To Explain Programming to Children, Make It Clear
Children have a way to quickly gather information (sometimes faster than they would like …), but when explaining more abstract concepts like coding or computer programming, you may need more than a lecture or some quick YouTube explainer. This is exactly what programmer Tomek Kachanovski learned , explaining this skill to a group of 6-year-olds, among whom was his own daughter.
To make sure he gets his message about programming to everyone, he came up with some simple strategies that will make explaining concepts to children easy and fun for both teacher and student.
Start with the basics
It helps to start from the very beginning. Kachanovsky began his explanation by asking a group of children if they knew what a computer programmer and a computer are.
He used simplified explanations to explain how computers process input and output, and used pseudocode to explain programming languages. From there, he was able to discuss what constitutes a computer and how a programmer would interact with computers such as laptops, cars, and smartwatches.
Ask the children questions
Kids love to ask and answer questions, and their answers are a great way to find out what they know. It also provides an opportunity to correct any potentially confusing misconceptions they may have.
Kachanovsky asked the group questions about computers, databases and programming languages.
From there, he was able to glean what his listeners knew, explain the concepts, and move on to the next topic.
Make it relevant
Your child probably doesn’t understand the concept of databases or processors, but they do know how a toy box or bookshelf works and what a brain is for.
Therefore, when explaining a concept such as programming, it is very helpful to relate it to what they already know. In this case, Kachanovsky referred to a site that his audience was familiar with: YouTube. “I switched to YouTube because I knew they would know a lot about it,” Kachanovski said. “I started by drawing the user interface that they are all familiar with.”
The familiar cartoon layout helped him explain how the database works, using examples such as Peppa Pig to get kids thinking about where the videos are coming from and how YouTube knew which videos to play. Links to objects in their daily lives, such as the brain, bookshelves, and YouTube, help connect abstract concepts to specific subjects.
Be clear and repeat
You are dealing with children here, so you should expect repetition quite a few times. Kachanovsky used simple images such as layouts of web pages and a stack of DVDs drawn during his explanation, which he could refer to more than once. “It grabs their attention and allows me to remind them of things that we discussed a few minutes ago by pointing to a certain picture,” he wrote. Pictures and repetitive statements can seem tedious, but Kachanovski has found that using pictures as a popular quiz can help children memorize terms and concepts.
Explaining Programming to 6 Years Old Children | dev.to ()