Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 5th grader Ishan from California. His favorite subject in school is math. When he grows up, he wants to be a police officer. Ishan spoke with us about his experience coding with Tynker:
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
I got introduced to Tynker last year by my brother, and I’ve been coding for like two or three years now.
How did you learn to use Tynker?
I learned how to use it by two tutorials called Code Monsters and Glitch Manor.
Have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker?
I think they have improved a little bit, because of those tutorials.
How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured?
I felt really excited and surprised!
What’s your favorite project you’ve made so far?
My favorite project was the one I made in the first week of the Summer Code Jam. It was like shooting a basketball.
Where did you get the idea for your project?
From basketball. It took me about 5 days!
Have you done a Tynker Code Jam before?
Yes, but I didn’t win last year!
Did you have any interesting challenges?
One time I was setting the angle, and I didn’t set the angle properly so I was trying to debug that.
Do you like to code and will you keep learning more about coding?
Oh yeah, I’m doing Python right now!
How do you get inspiration for your projects?
I usually just get them from activities I do and TV shows.
Why do you like to code?
I like to code because then I can see my own projects on the submission page, and then I like seeing if other people use them!
What’s your favorite way to use code?
My favorite code block is a repeat block because it saves a lot of time writing code over and over again.
What do you do with a project when you’re done with it?
I usually just play the project and see if it works out fine. If it doesn’t, I just try to debug it, and then I submit it.
What are you planning to make next?
I usually just make stuff that I think of at the time.
What’s the best thing about Tynker?
The best thing about Tynker is its block coding.
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Yeah because it’s really fun just seeing your projects being submitted and sometimes even winning!
What advice would you give to kids starting with Tynker?
I would suggest doing those two tutorials that I mentioned.
Bonus: What’s a fun fact about you?
I like to do activities and record them and then put them on YouTube.
Parent Questions
Ishan’s mother, Priyanka, spoke to us about her son learning to code with Tynker:
I think you’re really amazed to see what he can do and the kind of games he’s able to make at this age. And the two projects he made actually were out of the activities that he was doing.
I think the first week, the basketball one, he actually hand drew all the images and it was really really cool to see all that he could do there, and you’re super excited and he’s learning.
How do you support his coding endeavors?
To be honest, with the way the Tynker website is designed, kids are able to do it very much independently. So my role is just limited when he asks for help.
This Code Jam just got him interested in coding again. And that’s when he started learning Python. So, I think, hoping that it will continue his interest in coding.
What benefits do you think coding has for him?
Right, I think it definitely teaches him to focus. And when he starts, just persist and keep trying to solve the problem.
Think different ways and more logically. So definitely focus is a big one thing, just sitting there and trying to work on it and getting it to work.
Do you feel that he’s better prepared for the future?
Yes, he’s trying out new things and just seeing how the journey goes. Initially, it’s tricky but then you realize that okay, once I spend some time on it I can do it. I think that’s a great skill to learn for whatever he wants to do in the future.
Thank you!
We want to thank Ishan and his mother for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what Ishan creates next – HAPPY CODING!
