What Is Coding and Why Is It Good for Your Kids? xxvd o It together!
Experimenting with code is a great way to learn how programs
work, and it’s even more effective if you work with someone else.
Whether you’re teaching a child or student or studying for yourself,
it’s not just more fun to play with code together—it’s also more
effective.
For example, in the Suzuki Method of music instruction, par-
ents attend lessons with their child and even study ahead so they
can help their child between lessons. Starting early is another
hallmark of the Suzuki Method; kids can start formal study by the
age of three or four.
I began introducing my two sons to programming when they
were two and four, and I encouraged them to have fun by changing
small parts of each program, like the colors, shapes, and sizes of
shapes.
I learned to program at the age of 13 by typing program
examples from books and then modifying them to make them do
something new. Now, in the computer science courses I teach, I
often give students a program and encourage them to play around
with the code to build something new.
If you’re using this book to teach yourself, you can work with
others by finding a friend to work through examples with you or
by starting an after-school or community coding club (see h t t p : //
coderdojo.com/ or http://www.codecademy.com/afterschool/ for
ideas and tips). Coding is a team sport!
o nline resources
All the program files for
this book are available at
http://www.nostarch.com/
teachkids/, as well as sample
solutions for the Programming
Challenges and other informa-
tion. Download the programs
and experiment with them
to learn even more. Use the
sample solutions if you get
stumped. Check it out!