Top 6 Reasons Why Scratch Coding is Best for Kids?
Everywhere you look, you will find yourself surrounded by digital technology. These technologies are swimming in an ocean of codes and programs. Children of this century are born into this ocean of programming language and learn to swim in it from a very young age. The introduction to this digital world usually starts with their fascination with video games, and they gradually learn to navigate various applications. The importance of teaching kids to learn computer programming and coding language has gained much prominence among parents, children, and educational institutions. Scratch for kids is the best coding language used by many to introduce a child into this world of coding.
Introduction to Scratch
MIT Media Lab and Playful Invention Company developed Scratch, which is now moderated worldwide by Scratch Foundation, a non-profit organization. They provide this visual block-based programming language for free to beginners who want to develop their coding skills in countries all over the world.
Since it uses a visual method for teaching kids coding, it is a fun way of learning that allows them to create their own games, animations, stories, or other ideas using computational thinking. Moreover, the block-based approach of Scratch coding helps to make learning simpler compared to other coding languages like python or Java. The code blocks resemble puzzle or lego pieces that need to fit appropriately for the program to work, and all a kid must do is drag and drop them.
Top 6 Reasons for Kids to Use Scratch Coding
If you are a kid, using Scratch is the best way to start your coding lessons, and here are a few reasons why:
1) Have Fun Interacting with Scratch:
If you want a coder's life, then Scratch is the best option to start the journey in a fun way that is also highly interactive. Scratch programming is an enjoyable way for kids to create their own games, stories, or animated characters by interacting with scratch characters called sprites. They can make these characters jump, run, sing and dance in real time with the interactive interface. Furthermore, MIT has developed a more straightforward form of Scratch called Scratch Jr, which allows kids to work on various scratch projects by creating their backgrounds and stories. Scratch Jr is available for use on android, Chromebook, and iOS.
2) Scratch Develop Problem-Solving Skills:
This program is the starting point for children to develop and enhance their problem-solving abilities as budding programmers. It uses visual aids to make kids understand the issue and uses problem-solving skills to get the results they want in the creations. Coding scratch programs requires breaking down a problem into smaller sections and then solving it to make it work. Scratch needs the kid to use basic mathematics to find a solution to problems. Moreover, it teaches and promotes using this skill set even in the real world when they face difficult situations.
3) Promote the Creation of Innovative Ideas from Scratch:
Promoting imagination is one of the key focus of the Scratch team, and the program encourages children to use their thinking skills to come up with new innovative ideas of creation. Kids can customize existing sprites or create one on their own. They also have the option to add media like music, graphics, and voices to them using simple programming syntax. This programming language is the perfect platform for a child to use their imaginative skills and easily produce what is there in their minds. The kid can create an entirely new scratch coding game using to program available on the Scratch website.
4) Scratch is Simple to Use and Grasp:
Scratch programming language is so simple and easy to grasp that kids of a very young age can use the program. They can develop coding games with an easy understanding of the fundamentals of coding blocks. The concept behind Scratch is to make learning coding language effortless for children without any sophisticated tutorials. This programming language requires kids to drag and drop the blocks to create a desirable action in the scratch project.
5) Better Planning and Logical Thinking with Scratch:
Logical thinking and planning are two crucial skill sets that you, as a kid, will improve with Scratch. For example, the ability to break down a problem into smaller segments and then create a plan to organize the lego-like code blocks better promotes an analytical thinking process. Scratch for kids, which involves a game development project, requires both these skill sets, and the child can improve them even for real-world projects.
6) Scratch is the Gateway to the World of Programming:
Many coding classes for kids start with Scratch as the starting point for budding coders. Academic institutions like primary and high schools have introduced Scratch as part of their computer science curriculum. The similarity of Scratch with other programming languages like javascript or python makes it an ideal gateway to the world of comprehensive programming. Children learn the importance and function of commands to understand more complicated coding in the future.
Summary
Using Scratch programming is one of the easiest ways for you as a kid to enter the ocean of coding. All that you require is a computer with an internet connection. Then, you can open the scratch website in your web browser and start your coding journey with the easiest of any visual block-based programming language you can find. The benefits of Scratch are many, and it helps a kid develop all of them with innovative learning methods.
