As the early sun rises each day, it can be observed that a lot things around us are being enhanced by technological progress. Internet of Things is coming with a lot of vigor, Artificial Intelligence is taking over, internet-based solutions are being matured and new inventions are being introduced with unprecedented velocity. Soon, most mundane tasks will be handled by some technological device or software. Even though it looks scary sometimes, an optimist will see that there will be a rise of so many opportunities for the population to exploit. The future will need more engineers, more software developers, systems experts, data gurus, tech leaders and more ideas that will solve the problems that will arise.
Parents and folks with wisdom should see the amazing things that their kids will encounter and take action as soon as possible so that they thrive in their careers, their passions and dreams. Teaching your kids how to program at their tender age is one of the best decisions one can decide to undertake because of their willingness and ability to absorb new concepts at relative ease.
If you would wish to take this idea and implement it to you kids who want to learn coding, we hope the books being discussed below will be of great help to you and to your child. Go through them and check out the one that will befit your kid’s learning style and preference.
1. Coding Games in Scratch
Dr. Jon Woodcock, the author, started coding at the age of eight and has programmed all kinds of computers, from single-chip microcontrollers to world-class supercomputers. He has a degree in physics from the University of Oxford and a PhD in computational astrophysics from the University of London. Beginning his journey at a tender age, Woodcock gives it all in this resource to make it easier for parents help their kids navigate the maze of tech.
Coding is not only a highly sought-after skill in our digital world, but it also teaches kids valuable skills for life after school. This book teaches important strategies for solving problems, designing projects, and communicating ideas, all while creating games to play with their friends.
Children will enjoy the step-by-step visual approach that makes even the most difficult coding concepts easy to master. They will discover the fundamentals of computer programming and learn to code through a blend of coding theory and the practical task of building computer games themselves.
The reason coding theory is taught through practical tasks is so that young programmers don’t just learn how computer code works – they learn why it’s done that way.
With Coding Games in Scratch, kids can build single and multiplayer platform games, create puzzles and memory games, race through mazes, add animation, and more. It also supports STEM education initiatives and the maker movement.
Computer coding teaches kids how to think creatively, work collaboratively, and reason systematically, and is quickly becoming a necessary and sought-after skill. DK’s computer coding books for kids are full of fun exercises with step-by-step guidance, making them the perfect introductory tools for building vital skills in computer programming.
In this book, your kid will:
- Learn about setting the scene, what makes a good game and playability
- Discover objects, rules, and goals
- Explore hacks and tweaks, camera angles, fine-tuning and controls
- And much more
There is so much information and skills your children are going to garner in this amazing book. Geared towards learning through fun, Coding Games in Scratch is ready to transform how your kid interacts with learning content and retaining enough for later development. Consider adding Coding Games in Scratch in your collection by clicking on the link below:
2. Coding for Kids
The author of the book, Adrienne Tacke, is a software engineer, writer, and STEM education advocate. As a Code. org volunteer in Las Vegas, she regularly speaks to students of all ages about the power of code and encourages young women and girls to explore a career in software engineering. She has a heart dedicated to making the world better for the next generation of technologists because she has been around and knows that their capabilities are limitless.
Coding for Kids starts kids off right with 50 fun, interactive activities that teach them the basics of the Python programming language. From learning the essential building blocks of programming to creating their very own games, kids will progress through unique lessons packed with helpful examples―and a little silliness!
Kids will follow along by starting to code (and debug their code) step by step, seeing the results of their coding in real time. Activities at the end of each chapter help test their new knowledge by combining multiple concepts. For young programmers who really want to show off their creativity, there are extra tricky challenges to tackle after each chapter. All kids need to get started is a computer and this book.
This beginner’s guide to Python for kids includes:
- 50 Innovative exercises: Coding concepts come to life with game-based exercises for creating code blocks, drawing pictures using a prewritten module, and more.
- Easy-to-follow guidance: New coders will be supported by thorough instructions, sample code, and explanations of new programming terms.
- Engaging visual lessons: Colorful illustrations and screenshots for reference help capture kids’ interest and keep lessons clear and simple.
