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Books happen to be the first warm and emotional bonding place from where kids learn to be interactive. Books inspire curiosity and promote the ability to think and imagine limitlessly. Therefore,
Coding books proves to be an efficient learning platform for kids giving a similar experience as a story or word search books as it creates an acquaintance with the best learning experience through reading, writing, and thinking. Various coding books help in giving an idea of basic coding, especially illustrated coding books.
Introducing Kids to Programming & Coding
When we introduce programming and coding to the kids we need to initiate with a simple programming language that is easy to comprehend and convenient to apply. For instance, one such programming language is Scala, which acts as a base for all the complex programming languages as it is composed of easy and versatile syntax.
What do you mean by syntax?
Syntax means the arrangement of words that make a sentence referred to as Code.
Coding books are one of the best ways for incorporating the world of computer science and programming in the lives of kids.
Moreover, learning programming and coding have positive effects on the kid’s mind as it introduces them to the principles of living such as how to solve issues, the importance of making decisions and accepting responsibility for their words and actions.
Not only that early exposure to programming and coding encourages kid’s interest in their academic studies, especially subjects involving logical and cognitive thinking i.e. Mathematics and science. They even began to ponder how exactly technology works as they are surrounded by it since the beginning.
I know what you must be thinking… exposure to programming and coding at such a young age…Will it be overwhelming for them? What if they have a hard time grasping the basics of coding?
But on the contrary, it is quite easier for them!!!! Let me tell you why… their brain is like a plain canvas open to learning and exploring. The cherry on top is their never-ending curiosity inspiring them to learn, analyze and apply. More importantly, with the right resource of help, kids can learn to code much faster irrespective of their age.
What are the Different Types of Coding Books Available For Kids?
Coding books have been divided into many categories based on one’s interests and learning style. A few of the most popular categories are as follows-
- Coding books for kids based on Age Group.
- Coding books for kids based on various Programming Languages.
- Coding books for kids based on showcasing Creative Art.
- Coding books for kids based on Mobile Development.
- Coding books for kids books based on Game Development.
- Coding books for kids based on Robotics and loT programming.
How to Choose the Best Coding Book for Your Child?
When selecting the best coding book for your child, first you need to understand the coding book which is best for one kid doesn’t have to be the best option for the other. It’s like one size does not fit all. So, you have to discover a good book whilst keeping in mind your kid’s interest, awareness, and experience level. Moreover, with time you will be able to figure out the best coding book and will be able to compare the books of multitude programming languages.
- Let me simplify the process of choosing the best coding books irrespective of the programming language you chose:
There are four significant steps one needs to keep in mind-
- What type of coding do you want to learn? Like are you interested in creating art, building apps, websites or video games.
- For your specific interest which coding language is best to learn?
- Always be through in Basic/ Fundamentals. All programming languages are pretty much similar when we break down to basics like compilation of fundamental arithmetic operations, loops, variables, animations, if-else, arrays, etc.
- Lastly, building projects based on these basics of programming language for practical experience.
The Top 10 Coding Books For Kids of All Ages & Abilities
1. HELLO RUBY
Adventures in Coding by Linda Liukas: This book is lighthearted, comprising basic concepts and reasoning behind coding. This coding book resonates with a story book filled with adventurous voyage into the wild world of writing software rather than a mundane programming guide.
2. HTML FOR BABIES
by John C. Vanden-Heuvel,Sr. : This book is for the game designers of tomorrow. This is more like a baby step for toddlers in learning a thing or two about coding syntax. This is a board book comprising very basics and simplest HTML markup code such as open tags, close tags, much more.
3. CODING FOR BEGINNERS USING SCRATCH, LIFT-THE-FLAP COMPUTERS AND CODING
by Usborne Publishing: These two coding books prove to be the best illustration books and does a fabulous job of introducing the basics of Scratch coding. In 1980, Usborne Publishing released a series of popular programming books designed for kids who were keen to learn coding for building their own computer games. These books were exciting and fun packed and very popular back then so they launched the classics again lately in order to promote their new series “How to code in Scratch” aiming to teach 21st century kids how to code.
4. PYTHON FOR KIDS
A Playful Introduction To Programming by Jason R. Briggs: This book is the definitive guide for learning another popular programming language “Python”. As the name suggests this book serves as a playful, understandable and visually appealing for anxious beginner users. This book offers perfect guidance to a very complex programming language. Briggs kept the book lighthearted and intriguing throughout to keep kids hooked even while learning software coding concepts.
5. CODING PROJECTS IN SCRATCH
by Jon Woodcock: This book is another enticing project from astrophysicist Jon Woodcock. It provides step – step instructions for overall 18 projects facilitating the learning process of fundamentals of coding.
5. CODING PROJECTS IN SCRATCH
by Jon Woodcock: This book is another enticing project from astrophysicist Jon Woodcock. It provides step – step instructions for overall 18 projects facilitating the learning process of fundamentals of coding.
6. SCRATCH FOR KIDS,FOR DUMMIES
by Derek Breen: This book was designed for kids irrespective of their abilities. This book is best for the kids of age group ranging from 10-14. It is the best book because it offers a solid base in general programming and Scratch knowledge. This book as the name suggests can be used by anyone whether you are a student, teacher, or a reader, as it teaches how to design and animate their own characters. You get to develop 16 projects with the help of this book based on variables, if-then statements and loops.
7. THE OFFICIAL SCRATCHJR BOOK
Help Your Kids Learn To Code by Marina Umaschi Bers & Mitchel Resnick: This book was basically designed for kids of age between 5 to 9. As it offers digestible knowledge of ScratchJr, which is an even simpler block programming Language for those who are a bit too young to understand anything related to coding. It comprises several fun projects which attract kids’ attention and keep them hooked. Moreover it helps in establishing a strong base of programming skills which is gonna be helpful in all their future programming endeavors.
8. PROGRAMMING IN SCALA
A Comprehensive Step-by-Step Scala Programming Guide by Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon, and Bill Venners: This book offers every concept of Scala programming languages, including basics and ascending to advanced levels of Scala programming techniques. This book is the definition of a complete package if you want to master the Scala programming language.
9. INTRODUCTION TO THE ART OF PROGRAMMING USING SCALA
by Mark Lewis: This book was specifically designed for new users of the Scala programming language. It offers introduction to computer science classes.
10. HELLO WORLD! COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR KIDS AND OTHER BEGINNERS
by Warren and Carter Sande: This book was designed for people who are new to any programming language. It enables them to write their first program which normally is “Hello World” irrespective of any programming language. This book follows the classic tradition of easy to write codes and straightforward scripts and ascends quickly to requisite skills codes useful in building software of any kind.
Conclusion
While conclusion I would like to emphasize coding books which are curated based on fundamentals and are visually appealing, and powerful enough to inspire them and garner the attention of kids. Visual representation holds great power when it comes to attracting children just like story books. Start teaching your child how to code today with the help of the best coding books and unlock their potential!