Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 3rd grader Ian from New York! His favorite subject in school is math, and he likes to code because he can make whatever he wants! Ian talked with us about his experience coding with Tynker:
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
I got introduced to Tynker because we used it in our classroom at school, and I asked mom to download it!
Have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker?
I’m starting to use AR projects!
How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured?
I felt so excited!
What’s one of your favorite projects you’ve made so far?
My first project is pretty amazing! It’s eating apples and I like it because it’s cute and you get to choose to do whatever you want!
Where did you get the idea for the project?
I was trying to make something cute, and I figured that would be a cute game! It took me one day!
How do you get inspiration for your projects?
I come up with an idea in my head and when I have it, I just start coding!
What are some of your favorite ways to use code?
I like ‘If’ blocks because I use them way too much!
What do you do with a project when you’re done?
I try to test it out first, and then if it could use a little more stuff to it, then I add it or else I’ll publish it!
What’s the best thing about Tynker?
It has a lot of coding blocks!
Do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future?
I think I might make apps and get a little money for the iPhone app!
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Yes, because they learn how to code, and they can learn how to do whatever they want with code blocks and make whatever they want!
What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?
Just look at other people’s code and figure out how to code by learning that way!
Bonus: What’s a fun fact about you?
I code games that most people don’t even think about!
Ian’s mother, Ashley, spoke with us about her son learning to code with Tynker.
I think that’s been great, he’s always done well in school but there’s something about coding and figuring out how to make stuff. He’ll see something in real life or something that I’m doing or playing and he’ll turn it into a game and make it more interesting than it was originally and just seeing how excited he gets about it.
Me and my husband are both gamers so we knew as soon as we introduced him to video games and everything we couldn’t go back, so it’s kind of cool that he can improve on games that we’ve played! It’s really great to see at such a young age that he’s able to do stuff like that!
How do you support Ian in his coding endeavors?
I think we support him by letting him, as long as he’s, you know, behaving which he usually is, we will let him play. We don’t have strict time limits on screen time or anything as long as he’s getting outside, not just sitting on a screen.
I think it’s helped him with focus and problem-solving skills and being able to troubleshoot things like his willingness to figure out why something went wrong and make it better.
Coding is kind of helping him, which is great, especially in school and social situations, like you know this kid acted this way toward me like maybe what happened that could have caused that.
What benefits do you think coding has for him?
I think it’s helped him with math, for sure, and with reasoning, trying to understand why things are happening and why things have gone wrong. And I think it really stimulates creativity trying to find new things to make and where one might be something really cute with a bear, maybe the next game will be like a platformer type of thing.
Do you think Ian is better prepared for the future?
Absolutely, I think technology keeps advancing and learning it at such a young age I think it’s just going to help him be able to move with the times and stay ahead of the curve.
Thank you!
We want to thank Ian and his mother for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what Ian creates next – HAPPY CODING!
