Bob Mather - Coding for Kids Ages 10 and Up: Coding for Kids and Beginners using html, css and JavaScript

Coding for Kids Ages 10 and Up

Coding for Kids and Beginners using html, css and JavaScript

Disclaimer

C opyright 2020

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this eBook can be transmitted or reproduced in any form including print, electronic, photocopying, scanning, mechanical or recording without prior written permission from the author.

While the author has taken utmost efforts to ensure the accuracy of the written content, all readers are advised to follow information mentioned herein at their own risk. The author cannot be held responsible for any personal or commercial damage caused by information. All readers are encouraged to seek professional advice when needed.

Introduction

R ob had been in front of his computer for a few hours. He was in the middle of programming the next version of his JavaScript game. After making a lot of progress in the last month, he was now stuck. He tried a lot of different things, but still just cannot make it work. This is a common problem in coding. Learning the basics of coding is a good start. Rob read my first coding book a few months ago and he was very excited. Not only did learn the basics well and successfully went through all the exercises; he also implemented some of his own programs and fun coding games. He loved programming; and he was hooked.

After a couple of months, however, Rob got stuck. He was getting tired and bored. He kept doing similar programs over and over. He struggled with more advanced topics. The story of Rob is similar to those of thousands of kids across America and the world. These kids have the resources and money available to move forward. Some of their parents have spent a months salary (sometimes even more) to get their child a laptop to program with. However, both the parents and their kids realize that they need more to get going. There is something missing. Something that is hard to quantify.

The story of Rob and others inspired me to write the next Javascript book. While Rob might seem to be struggling, he needs to be commended for his effort. Too many of us give up at the first sight of difficulty. We move on from activity to activity with the mindset of a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. The truth is that there is no movement forward in any activity without a little bit of effort and pain. Rob just needs that little bit more, and thats contained in this book.

This book starts off with some of the basics to ensure that you have the basic knowledge needed to more forward. Well talk about setting up your workspace and doing basic programming and testing. However, this book does have a strong emphasis on coding games, activities and puzzles. These are meant to embed a deeper love for what programming can accomplish. We realize how important these kind of coding games are to the learning process. It imbibes a sense of fun and curiosity which is very exciting for everyone involved. There is also a very important section on the softer side of programming. This chapter talks about how to improve your coding through self-discovery, teamwork, self-discipline and healthy habits. These are the soft skills that would really help Rob move forward in programming.

Soft Skills of Coding

M y experiences with teaching kids coding, and also from hearing from Rob have convinced me that soft skills are just as important as technical knowledge in coding. These soft skills also help you with all other aspects of life moving forward. So, its a win-win all the way around.

So, what exactly are soft skills? Soft skills relate more to how people work. This is different from hard technical skills which focus on what people work on. Soft skills relate to how people deal with mental, physical and interpersonal problems. In combination with good technical knowledge, soft skills can take your performance to a higher level. Here are some of the skills that I am talking about:

• Focus and Concentration: Ability to focus on a single task at hand is a tough skill to master in a world dominated by social media and other distractions. Multi-tasking may seem cool; but in the long run it takes away from quality work and quality education.

A new tool to help you focus is something called isochronic tones. This is specific music that gets your mind in the right frame and helps you focus. You can check out these tones for free by searching isochronic tones on Youtube or Google.

Another tool is daily meditation. Meditation for 5 minutes at the start of the day can help you build focus over time.

And finally, breaking your work down into periods of 20-30 minutes can make a big difference. Take a 5-10 minute walk between each session and come back refreshed.

• Perseverance: The ability to persist and learn from failures is very important in coding. Its common practice among programmers to try to break the code (or make the code fail) so they can learn the weak points in a program, and make it improve. You can do the same for your program and for your programming skill.
• Teamwork: Going at coding alone is necessary when starting off; but will hold you back in the long run. You can learn a lot faster from the mistakes of others; than from your own mistakes. You can join a local programming club in your own city; hire a programming tutor; join relevant facebook coding groups; post on redditt threads and learn from Github code. Its important to be active on these groups and recognized as a positive contributor.
• Physical Health: This is a very underrated and undervalued trait by many programmers. But in the long run, it really hurts people in the industry. Back problems, obesity, carpal tunnel syndrome are common health issues that programmers encounter after working in the industry for 5-10 years or more. Heres a few ways to take better care of your health.

Maintain a good sitting posture: Sit upright. Make sure your laptop is close to eye level, so you dont have to bend your neck down. Make sure your feet are in line with your knees.

Take frequent breaks: I recommend taking breaks every 20-30 minutes. Take a walk in between periods.

Diet: Maintain a healthy diet high in good fats, protein and complex carbs. Minimize simple carbs and sugar.