3. Python for Kids
Python for Kids brings Python to life and brings you (and your parents) into the world of programming. The ever-patient Jason R. Briggs will guide you through the basics as you experiment with unique (and often hilarious) example programs that feature ravenous monsters, secret agents, thieving ravens, and more. New terms are defined; code is colored, dissected, and explained; and quirky, full-color illustrations keep things on the lighter side.
Chapters end with programming puzzles designed to stretch your brain and strengthen your understanding. By the end of the book you’ll have programmed two complete games: a clone of the famous Pong and “Mr. Stick Man Races for the Exit”—a platform game with jumps, animation, and much more.
As you explore this programming adventure, you will learn how to:
- Use fundamental data structures like lists, tuples, and maps
- Organize and reuse your code with functions and modules
- Use control structures like loops and conditional statements
- Draw shapes and patterns with Python’s turtle module
- Create games, animations, and other graphical wonders with tkinter
From one of the reviews, Python for Kids explains things in an easy enough manner for kids to learn on their own if they miss a class. Let their inner strengths be revealed as they learn in the process of enjoying their time. Click below to order your copy today
4. Coding For Kids For Dummies
Camille Moody McCue, PhD is a school leader, STEM educator, and Dummies author. She has noticed that coding is quickly becoming an essential academic skill, right up there with reading, writing, and arithmetic. This book is an ideal way for young learners ages 8-13 who want more coding knowledge than you can learn in an hour, a day, or a week.
Written by a classroom instructor with extensive experience teaching technology skills to kids as young as five, this book teaches the steps and logic needed to write code, solve problems, and create fun projects based in Scratch and JavaScript. This 2nd Edition is fully updated to feature only free programming languages available online to everyone.
- Use simple coding tools ideal for teaching kids and beginners
- Learn the evergreen concepts of writing computer code
- Build game apps and cool gadgets you can show off to friends
Whether you’re a kid ready to make fun things using technology or a parent, teacher, or mentor looking to introduce coding in an eager child’s life, this fun book makes getting started with coding fun and easy.
Being a down to earth kind of a resource, you and your kids will get to learn the basics of coding, create applications and games with no prior knowledge required. Click below to get this great book to get started today:
5. Coding for Kids Ages 9-15
Bob Mather, has significant experience in programming and has been coding since 14. He has completed many of his own programs for fun and also worked at engineering software companies in his career. Bob, the author, knows the secret. He knows that coding is a skill; and like any skill it takes time to learn. Like any skill, Bob knows that the younger you start; the better you get. That is the motivation behind this resource. To empower the growing generation with the right tools to successfully navigate the growing digital economy.
This book starts off with the very basics; how to install the software, set up and write your first lines of code. There are exercises at the end of each chapter that can test your new found knowledge and move you ahead. And then, we get you a few more advanced skills that can get you started making websites.
Even if you’ve never touched a computer in your life, you will find this book useful.
6. Python in easy steps
Python in easy steps by Mike McGrath, makes no assumption that you have previous knowledge of any programming language. This makes this book appropriate for the newcomer to computer programming. It has an easy-to-follow style that will appeal to programmers moving from another programming language, and to the student who is studying Python programming at school or college, and to those seeking a career in computing who need a fundamental understanding of computer programming.
The author who has gained his extensive knowledge of computer languages while working as a developer contracting to companies around the world, takes a complex subject and makes it easy, fun and super helpful to understand. Your kids in middle school and up will really benefit from this resource.
It begins by explaining how to install the free Python interpreter so you can quickly begin to create your own executable programs by copying the book’s examples. It demonstrates all the Python language basics before moving on to provide examples of Object Oriented Programming (OOP) and CGI scripting to handle web form data. The book concludes by demonstrating how you can use your acquired knowledge to create and deploy graphical windowed applications.
Let your middle school and above children or students get the best in them exposed by gifting them with Mike’s good work. Order from Amazon below:
7. Get Coding 2!
One of the authors, Duncan Beedie, is an illustrator and children’s author who loves computer games and gaming. The other, David Whitney, is an independent software consultant who helps developers and businesses find smart solutions and write clean code and enjoys helping people learn how to build better software, using leading-edge tools and frameworks.
