The first question parents have when they want to teach their children programming is what languages do they need to know today? Today we will tell you which programming languages actually exist, what they are used for and how best to approach them.
First, let's look at what categories programming languages are divided into. There are many paradigms that divide different languages into groups — they can be divided according to functional characteristics, logic of interaction with a computer, syntax, and other features. To understand the basics of programming, the easiest way is to look at what level of abstraction a language exists at, that is, how far its working plane moves away from the computer hardware itself.
Levels of abstraction in programming languages
As you know, no matter what complex problems a computer solves, all its “thoughts” can be reduced to zeros and ones. A person has to translate their tasks into a format that a computer can understand, which is why programming languages are needed. Low-level (low-level) languages operate with categories that are not too far removed from basic computer processes. As a result, it is easier for the machine to understand the meaning of the code, and the program runs faster. However, it is more difficult for a person to read and write such programs. To implement any abstract functions and complex calculations in a program, all operations have to be carefully written using commands that are far from intuitive.
Imagine having to explain to a four or five year old how a car engine works. Your listener is not yet familiar with many phenomena and laws that are obvious to an adult. To explain such principles, you have to simplify a lot and select analogies that the child understands. If you want to write a complete instruction using the concepts and vocabulary of a preschooler, such work will be, firstly, incredibly voluminous, and, secondly, incredibly ineffective compared to normal manuals.
That is why modern developers who create complex analytical programs, work with big data, write video games, use high-level programming languages such as Python, PHP, JavaScript, and others. At their level of abstraction, the programmer has to think about processor operations, working with RAM, and other technological details. He can use complex mathematical functions without worrying about how they turn into computer-readable zeros and ones. Built-in mechanisms — human-to-machine translators — are responsible for this part of the work.
Choosing a programming language for a child
To the question “Which language should I choose first for my child?” ten programmers might answer in different ways. Some would say that only a low-level language will provide a real understanding of the most important computer processes. The latter will advise you not to dive into the technical jungle and choose a high-level language with a simple syntax. From the point of view of a student with zero knowledge, the difference between them may not be noticeable at all: everything must be learned, everything new, everything interesting.
Therefore, parents who want to help their child make a choice should ask him what projects he would be interested in doing in the future. Developing websites and mobile applications, designing robots and artificial intelligence systems — each field has its own workhorses that a successful professional should definitely visit.
If the child wants to learn how to create websites, he needs to be familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The first two languages are mainly responsible for the layout of pages — their appearance and the layout of the elements. Using JavaScript, web developers create interactive components: buttons, multimedia players, automated scripts.
In mobile development, language selection depends on the platform. For iPhones and iPads, applications are written in Objective-C and Swift. The second language appeared several years ago and therefore may be more convenient for modern users. Apple developers have even created a special iPad app called Swift Playgrounds, where they present the basics of programming in a playful way. In the case of Android, you should start with Java (not to be confused with JavaScript).
If you just want your child to learn to code, you can start with more widely used languages. This is, first of all, Python, which is used to write modern multifunctional websites, develop artificial intelligence models, and solve many statistical and forecasting problems. This language has a simple syntax (especially if you know English), a clear programming structure, and a minimum of worries about resource consumption and memory allocation.
IN ProgKids Python programming courses built on the basis of the popular Minecraft game. This method has long proven its effectiveness — the open world of Minecraft is conducive to creativity, and Python's ability to automate complex and boring tasks is great for implementing the most ambitious projects.
The second language in which children can learn programming is JavaScript. We mentioned it above when we talked about website development, but in fact JavaScript is used in many other areas — according to Stack Overflow, a resource for programmers, more than 70% of developers use it. JavaScript deserves this army due to its flexibility and wide range of features — you can use it to write games, web applications, and software scripts.
All the languages we mentioned are high-level languages. In our opinion, they are the best places to start teaching programming to children, as they give young developers the ability to solve problems correctly. And in the future, you can build any skills on this logic and learn any languages you need.
