Can kids under 10 be possibly taught coding, without even mentioning the word syntax to them ??🤔🤔🤔
I started learning BASIC when I was 8. But I’m pretty sure I learned about syntax, too.
Yes, when I was a kid in school in the 90s we learned logo and qbasic.
http://www.petesqbsite.com/sections/tutorials/tuts/felix_qb_for_kids.htm
Logo uses a little turtle to draw, it was a blast!
Just call it something else 🤷
Check out scratch (or even scratch junior).
Of they like robots, go for a micro:bit or a similar kit. The ide is from Microsoft, but microblocks.fun is a good alternative
I’ve never used it, but people I work with teach Scratch to in their spare time. I quick search suggests it is years 8+. I guess it’s more programming than coding, but could be a starting point and lead into coding under 10?
more programming than coding
What’s the distinction?
Good question!
“Programming and coding are closely related but not the same. Programming is the process that covers problem-solving, designing, building, and maintaining software, while coding is the step of writing the actual instructions in a programming language. Both are important and work together to create complete software solutions.” - Geeksforgeeks
I got my kids started on Scratch - I recommend it! Syntax is communicated with puzzle block shapes. Statements have a tab on the bottom, and a matching slot on top; number and string values are pill-shaped; boolean expressions are diamond-shaped. If the pieces fit together, it’s a valid program.
What aspects of coding?
Turing Tumble is a marble run puzzle game that’s Turing complete, i.e. in the abstract sense, it can compute anything a computer could. It implements bit flippers, logic gates, and memory using falling marbles and levers. Completely mechanical and very tactile.
For textual programming, check out Hedy, a language designed for the classroom. It stands out vs others like Scratch or Snap because Hedy is gradual. A presentation by its creator
In the 80s I learned logo. I was so young that “repeat” was the longest word I knew how to spell.
Is “syntax” a bad word now? Don’t dumb things down for students, elevate the students!
We were taught basic programming when we were 6. It was Kyiv, 1992.
I started learning when I was ten, so I’d say yes. That was almost thirty years ago when learning to code was less accessible, so having more resources should make it even easier.
I was learning BASIC on a VIC-20 around that age.
Python? Yes
I started learning when I was 9. I think to some extent it was easier back then in the 80ies because computers were relatively simple machines. On the other hand I also had to learn English at the same time to be able to read manuals and programming books etc. So I think it must be possible because even if I saw the word “syntax” I doubt I had a full grasp of what it means.
Yes. In school we had a course where you programmed a virtual robot navigating through a maze.
The commands were simply “go forward”, “turn left”, etc.
Then they introduced basic programming principles one by one.
Simple loops, conditions, outputting messages, etc.
The following year, they switched us to programming in Pascal and it was basically the same thing, only now we had to learn some simple syntax.Weird question. Can a child under 10 be taught coding? Yes, I started learning under 10. Was the word syntax used? Fuck if I can remember. I don’t think it would have mattered. Why do you think it matters?
Yeah, kids are really smart.
