By teaching a child to code, you’re empowering them with a skill set that benefits them throughout their life. Knowing how to code also helps them improve their problem-solving, creative, and critical thinking abilities. But with so many coding platforms and tools available, it can be difficult for parents and educators to choose the best one for an individual child, or groups of children. We take a closer look at some of the most effective platforms available to help children learn to code.

Code Club World

This free platform offered by the Raspberry Pi Foundation teaches children to code through a variety of resources and online learning tutorials. All are designed to be easy to follow and engaging. The projects cover a wide range of topics, including games, animations, and websites, and suit children of different ages and skill levels. Projects include creating a robot avatar and teaching it to dance while also learning block and text-based programming such as Scratch and Python, with fun, themed challenges.

Code.org

Code.org is a non-profit organisation that aims to expand access to computer science education for school students worldwide. Its courses are designed for children of all ages and range from basic coding concepts to advanced programming. They’re interactive, encouraging children to learn by creating games, apps, and websites. At the same time, kids develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills and gain exposure to programming languages like JavaScript and Python, which prepare them for future careers in technology.

ScratchJR

ScratchJR is a visual programming language designed to introduce young children (aged five to seven) to the world of coding. It allows children to create interactive stories, games, and animations with colourful blocks that can be dragged and dropped to create code. ScratchJR encourages kids to work collaboratively, share their projects, and learn from others in the ScratchJR community – making it an excellent introduction to the world of coding.

Blockly Games

Blockly Games is a series of educational games that teach kids the basics of coding through programming puzzles. This simple tool is free and easy to use, even for children without prior programming experience. Overall, Blockly provides a fun, interactive, and accessible way for children to learn the basics of programming, fostering creativity and problem-solving skills in the process.

Code for Life

Designed for children of all ages, the Code for Life educational platform teaches them how to code through interactive games and challenges. The curriculum is built around a set of coding concepts, including algorithms, loops, and conditionals, all presented in an age-appropriate way. Kids start out through Rapid Router, where they strengthen their coding abilities until they’re ready to advance to Kurono, which focuses on the Python programming language.

The building blocks of everyday tech

Whether you're a parent or an educator, these five platforms are valuable tools to develop children’s coding abilities and equip them for a promising future in technology.

Find out more about this exciting skill in our Tech Talk with Vodacom podcast episode about Coding, where we speak with Oratile Maphumulo, a manager in Core Data Network Planning in Technology at Vodacom Business. Among her many responsibilities is training the Vodacom CodeLikeAGirl initiative, where school girls from around the country are taught how to build their own website with HTML, CMS and Java.