HOW TO TEACH KIDS TO BUILD AN APP

 Building an app itself sounds so unrealistic and quite problematic, especially when kids are dealing with it. But one should always remember that no one is born a programmer but he/she can be one in the future. There might be some questions popping up inside every parent’s head like how to teach kids programming from an early age? How to motivate a kid to score equally good in IT too? How can you be a father/mother/guardian of a renowned programmer?

We will summarize all these points along with some additional information too in this article.

WHAT IS BUILDING AN APP?

Let’s start from the beginning with how are apps built and how do they work, then we will move forward towards the core functionalities and the skills required for them.

Building an app means inventing a new unique recipe with IT powered ingredients, which works smoothly on computers, mobiles and tablets. No app is complete without the essential skills of software engineering like creating, testing and coding. In this process, you generate new ideas, apply your extraordinary concepts and come up with something innovative. There is no doubt of a rise in demand for developers nowadays.

One of the major responsibilities of programmers is to program and fix. To achieve success in this field a good knowledge of coding and programming languages is essential. So, let’s see the various stages of app creation that your kid will eventually deal with.

TRADITIONAL STAGES OF APP DEVELOPMENT

1. ARCHITECTURE OF AN APP

This stage involves the basic level needs of an app like the selection of a platform, an appropriate programming language and getting assistance from technology service-related companies. In this part one only decides the various tools one will use rather than designing it.

2. VISUAL FEATURES

In this 2nd part, one develops the visual features of an app like colours, content and style. It can be stored as a draft in your mind or just an imagination of your’s but you start working on its appearance.

3. CODING

This part is a bit tricky one and often many people decide to get immediate help from professional software engineers. Software development companies too can be of great help when you reach the stage of code writing. VironIT can be a good option for those who are searching for help.

4. TESTING IS IMPORTANT

For your app to be bug-free and to operate smoothly one should send it a specialist or a test engineer to overview the final project. Thus, testing will make sure that your app has no malfunctions.

5. LAUNCHING!

The final stage is to deliver your app to others. Once testing is done and your code was successful there is no need of turning back and it’s your time to launch this app in the market.

One can easily deliver an app by himself/herself but we genuinely encourage parents to teach their kids some computer languages. Every kid might not be heading towards the IT Department but eventually, they will thank you.

Let’s reflect upon some ways in which parents can encourage their kids to code:

6. Start with some basic Coding languages

One should master a code language that would tell a computer what to do is one of the basic needs. The familiar ones are Javascript, C++, Python but these are for the programmers, kids can start from a basic level by exploring digital games on Codewars, CodinGame, CodeMonkey or any other platform that engages their kid to solve puzzles and make codes. It is one of the most entertaining and engaging ways of learning a coding language.

If your kid is eager in learning new things then all these languages will certainly be super easy for him/her. When kids start learning and acquiring knowledge from the 1st stage, the visual learning experience doesn’t seem that hard. You should also clear examples of the programming language as kids must know that their efforts are not going in vain. Share some success stories and spend time with them learning.

7. Visual Memory

Processing information quickly is an essential element for an individual building an app. So, developing your kid’s memory skills should be on the priority list.

Every kid is born with a talent but one should be vigilant in finding them on time to work on it and enhance it. If your kid has an interest in IT then you should focus on interpretation, visualization and selective attention. Then without even really coding an app, an image of the code will be in front of your kid.

Use various tools like artificial intelligence tools to enhance their knowledge.

8. Process of fixing a problem

Problem-solving is an essential part too as somewhere or the other your kid will deal with a problem. Technical problems go hand in hand with a programmer.

So, finding the problem and working on it is should be your kid’s next best skill.

Kids are vulnerable and adults too, so one should be prepared to deal with bugs and challenges in a code. As being a parent, you should motivate your kid not to lose hope while facing challenges and should never stop trying. You can even postpone some lessons if your kid is struggling and losing patience as in this state he/she might lose hope.

Motivate them so that they fear facing failures and problems. Coding is hard but it isn’t impossible. Every field requires hard work and dedication and therefore after going through the entire struggle the ones who come out are known as masters!

9. Social Skills

Introducing kids to real-world problems using technologies is an innovative way of starting their coding journey. Many online courses assist kids in solving these problems. This helps them in achieving greater performance levels later in life and they learn to deal with social life problems too.

Social skills are also important for your kid to find his/her evolving personality. Teach your kid how there is a way to come out of every problem; it will help in building his/her confidence and self-esteem. Use artificial intelligence tools in your efforts.

10. Private School: A great help

There are various online apps and games to teach coding to your kids which are quite engaging and resourceful but the impact will be different if your child experiences the coding activities at a specialized school. Teachers with professional knowledge try to give out all that they have gained in all these years.

If teaching at school turns out to be creative and delightful, a student will never get tired or discouraged. Whereas, teaching your kids at home requires a lot of patience from the parent’s side and a low level of concentration from their kid’s side.

The learning plan and pattern at school is much more influential for kids and it also helps the parents to keep a check on their progress and to see how far they have reached towards becoming a computer pro.

CONCLUSION:

The learning experience should be exciting and engaging for both adults and kids. So, it depends on you when you want your kid to start learning from an early age or from an age where every other person is your competition.

Teaching your kids the basics of coding from an early age will benefit them in any sphere that they step in. You should never force your kid to study instead, talk to them and make them understand the benefits of it.

Our kids are smart and are leaders of tomorrow, at times they only need some convincing words and a good teaching approach to make them the programmers of tomorrow.