With Computer Science now a regular part of our everyday life, we’re seeing more and more resources for learners of all ages to begin learning CS and code basics from home.
Remember, coding is a language and the earlier our learners are comfortable being immersed in the language, the more confident they will be in their skills as they grow up. And, with CS-related jobs as one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, our learners are increasingly likely to use the knowledge they learn throughout their careers. Although Computer Science is more than just coding, learning to code can be an effective way for learners to see immediate results.
As part of our series on Computer Science and Coding, we found resources for learners over 5 years old to practice their Computer Science skills and learn the language of Code at home. Of course, make sure to follow our best practices for online safety!
For learners 5-9:
• Code Karts, an app with over 70 levels to introduce young learners to the basics of observation and logic in code! (Free, with optional in-app purchases)• Code Spark Academy, a site with games, lessons and educator resources for CS and Code (Free trial)
• ScratchJr, an app for kids to program their own interactive stories from Tufts University and MIT (Free)
For learners 10+:
• Bootstrap, a site that integrates text-based code with math and science (Free)• Scratch, a site for learners to program and develop games, animations and stories from MIT (Free)
• Lightbot, an app that also offers an Hour of Code game online to teach basic code commands (Free to play online)
For a range of ages:
• Coding games from Code.org for ages 4-13 (Free to play)• Tynker a site with lots of options for ages 5-17 (Free trial)
We’d love to hear from you about how you engage with Computer Science at home. If there are ways you’ve succeeded or struggled to engage your learners about CS and Coding, let us know in the comments below!
