Coding for Kids
Meet our newest Featured Maker, 5th grader Nico from New Jersey! He likes to play tennis and fence. And when he grows up he’s thinking about becoming a computer engineer. Awesome! Nico recently spoke with us about his experience coding with Tynker.
How did you get introduced to Tynker?
I got introduced to Tynker when I wanted to do Minecraft mods, and Tynker had something that you could code mods with and edit the mods’ textures. So we chose Tynker.
What are some of your favorite Tynker coding courses or tutorials?
I like the one with the agent, Agent Recall.
Have your coding skills improved since you started using Tynker?
It definitely improved my block coding and my learning JavaScript.
How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured?
I was really excited.
What’s your favorite coding project you’ve made so far?
I like Chicken Walk because I feel like it’s just a game you can mess around with and see all the things you can do.
How do you get inspiration for your coding projects?
I like looking around wherever I am or looking at other people’s projects.
Do you look at the Tynker community?
Yeah.
Why do you like coding?
I like to code because you can be creative, and you can create whatever you want.
Do you have a favorite code block?
I think my favorite code block is the onstart block because it’s where all your code starts.
What do you do with your coding projects when you’re done?
I’ll look over it, make sure it works, and I usually show my parents and my friends.
Do you know what you’re planning to make next?
I might just keep working on Chicken Walk.
What’s the best thing about coding with Tynker?
I think the best thing about Tynker is that you can learn and make different coding scripts, languages like JavaScript, Python; you can do block coding and HTML and CSS.
Do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future?
Well, my guess is that a lot of things nowadays are involving code and software, so maybe it’ll help me with something related to coding in the future.
Do you think other kids should try coding?
Yeah, because you can learn new things from it. And also, if you have a computer class at school like I do, you might get a boost in knowing coding and you might be ahead of your team in school.
Absolutely. What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?
Try some of the easier lessons first and then eventually work your way up to the other stuff like JavaScript.
What’s your favorite subject in school?
Gym, because you get to run around and move your body.
Bonus question. What’s a fun fact about you?
I can solve a few different kinds of Rubik’s Cubes.
Parent Questions
Nico’s mother, Amy, spoke with us about her son learning to code with Tynker:
It’s so great that you guys are doing this. It really encourages them, I think. It’s amazing because I’m not very good at it, so to see him pick it up so fast, it’s very encouraging.
Also, he has some computer programmers in his life, and all his uncles and my husband too kind of know it a little, but they just don’t have the time, so it’s so great to have Tynker available. And if he wants to mess around with the code, he doesn’t always have to wait forever for a grownup, right, to help him out. So, yeah, I think this is great.
Do you think coding benefits Nico?
I think it helps them learn to solve problems in a more logical step-by-step way, especially with coding. It’s extremely translational. You can bring that kind of thinking to all kinds of problems that you may have in the future.
Do you think coding has better him prepared for the future?
Yes, definitely. Yeah.
Thank you!
We want to thank Nico and his mother for taking the time to speak with us about coding with Tynker. We can’t wait to see what he creates next – HAPPY CODING!