They teamed up to bring to life this book that targets the middle school child who wants a gentle introduction to programming. They accomplish that goal because they teach coding by breaking down the steps needed to create each game presented in the book. Every game element you want to add next to create the game is well explained as well as how that coding element works. Learners will be walked through the addition of each chunk of code to the html file (with the exact code provided) until they have a completed game.
Your kids will learn HTML and JavaScript, design and build five interactive computer games and cool graphics. Moreover, they will program simple artificial intelligence, essential coding concepts and a sound introduction to all these activities and more. By following simple step-by-step instructions and completing five exciting missions, aspiring programmers are invited to code well-known games such as tic-tac-toe and table tennis, then customize their projects to test their skills.
Have it all in your collection and get busy learning how to code with your kids. Order your copy from Amazon today.
8. Hello Swift!
Tanmay Bakshi is an AI and Machine Learning Systems Architect. He supports and contributes extensively to the open source community and is known for his passion to share what he learns through his YouTube channel, blogs, and speeches. He wrote this book as a result of his goal of reaching out to at least 100,000 coders and beginners in their journey of learning how to program. So if you would with to learn how to code, you have a good companion in Hello Swift. What will interest you is that Tanmay began coding at the age of five and had his first app on the iOS App Store by the age of nine! So your kids can do it too.
This book is a how-to guide to programming iOS Apps with the Swift language, written from a kid’s perspective. This approachable, well-illustrated, step-by-step guide takes you from beginning programming concepts all the way through developing complete apps. (Adults will like it too!)
Packed with dozens of apps and special exercises, the book will teach you how to program by writing games, solving puzzles, and exploring what your iPhone can do. Hello Swift! gets you started. Where you go next is up to you!
What’s inside
- Crystal-clear explanations anyone can understand
- Kid-friendly examples, including games and puzzles
- Learn by doing–you’ll build dozens of small apps
- Exercises that encourage critical thinking
Purchase of the print book and get a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. Make your child’s dream come alive soonest by getting this guide written by the best of breeds in the profession. Click below to order from Amazon
9. Coding Games in Python
As a product of DK which was founded in London in 1974 and is now the world leading illustrated reference publisher, Coding Games in Python, is a resource that every aspiring programmer especially the young ones will find quite interesting. DK publishes highly visual, photographic non-fiction materials for adults and children alike.
Whether you are a seasoned programmer or a beginner hoping to learn Python, you will find Coding Games in Python fun to read and easy to follow. Each chapter shows you how to construct a complete working game in simple numbered steps. Using freely available resources such as Pygame, Pygame Zero, and a downloadable pack of images and sounds, you can add animations, music, scrolling backgrounds, scenery, and other exciting professional touches.
After building the game, find out how to adapt it to create your own personalised version with secret hacks and cheat codes!
You’ll master the key concepts that programmers need to write code – not just in Python, but in all programming languages. Find out what bugs, loops, flags, strings, and turtles are. Learn how to plan and design the ultimate game, and then play it to destruction as you test and debug it.
Get this well written book that is easy to understand with lots of visuals with descriptive lessons that build slowly for your kid. Check it out from Amazon below:
10. Computer Coding with Javascript
Computer Coding with JavaScript explains how JavaScript works and teaches kids how to complete coding actions with clear, step-by-step instructions and fun pixel art. Readers are also introduced to HTML and CSS; find out how to create shapes, patterns, and simple animations; and discover how to make web pages, including interactive pages.
Just as mastering a language has cognitive benefits, learning code develops problem-solving and abstract-thinking skills. Breaking key concepts into easy-to-understand parts, the book is a great starting point for understanding computers and code, learning how to program, and practicing computer language. Includes coding in Python and Scratch and how to use a Raspberry Pi computer.
Get this highly visual workbook and build basic programming skills using JavaScript in an easy to understand manner coupled with lots of visuals and descriptive lessons. A perfect gift for your middle school and above kid. Order it from Amazon below:
Concluding Remarks
We get it, learning a new skill especially a technical one such as programming can be daunting, scary and challenging. Many begun and threw in the towel before they could enjoy the benefits that come with the hard work that such skills proffer. They include creating new things, solving novel problems, increasing industrial and corporate efficiency, changing people’s lives among many others that brings personal satisfaction.
