Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 11-year-old Giana Marie from Ohio! Giana Marie loves math, social studies and particularly science because of all the hands-on projects, like launching rockets into the sky!
When she’s not in school, she loves to go on Tynker and play Roblox or Minecraft! She’s excited to gain as much coding knowledge as she can through Tynker. As a matter of fact, Giana Marie loves coding so much that she actually has aspirations of working at Tynker when she grows up! (We’ll keep an office open for you, Giana Marie!)
How did you get introduced to Tynker and how long have you been coding? I was introduced in the 4th grade, but didn’t really know how to code. I knew how to create and change the mods.
How did you learn how to use Tynker when you were first starting out? I was looking at some stuff and there was a project called, “Learn to Draw,” one that Tynker made!
How have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker? I started out making things move and so I got better at animation!
How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured? I was confused because I didn’t know what it meant! When I found out, I told my friends, my mom and my teacher!
What is your favorite project you’ve made so far and what do you like about it? I made this new one called, “Fortune Fox,” and I really like it! I like it because you ask the fox a question and it answers you!
Fortune Fox
Where did you get the idea for your favorite project and how long did it take you to make? My friend was making this one game about a genie and you ask the genie a question and it answers. But there were limited questions, so I made my own version of the game and made it a fox instead and added more answers!
How do you get inspiration for your projects? By looking at the other featured projects or users that I follow!
Why do you like to code? Because it’s fun and I also like it because you get to make your own games offline and get to see other people’s games offline! And that’s really cool!
Do you have a favorite code block? I like the effect one!
What do you do with a project when you’re done with it? I publish it when I’m done!
What are you planning to make next? I’m going to make a game for my cousin!
What’s the best thing about Tynker? I really like that you get to make your own games and make it however you’d like it to be. And you can do anything with your project and you get to see other projects, which is really cool!
How do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future? Because when I grow up I want to work at Tynker!
Why do you think other kids should try coding? Because coding is really fun and you can do it whenever you’re bored.
What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker? Don’t get frustrated if your project isn’t working the way that you wanted it to. I think that you should try something else that you think will work, and keep trying until it does.
Giana Marie’s mom, Angela, took time to speak with us about her daughter learning to code and what this means for her future! “I’m so proud of her! I’m amazed by her and everybody else in the family is also amazed,” Angela said. “She always has these projects that she shows us and that always blows us away. She’s really smart! We’re really proud!”
Giana Marie comes from a family of programmers and coders, says Angela, and she really expresses how Giana Marie has stuck to it. “It’s really been a great outlet for her. Ever since she discovered coding, she has had more confidence. She comes from a generation of coders because my mom is also a programmer, so her grandma was a programmer and she has a lot of women in her family that do things like that!”
Angela is aware of the benefits of coding for Giana Marie and loves that she has developed such a passion for it at such a young age. “She is very math-oriented,” Angela said. “I think that Tynker has helped her in school and she has been really excelling in math and science. It’s just great!”
Angela definitely understands the direction the world is heading and the impact that Giana Marie’s coding skills will have on her future, saying: “It’s becoming a digital age, so getting kids coding is really going to prepare them when they’re older for the careers that are going to be available and I’m really happy!”
We want to thank Giana Marie and Angela for taking the time to talk with us about their coding experiences with Tynker! We are looking forward to more of Giana Marie’s projects – happy coding!
