Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 6th grader William from New Mexico! He likes to play chess and solve Rubik’s Cubes. And when he grows up, he’d like to be a game developer. Awesome! William recently spoke with us about his experience coding with Tynker.
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
From my family when I was about five.
So you’ve been coding for five years. That’s amazing. How did you learn to use Tynker?
I did the tutorials.
Have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker?
Right now, I have a very basic knowledge of C#.
That’s fantastic. How did you feel when you found out your project was featured?
I was really excited.
Great. What’s your favorite project you’ve made so far?
Probably week seven for a coding contest I did. There’s a fun theme with ships.
Very nice. How did you get inspiration for your projects?
Mostly from the 80s, like Mario.
That’s really cool. Why do you like to code?
I want to create games.
What’s your favorite way to use code?
I like JavaScript since it’s very flexible. I’ve been using it for most of my games.
What do you do with your projects when you’re done? Do you debug it?
I don’t have bugs. My code is perfect.
That’s great. What’s the best thing about Tynker?
I think making it fun and easy.
Do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future?
I think I can definitely get a job as a programmer.
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Yes, it boosts creativity.
What advice would you give the kids starting out with Tynker?
If you want to win the contest, make sure your project is the best it can be. Make sure to constantly fix problems and tell friends or family to give you suggestions.
What’s your favorite subject in school?
Coding, because it’s a lot more free than other subjects.
Yeah, absolutely. What’s a fun fact about you?
I’m craving raisins.
Parent Questions
We spoke to William’s father, Emil, about his sons coding with Tynker:
I’ve been very excited about it because I feel like it’s a great outlet for their creativity. I don’t do programming myself although I have studied it before and I’m glad to see that they’re going in that direction because I think that programming will be important in the future regardless of the actual languages or platforms. I think there will always be a need for that.
What benefits do you think coding has for them?
In addition to the creativity, which William alluded to, I think also it teaches them things like patience. It teaches them to be good problem solvers, to always be looking at ways to improve upon whatever they’re doing. So there’s some basic skills that you could even take outside of the coding context. And it will be helpful to them in life.
Do you feel like your children are better prepared for the future?
Absolutely. I was glad to see that. For them, at least, Tynker was sort of like a springboard and they have now gone into other areas of coding where they’re using more text-based languages and stuff like that. So it was really an important way to introduce them to coding, and I think it created that interest and that desire to explore other areas that are related.
Wow. Thank you so much. Those are all the questions I have for you, Emil.
It’s been a really great tool for our kids, and they’ve enjoyed it.
That’s fantastic. We want to thank William and his father for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what William creates next – HAPPY CODING!
