Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 5th grader Lucy from Arizona. She wants to be an artist when she grows up because she really likes to draw, especially cats since they’re her favorite animal. Lucy spoke with us about her experience coding with Tynker:
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
I got introduced to Tynker because my dad found out about it and thought it looked pretty cool.
How did you learn to use Tynker?
I kind of just learned how to do it by messing around.
Have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker?
I think I’ve gotten a lot better at doing, like, more advanced things. And I’ve gotten a lot better at the artist part of it too.
How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured?
I was so excited. I pinched myself a few times because I thought that I was probably dreaming because I’ve always wanted to be kind of featured.
What’s your favorite project you’ve made so far?
Probably the one that got me featured. I really liked that one because I worked really hard on it. I think it took me a week to make it.
How do you get inspiration for your projects?
From the things I see around me and just my wild imagination.
Why do you like to code?
I feel like you can be really creative and do a lot of cool things.
What’s your favorite way to use code?
I really like using broadcast and receive blocks because you can do a lot of things over a lot of different platforms and stuff.
What do you do with a project when you’re done with it?
I usually show it to all my friends and family because I’m really proud of it.
What are you planning to make next?
Probably an animation on Tynker.
What’s the best thing about Tynker?
You can share what you’re part of with so many people.
Has learning to code prepared you for the future?
I think if you know how to code it opens a lot of possibilities for you because if you want to be good at computers, it just helps you a lot.
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Oh yeah, 100%. It’s so fun. I love it so much. It’s one of my favorites.
What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?
Whenever you start, don’t get frustrated. Start out more basic because that’s great about being a beginner.
Bonus: What’s a fun fact about you?
I played the oboe in my band class!
Have you done a Tynker Code Jam before?
No, this is my first. I want to do another one.
Do you like to code and will you keep learning more about coding?
Yes!
Do you have other hobbies besides drawing?
I also really like to hike and walk around my neighborhood.
What’s your favorite subject in school?
I really like writing. I really like that you can just do whatever you want and kind of be yourself.
Parent Questions
Lucy’s parents, Jessica and Jon, talked with us about their daughter learning to code with Tynker:
Jessica: I think it’s awesome. A lot of the doors and avenues that you head down these days have something to do with computers and so I think that having that literacy is really going to help her out in the long run.
And I know she was talking about wanting to be an artist and part of that I think she talked about doing video games and stuff, so that translates into that world as well so I think it’s awesome.
How do you support Lucy’s coding endeavors?
Jon: We do lots of math problems together on the blackboard. If she’s struggling, I’ll try to point her to an example like a tutorial that kind of goes over the particular aspect like a loop or something like that, because Tynker has great tutorials.
You can go through tutorials so I’ll try to help her out if she’s stuck, but I think that it’s something that you kind of have to figure out for yourself. So, I’ll point her to a resource, and usually she does pretty good. I’m proud of her, she was frustrated sometimes but she pulled through.
What benefits do you think coding has for her?
Jon: I think it’s good, besides for the obvious technical, you know, I think it helps for reasoning, like logic if you have to control a program branch or control the flow of it.
Do you feel that Lucy is better prepared for the future?
Jon: Yeah, well, everything’s going to computers now. I think having at least some knowledge of coding, you know, right now it’s more in the block coding but she’s in a really good position to transition to text-based languages. So, I think, for sure, yeah.
Thank you!
We want to thank Lucy and her parents for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what she creates next – HAPPY CODING!
