Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 6th grader Áine from Texas! She got a sewing machine from her grandmother and wants to sew a shirt that she designed. She also likes to sing and has even written a couple of songs! Áine talked with us about her experience coding with Tynker:
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
We have a computer science teacher and she does code. She has a coding unit and she had us all download the app, and we did coding lessons on it for a while!
How did you learn to use Tynker?
The lessons that we did on Dragon Spells! And I like doing the loops course!
How have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker?
They’ve gotten very good since I first started! I couldn’t quite get like the functions and nested loops before but now they come very easily to me!
How did you feel when you found out that your project had been featured?
It made me feel very happy. I had worked very hard on it and it paid off!
What is your favorite project you’ve made so far?
I made a series of dress-up games, and it’s basically enchantment dress-up one, two, and three. They have a lot of my artistic skills put into them as well as my coding skills!
Where did you get the idea for your project?
I got the idea from other games I’ve played on Tynker that involve the same type of coding, and I think it worked out really well!
Why do you like to code?
I like coding because it’s very fun and I’m able to make games and express my skills in coding, and it’s just really enjoyable!
What is your favorite way to use code?
My favorite code block is the broadcast block because that really helps me with all my dress-up games!
What do you do with a project when you’re done with it?
I show it to a couple of my friends and then I would publish it and like throughout the time that it’s been published, I probably would make a few updates!
What are you planning to make next?
I’ve been making spin art on Tynker and I’ve been making a lot of drawing games, which involve things like symmetrical drawing and a kaleidoscope. And I like to do those awesome things to create cool patterns with it and stuff!
What’s the best thing about Tynker?
The best thing is how many code blocks there are and the freedom you have to make whatever you want on Tynker!
How do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future?
I think it’s prepared me well, and if I have to do any future coding projects, I’ll be very good at it and I’ll be able to put in a lot of effort!
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Yes, because it’s very productive and a lot of kids these days always have their head stuck in the screen but if they do coding it would be for a good reason!
What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?
Before you start going out and making games I think you should at least do one of the lessons, so that you actually have the hang of it before you go on to making games.
What’s your favorite subject in school?
I like science! When I was younger I used to always want to be a biologist and I’m still keeping that dream with me! I’ve always wanted to make potions!
Bonus: What’s a fun fact about you?
I really like mermaids and a lot of my future projects are going to be mermaid-themed, including the one that just got featured.
Áine’s dad, Mo, talked with us about his daughter learning code with Tynker:
It’s really cool! She gets really excited about getting more views and more summer projects and then when she showed me the gold ribbon she was super excited! I’m a software engineer so having her kind of take up the mantle is really cool.
How do you support her coding endeavors?
Like the analytical mindset and the attention to detail is something that she really has. I guess what I’ve done, I wasn’t really involved in the whole Tynker thing, which she said came from school, but, in the past I have encouraged her to try some JavaScript game development.
What benefits do you think coding has for her?
Skill-wise, I mean, I guess there’s math involved even in some of the projects she’s done. Maybe kind of like mirror movements of stuff so she has to calculate things going backwards and forwards and everything.
Do you feel that Áine is better prepared for the future?
Yeah, for sure. There’s no end in sight for the need of programmers and software engineers so if she’s heading down that path she’s definitely going to have a bright future.
Thank you!
We want to thank Áine and her dad for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what Áine creates next – HAPPY CODING!
