Coding for Kids
As the school year closes, it’s important to remember that summer break doesn’t mean learning should stop-you can help keep your child’s brain sharp this summer. Research has shown that children often experience a decline in their learning and academic skills during the summer months, known as “summer learning loss” or “summer slide.”
On average, students can lose approximately two months of reading progress and 2.6 months of math progress during the summer. A recent study found that students lost, on average, about 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading and 27 percent of their school-year gains in math during summer break. This loss is most pronounced in low-income students, who may not have access to educational resources during the summer, leading to a widening achievement gap. A study by the National Summer Learning Association found that students from disadvantaged backgrounds can lose up to three months in reading achievement, compared to only one month for their more affluent peers.
Summer break should be a time for children to enjoy themselves and engage in a variety of experiences that promote their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Here are some important things for a child to do over summer school break:
- Engage in educational activities: Encourage children to pursue educational activities such as visiting museums or learning a new skill like coding.
- Read: Encourage children to read books of their choice, which will help maintain and improve reading skills.
- Stay physically active: Participate in outdoor activities such as sports, swimming, or biking, to promote physical fitness and well-being.
- Travel: Summer break is a great opportunity for children to experience new cultures, environments, and adventures.
- Volunteer: Summer break is a good time for children to give back to their community by volunteering their time and talents.
- Spend time with family and friends: Summer break provides an opportunity for children to strengthen relationships with family and friends through shared experiences and activities.
One fun and interactive way to keep your child’s brain sharp this summer is through – you guessed it – coding! Coding has been shown to have several benefits for the brain, including:
- Problem-solving skills: Coding requires logical thinking and problem-solving, which helps develop and improve these skills.
- Mathematical skills: Coding involves mathematical concepts such as algorithms and pattern recognition, which can help improve mathematical abilities.
- Concentration and focus: Coding requires sustained attention to detail, helping to improve focus and concentration.
- Creativity: Coding provides a creative outlet as individuals can use their imagination to bring their ideas to life.
- Multitasking: Coding often requires juggling multiple tasks at once, helping to improve multitasking abilities.
- Increased self-esteem and confidence: Successfully creating a program or app can boost self-esteem and confidence.
The good news? Coding is fun!
“I definitely think he’s better prepared and I’m very thankful he found Tynker because it just opened up that avenue that I knew would be such a good fit and make him happy.”
Jamie—mother of Featured Maker, Jordan
Coding is a fun activity that can help ensure your child returns to school in the fall without skipping a beat. This is especially true for math class, where students will be better equipped to apply computational thinking to solving math problems.
Great Ideas for Beating the Summer Slump in 2023
79% of parents want their child to learn how to code primarily so they can be an informed internet citizen. It’s actually a lot easier to learn coding than you might think, so we’ve put together five great ideas for keeping their brain sharp with code:
1. Self-Paced Learning: Positive screen time is important as it can enhance skills, improve mental health, and provide opportunities for social connections. It can also serve as a source of entertainment and relaxation, providing a much-needed break from the stress of school. Tynker is the best learning platform for introducing kids and teens to the joy of coding. With over 5,000 activities and 300 courses in areas such as Minecraft modding, game design, and AI, Tynker is the perfect platform for introducing kids and teens to coding. 67% of all new jobs in STEM are in computing, so learning this skill will definitely give your child an edge in school and beyond.
Try out Tynker for free! More than 100,000 schools around the world use Tynker to teach computer science courses in grades K-12 – all the way up to AP courses. All paid Tynker plans include access to our three award winning apps, so you can even take Tynker with you on your summer road trips.
2. Online Coding Camps: If you can’t make it to an in-person camp this summer, Tynker offers small-group instruction. Online coding summer camps can be a great option for children who are unable to attend in-person camps due to location, budget or scheduling constraints. Your child will create, code and play games, venture into Minecraft worlds, and learn how to animate their own creations. Our instructors are highly experienced and can provide excellent guidance and support to children as they learn to code.
3. Learn and play with AI: Try Tynker’s artificial intelligence (AI) coding courses for kids seven years and up. Tynker is the first – and only – e-learning platform to bring advanced computing concepts like AI, computer-vision, object mapping, hand tracking, face tracking and natural language processing to “block coding,” the standard approach for teaching key concepts to beginning coders as they progress towards text-based coding. And more importantly, it’s fun!
You can try the AI games with a free Tynker plan or purchase a Tynker subscription if you want two hours of instruction so your child can do even more!
4. Do you have a budding artist? Tynker’s new vector drawing tool is baked into every project now. It’s a tool update so just click “Create New Project” to see it — Add Actor > Drawing Tool. Check out the Introduction to Vector Editor video on YouTube to get started.
The vector drawing tool lets anyone draw with precise, clean lines that don’t get jaggedy like bitmaps. Plus, you can work with layers to make more complex animations, as well as squish, rotate and squeeze objects to your heart’s content!
5. Code on the go: Download Tynker’s on-the-go apps from your favorite app store, and try them out free for seven days. Your kids can code wherever your summer adventures take you—whether you’re basking in the sun at the beach, on a road trip, or relaxing at home! And don’t forget, every Tynker subscription plan comes with all three apps!
Tynker Junior (ages 4-7)
Tynker (ages 7-13)
Mod Creator (ages 7-13)
You can download Tynker, Tynker Junior, and Mod Creator from the App Store.
Children who code can beat the summer slide. With Tynker, learning to code is not only educational, but also fun. Whether your child is interested in game design, drones, art, robotics, or music, Tynker has something for everyone. And remember, getting your child into a consistent routine this summer is important for maintaining their knowledge and skills. Don’t forget to include physical exercise as part of their daily plan. Just a half an hour of coding a day will go a long way.
We can’t wait to see what your kids will create with code. Happy coding!
