Kelsey Gets Creative with Code!

Ten-year-old Kelsey from Texas has only been using Tynker for a year, but she is already excelling! The incoming 5th grader is a big fan of math, and in her free time she likes to play video games, watch TV (her favorite show is The Simpsons), and, of course, code!

Kelsey’s father, Jay, highlighted Kelsey’s creativity, saying, “I think the big thing for Kelsey is that she’s good at math – she likes to answer things and solve problems – but she’s also very creative. When you do something like coding, you can combine creativity with problem-solving and create something!” We caught up with Kelsey to learn more about her and why she loves to code.

How did you get introduced to Tynker? At my school we use iPads, and this was one of the apps on it. I’ve been coding for about a year in Tynker!

How did you learn how to use Tynker when you were first starting out? At first I used the free coding courses. The blocks have names like “on start,” so I knew that’s how you start. I ran with what they said.

How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured? Honestly, I didn’t know much about it – I thought it was just that I reached some certain limit, a number of views or something. It was really exciting!

“Coloring Book”

How do you get inspiration for your projects? At first I looked at the other projects and found some code. I’d write it down and put it into a project!

Why do you like to code? I love to code because it gives me something enjoyable to do when I’m bored.

What is your favorite way to use code? Do you have a favorite code block? My favorite way to use code is to make websites. My favorite code block is the one where the game recognizes the Username of the current player and uses it in the game.

What do you do with a project when you’re done with it? I always debug it, and then let someone test it to make sure it would be a good game, then finally publish it.

What is your favorite project you’ve made so far? What do you like about it? My featured project was a Valentine’s emoji clicker! You would click the kissing emoji and get trophies and stuff. I got the idea for it because it was near Valentine’s Day.

“Emoji Valentines Day Simulator”

What are you planning to make next? I like drawing anime. I’m working on a unicorn project! I was in the car, I was bored, so I pulled up Tynker and started to doodle a unicorn and I had an idea for a game.

What’s your favorite thing you can do in Tynker? MINECRAFT! I like doing texture packs and modding.

Do you think other kids should try coding? Yeah, why not?

What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker? Just play with it and have fun! Learn by doing!

Kelsey’s father, Jay, loves that Kelsey is learning to code! He’s proud of her determination. “She just spent a whole week in coding camp doing some more coding,” he told us. “She’s been able to create some things that really are fulfilling to her, and now she’s gotten into it and just wants to do it all the time! She’s trying to learn as much as she can.”

Jay is impressed by the ease with which kids are learning to code! “This is something I never learned how to do and it’s amazing what these little kids can do! They just sit down and pretty soon they know all these new things that are new to me and magical, they just create stuff out of nowhere.”

When it comes to the benefits of learning to code, Jay sees focus as a critical benefit of coding. “I love watching how it’s helped her learn how to problem solve and focus. She just sits there and starts working through things. When she hits a speed bump, she just works her way over it and keeps moving through it until she’s all the way done. I love it!”

Jay made a great point about focus, saying, “If you can sit down and code for two hours, you can probably sit down and read a school book for two hours.”

When asked if Kelsey is better prepared for the future, Jay replied enthusiastically, “Absolutely! You can learn how to dive in and do something and stick to it until you’re done. There’s some problem solving, you’ve got to put one foot in front of the other. She’s learning how to figure it out, how to figure out the answers and put it all together. Those skills – for school, for jobs – they’re lifetime skills that she’s getting.”

We love that Kelsey is benefitting so much from learning to code! Thanks for taking the time to speak with us about your Tynker experience, Jay and Kelsey. We can’t wait to see what your determination and creativity produce next, Kelsey!