Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 4th grader Evan from Oklahoma! He likes to draw, as well as create and play games with code. Evan talked with us about his experience coding with Tynker:
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
I’m really into Minecraft, and I saw that there was a place where you can do it with Tynker through Minecraft and mod creator!
How did you learn to use Tynker?
I just started teaching myself what to do and just practiced, practiced, and practiced until I started doing other things!
How have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker?
Yeah, I saw a bunch of clicker games and I wanted to make my own, but I couldn’t make one and then a couple of months after that I made one!
How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured?
I was really, really excited!
What’s your favorite project you’ve made so far?
I like Kitty Care because it was the one that got featured, and I’ve never seen any of my projects on the featured list! That was the first time I actually saw my project featured!
Where did you get the idea for your project?
I got the idea from my cat and it took me about 3 months!
How do you get inspiration for your projects?
From some of the games that I see, but Kitty Care didn’t really come from anything except my cat!
Why do you like to code?
Because it’s fun and I finally get to make my own games!
What’s your favorite way to use code?
I feel like everybody’s favorite is the on start one because that’s how you start your game, you have one on start and then connect the other!
What do you do with a project when you’re done with it?
I test it and I show it to mama or daddy, or my brothers, and if they like it then I test it myself and then if it’s really good I publish it!
What are you planning to make next?
Right now, I’m working on the Sonic Heroes 2 game!
What’s the best thing about Tynker?
You can make your own games and all your creativity and make something out of it!
How do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future?
My mind is starting to connect the blocks, like there’s a plugin between you and Tynker. Then you plug your mind into Tynker and then you create all of this from your mind!
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Yes, because it allows everyone to share their ideas and be able to create some of the things that they’ve been wanting to create for a really long time
What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?
Practice makes progress!
Evan’s mother, Brooke, spoke with us about her son learning to code with Tynker.
We think that it is amazing. From the very beginning he kind of just jumped in and the first time he showed us something that he made, I believed him but I was like, are you sure that you actually did that?
We think it’s just amazing, like his confidence has grown so much just starting out, and like I said we home educate, and we push all of our kids to be creative and to use those gifts that they have and that’s what he does.
If he gets upset, he puts it in his drawings. If he’s happy you know then he puts that into his drawings. And so to take those things and to be able to plug it in, like he said into Tynker, and create something that he can see, move, and like do things it just gives him that confidence boost.
And I feel like that is gonna follow him along all the way to adulthood, you know, the things that he loves and go after it and know that he can do it with all that practice and continuing on with what he’s doing.
Do you think coding has helped Evan in other areas?
For sure the organization. He’s kind of taking more of a big kid role as far as putting down his ideas and keeping them and being organized in other things that he’s doing. When he brings something to us or he’s saying, what do you think I should do with this or do you think this looks good, we just encourage him to keep going and when he brings us stuff we’re always like, what, that’s amazing. So we just keep pushing him and keep encouraging him to keep going and to use his mind and just see what happens.
What benefits do you think coding has for him?
I think there’s a lot of things, I mean, he’s kind of taking something that starts with his idea and then turns it into something else and it’s not just with coding. I mean, outside of coding, like he finds an idea that he wants to do as far as something in the house and he’s like, oh I can build that.
I think coding really pushes him to do it because, again, it gives him the confidence to try new things and try something to see if that’s going to work and if it doesn’t then you do something different and I think that coding has really pushed.
Do you feel that Evan is better prepared for the future?
I do, I think that this opens so many doors especially, I mean, the world is so different now than it was when I left school, and I mean he’s already doing stuff that I have to Google to understand.
So, I definitely think that this is preparing him for bigger and better things in all areas, not coding. It’s just kind of preparing him for all different things. And we’re just really impressed with Tynker and with him, and it’s just been a really good experience.
Thank you!
We want to thank Evan and his mother for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what Evan creates next – HAPPY CODING!
