order to play and compete against other robots.

Codemoji (Ages 5-8)

Ages: 5-8
Cost: Free

Targeted at kids 5-8 years old, Codemoji.com is a unique programming website for kids where they can learn the foundations of web development in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Using drag-and-drop emojis, kids will be able to work through beginner, intermediate, and advanced level beginner courses to further their understanding of important concepts and how to use them.

Code for Life

Ages: 6+
Cost: Free

Code For Life is a non-profit easy-to-use resource that provides teaching and lesson plans, user guides, and engagement through our two fun coding games: Rapid Router and Kurono. Rapid Router uses Blockly to introduce kids to Python. They then advance to Kurono where they will write Python code. Play over 100 levels while you learn.

Stencyl

Ages: 6+
Cost: Free

Quickly and easily create games that you can publish to iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux & HTML5. All of that and you don’t need to write any code. The platform is drag-and-drop and extends Scratch’s simple block-snapping interface with new functionality and hundreds of ready-to-use blocks. It’s free to use for Flash publishing and you can upgrade for more features.

Gamestar Mechanic

Ages: 7-14
Cost: Free

Learn game design and make your own video games by playing fun, game-based quests. Go on quests to power up or code your own games that you can then share with friends. It’s an easy-to-use design tool and has a library of hundreds of sprites plus a community of game developers.

Create & Learn

Ages: 7-10
Cost: Free

Create & Learn lets kids play and explore multiple interests like Scratch, robotics, and digital design. They offer a free Scratch class for getting started and host online events with top experts.

Roblox Studio

Ages: 8+
Cost: Free

Create your own games on the popular Roblox platform with Roblox Studio. Use this immersive creation engine to make any game you can imagine then share it with millions of players. There are game templates that make getting started very simple. In our Roblox camp, we use these templates to build an obby game that is personalized by the student.

CodeWizardsHQ Activities

Ages: 8+
Cost: Free

Free activities and tutorials, right here at CodeWizardsHQ. Try our Scratch, HTML, and CSS activities that are perfect for beginners and kids 8 years and older. It’s also a fun way to practice your coding skills and personalize your own games and projects. If you have questions, we’re ready to help in our STEM, Coding, and Robotics Facebook group.

Code Monster

Ages: 9-12
Cost: Free

Code Monster is an interactive tutorial where kids are guided through lessons that focus on action and results. Great for beginners as it’s a simple and gentle introduction to programming that advances from simple shapes to animation and fractals. Made for preteens, but may work for younger kids with help.

StackOverflow

Ages: 13+
Cost: Free

This is a resource for kids and teens who want to learn a programming language by themselves, but still want the support of an experienced community of people! StackOverflow is a question and answer site meant to answer a diverse range of computer science questions.

Code Maven

Ages: 13+
Cost: Free

CodeMaven is an interactive tutorial where teens and adults can learn important programming concepts like variables, loops, conditionals, expressions, and functions are introduced by example. It’s easy to follow and has over 50+ lessons that students can finish at their own pace.

BitDegree

Ages: 16+
Cost: Free

As one of the most popular eLearning platforms out there, BitDegree offers a multitude of fun computer science courses!

Game Maven

Ages: 16+
Cost: Free

Game Maven is part of the Crunchzilla family of games and learning tools. It’s an interactive tutorial to learn JavaScript. Follow the simple directions to code animations and games immediately. They do not offer a lot of explanation around the code though, so it’s helpful to supplement with tutorials or textbooks.

CodinGame

Ages: Varies
Cost: Free

Learn new concepts by solving fun challenges in 25+ languages addressing all the hot programming topics. In CodinGame, compete with other developers in games and contests to top the leaderboards. Kids and adults can discover new languages and algorithms or tricks.