Coding for Kids
Table of Contents
The 4 C’s Needed for the 21st Century: Communication
To succeed in the 21st century, kids need to learn how to communicate using a variety of media. That’s because important conversations happen both in the digital space and in face-to-face environments like classrooms. Kids need to know how to effectively articulate their ideas and questions textually, visually, and verbally.
While there are many resources that can help kids learn to communicate in either digital or face-to-face spaces, it’s a challenge to find tools that enable kids to express themselves in both spaces, sometimes even simultaneously. Fortunately, Tynker is such a tool. As a storytelling medium, a platform for presenting ideas, and a space where kids can communicate with other Tynker users, Tynker helps kids develop the communication skills they need for the 21st century!
Tell Stories
Tynker is a great storytelling medium. Kids can draw on experiences they have in real life, such as reading books, for inspiration for their projects! They can also complete the steps found in the story-writing process, such as developing characters, crafting dialogue, and creating a compelling plot. For example, Featured Maker Vivian told us that her favorite project is one called “Warriors Quiz” and that it’s “based on some of the Warrior Cats novels written by Erin Hunter that I have been reading this year.” And Featured Maker Kareyn told us that she uses Tynker as a storytelling outlet; her favorite part about Tynker is “probably the ways that you can make your own characters.”
Kids practice creative storytelling with Tynker, both as they make original projects and while completing coding challenges in our courses. For example, Programming 201 features a Do-It-Yourself module where students create dialogue for a comic book page! Whether kids want to create original projects or use the more structured model within our courses, Tynker is a great space for them to practice telling stories.
Present Ideas
As anyone knows who has given a presentation in front of a group, it’s a good idea to have visuals and text in front of you to cue you on what to say next. Visuals also help keep your audience engaged. This is why many people use tools like slides to showcase information and graphics as they give a presentation.
Tynker is a fantastic alternative to traditional slides! Kids can go above and beyond just adding text and graphics to pre-designed slides. They can practice coding skills as they put animations and special effects in their presentation. Students can also narrate their presentations using their own voice, further personalizing their work. Programming and communication go hand-in-hand as kids work with code, text, and graphics to create the best presentation possible.
The sky’s the limit! Kids can use Tynker to communicate about any subject, from social studies to science. Check out presentations like this one about Mahatma Ghandi or how other students coded interactive virtual models of the solar system!
Via Twitter
Communicate with Peers
The Tynker community is designed to foster communication among kids. They make projects for their followers, remix and learn from others’ projects, and create original projects to share with the community. For example, when we asked Featured Maker Isaac where he gets his coding inspiration, he talked about the Tynker community: “Other projects inspire me a lot. I look at the really good ones and think, ‘How can I make something kind of like this, but a little bit better?’” Kids even extend the Tynker community beyond the screen as they talk with other friends about their projects: “I’ve been teaching [my friend] [Tynker] because he’s been researching my projects and looking at the code” (Featured Maker Oskar).
When kids make projects in Tynker, they can communicate with other Tynker users in a variety of ways. For example, they may choose to create interactive animations that respond to some input the user enters. In Featured Maker Abby’s project, Yuri asks questions, which the user responds to. Yuri gives follow-up comments according to the answers.
“Talking Yuri”
Many Tynker users include instructions as part of their game. When writing these instructions, kids have to think about word choices that will best communicate what players need to do. For example, one member of the Tynker community made this game, “Hangman,” and provided instructions.
“Hangman”
Tynker helps kids practice communication skills as they share stories, present information, and communicate with their peers through projects. In the digital age, it’s crucial that kids learn how to communicate using a variety of media and tools. Learn how Tynker can help your child become a more effective communicator through 2,000+ interest-driven coding activities!
