If you’re an educator looking to teach something new or a young person who wants to upskill, consider one of these cool programming languages.
Upskilling in programming is a worthy way to spend your time and it’s important that younger coders be supported in their efforts to improve their skills.
So, if you’re in a position where you can pass on skills, or if you’re an ambitious young person looking to grow your skills, what programming languages should you turn your attention to?
Alice
We previously discussed Alice in an article about the weird and wonderful languages that established professionals can attempt to learn, but it deserves to be included on this list also, as it is an incredibly useful tool for young people to cut their teeth on.
Based on Lewis Carroll’s titular character, Alice is an easy-to-use, interactive and imaginative platform for coders, aimed at kids in primary school all the way up to secondary education. The block-based programming environment enables students to understand the fundamentals via projects, group work and independent study.
Users can create animations, build interactive narratives and program simple games in 3D, creating the perfect mixture of fun and learning.
Scratch
Scratch, a graphical programming language developed by the MIT Media Lab, is an educational resource for young people who want to learn the basics of coding. Reportedly the world’s largest coding community for children, Scratch is free and available in 70 languages.
Offering a simple interface, young people can create digital stories, games and animations, improve their conceptual and computational thinking, and develop their problem-solving abilities.
Anyone interested in giving it a go should check out the Scratch website which has a range of learning tutorials and resources for all abilities, as well as material for educators to help them integrate Scratch into their own curriculum.
Blockly
A versatile, easy to use and child-friendly platform, Blockly, which was developed by Google, introduces young coders to programming using blocks. Students can learn the basics by stacking blocks that represent coding concepts, allowing them to tackle more complex topics when they have developed their skillsets.
Compatible with most major browsers and available on web and mobile devices, Blockly gives users a range of comprehensive tools and techniques, developing their creative and critical-thinking skills.
There is also a wide community of users and online industry events for anyone interested in connecting with others to discuss core concepts, projects and upskilling initiatives.
Snap
Snap, formerly BYOB, is a resource that is appropriate for both teenagers and adults, with younger students having access to a wealth of material that they can use to progress their coding skills as they mature.
This visual, drag-and-drop programming language takes its inspiration from Scratch and can be used to develop the fundamentals, as well as offer more experienced students a deeper introduction to computer science.
A free, open-source model developed at UC Berkeley, Snap invites learners to creatively implement ideas and experiment with the building blocks of programming to show how truly expressive coding can be.
The platform offers a range of game-based projects for students to work on, with additional workshops, tutorials and reading materials. As well as a broad community that regularly hosts in-person and online industry events.
Lua
Lua is an ideal programming language for kids aged eight and up, who want to develop their coding skills and apply them in a fun and engaging way. A high-level scripting programming language, it is suited to everyone, especially people with aspirations of working in game development.
Often used in conjunction with popular world-building platforms, such as Roblox, Minecraft and World of Warcraft, people can gain early exposure enhancing game features, creating interactive experiences and customising game mechanics. Lua even has tutorials on how Roblox users can implement Lua.
Kodable
Designed with national school aged children in mind, Kodable is a great resource for teaching younger kids the fundamentals of coding and instilling a love for STEM exploration. Typically used by educators and parents, there is a pricing plan, however, users can also partake of a week-long free trial to see if it meets expectations.
Through the programme, children learn the fundamentals of coding and how to design and share their own games. There are currently three routes to coding education: Kodable basics for younger kids, Bug World for all age groups and Kodable creator for kids ages eight and older.
The child-friendly app aims to encourage kids to really think about the process behind their favourite games, so they can apply those rules themselves and build something creative and fun that contributes to their coding education.
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