One of the first questions that comes to mind when thinking about programming for children is: “How does one teach children how to programme?”. The answer lies in what children learn in children’s programming classes – besides programming skills they learn a lot about problem-solving and about being part of a team.

Programming courses encourage curiosity, which helps children be more confident, creative and resilient later in life. Coding teaches children how to build with cause and effect in mind, so that things work and are adapted for specific purposes. It encourages children to think outside the box and makes them realise that they can create anything.  It allows children to ask: “What happens if I do this?”, and they go on to create and learn how things really work.

Learning programming is easy and fun, and in fact, programming books can be a great way to introduce children to the world of programming. If parents succeed in teaching programming skills through games and game-based strategies, their children will find it easy and fun. Over time, children will learn basic programming concepts, build fun games, gain a competitive edge, and learn the basics of programming concepts.

When children know how to programme, they can develop apps, video games and websites. Creating a website or a simple game with an app like Kudo will help children solve problems through coding. While teaching children about programming may sometimes seem daunting and impossible, it will open opportunities for them in the long run.

The great thing about app programming is that it can be used for children of all ages to programme. Online sites such as Udemy is a great resource for learning basic programming skills.

Even if a child never becomes a software engineer, they will still benefit from knowing how to solve problems

Coding for Kids is an excellent resource for children to learn to programme and thus discover how to interact with computers. It equips them for a variety of different professional fields in which they can use these skills to make life easier for themselves and their families.

Object-oriented programming is the preferred type of programming that children learn if they ever want to become professional programmers. Even if a child never becomes a software engineer, they will still benefit from knowing how to solve problems. The practical aspect of a programming language is also important, as the right programming languages taught to children promotes their creative instincts instead of restricting them.

It is important that students learn not only how to write code, but also how to use the constructs and tricks of the craft. Once children and students learn about programming, one would want them to have a basic understanding of how to think as a programmer. This could be the first step to introducing children to the concept of coding before moving on to the next step that teaches them about code and how it works.

The eSkills Malta Foundation believes that children should not only learn to programme and actually start programming as early as preschool age. Parents can easily teach their children how to code through a computer or even board games. Once one understand the meaning of coding, they will get a much better understanding of its benefit for their children.

Taking computer-related courses in secondary level education is also a good start. Following that, computer courses may be found at every education level, such as at Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), private training institutions and the various sixth forms and universities.

Many schemes also exist to partially or fully fund specific courses carried out by private institutions. In fact, the eSkills Malta Foundation recently brokered free Amazon Web Service courses funded by the Melita Foundation.

It has never been easier and cheaper to acquire coding skills which will undoubtedly be of great use later in everyone’s life.  There is never anything lost when acquiring a new skill.

Claude Calleja, Executive, eSkills Malta Foundation