Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 12-year-old Michael from New Mexico! He likes to code because it’s fun. Awesome! Michael recently spoke with us about his experience coding with Tynker.
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
I was introduced to Tynker from code.org. It links to Tynker.
How long have you been coding?
It’s been more than five years.
What are your favorite Tynker courses or tutorials?
I started off with the Code Commander and Code Monsters when I got an account.
Very cool. How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured?
Very happy. I was putting a lot of effort into my projects, and because of that I’ve had four features.
That’s phenomenal. What’s your favorite project you’ve made so far?
I like them all equally. I put the effort into all of them and it’s hard to pick a favorite.
How do you get inspiration for your projects?
I don’t usually start with that much inspiration. I usually get it once I’m on the project.
Why do you like to code?
It’s fun.
Do you have a favorite code block?
One of my favorites is the clone block because I’ve tried some of the other platforms for coding and none of them have it. It’s extremely helpful.
Absolutely. Do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future?
It’s helped a lot. I mean, robots are some of the newest innovations, hence they’re able to do many agricultural and factory jobs, which will be extremely hard-hitting on minimum wage workers. And one of the few things that robots will almost never be able to do is program themselves.
Very true. So they need programmers. Do you think other kids should try coding?
Yeah. I mean, they might be out of a job eventually if they don’t have an individual skill, and coding is one of those that will last almost forever.
What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?
Follow the tutorials because the tutorials are helpful. Very helpful.
That’s good advice. Thank you. What’s a fun fact about you?
I like monkeys.
Parent Questions
We spoke to Michael’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 Michael alluded to, I think also it teaches them things like patience. It teaches them to be good problem solvers, and 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 Michael and his father for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker.
We can’t wait to see what he creates next – HAPPY CODING!
