What are the Best Coding Languages for Kids?
What is the Best Coding Language for Kids?
In a digital world, computers are a crucial part of our lives. And learning to program them is an increasingly important skill for children to learn at school and at home. But where do you start when there are so many programming languages to learn? Read on to find out more about the best coding language for kids as we delve into some of the most popular choices to help budding computer programmers get started.
Why learn coding languages?
The main reason for kids to learn a coding language is that it equips them with digital skills that will prepare them for degrees and future careers in technology. And in a world that's all about tech, this is a good place to be. Computing is taught in schools as a subject in its own right, but is also interlinked with other key subjects such as maths, science and design and technology, and is known to help children develop their communication and problem-solving skills - so it's pretty important.
To ensure that pupils receive a high-quality computing education, coding has been included in the national curriculum since 2014. Learning how to code at a young age, and studying the programming languages needed to do this, not only helps pupils develop their digital literacy, but it gives them confidence to be creative, express themselves and develop their ideas using technology - and this is what produces the innovators of the future.
There are lots of different coding languages, but programmers will not necessarily need to learn them all - it depends on the task in hand. Each one is slightly different from the other, and some have greater benefits than others. So let's take a look at all the options and discover the best coding language for kids.
The best languages for kids to start coding
HTML
HTML (short for Hypertext Markup Language) is the standard markup language for content that is designed to be displayed on a web browser. Although HTML is technically not a programming language because it doesn’t contain instructions, it’s one of the best languages for kids to start coding because it's a fundamental 'building block' of the web, and gives structure to web pages. It’s known for being very basic and accessible to coders of all abilities.
Pros: HTML is very easy to grasp and it’s incredibly beneficial for students to learn as it is supported by every browser. With HTML, you’ll also learn (at the basic level) CSS and JavaScript, as the three go hand in hand. Plus, HTML is lightweight, which means it is easy and efficient to implement, and has minimalist syntax and features. For beginners in web design or development, HTML is a great place to start, so in terms of the best coding language for kids, HTML is certainly up there!
Cons: It’s a static language, which means it can only create static, plain pages. For coders who want to make more dynamic pages, another programming language is preferable.
CSS
Again, CSS isn’t strictly a programming language but rather it's a 'style sheet language', which is used to present documents written in HTML. Similarly to HTML and JavaScript, it is a cornerstone technology of the web.
Pros: One advantage of CSS is that one instruction written for one area can be used to control several areas across a site/web page. It’s not complicated, and it’s very easy for users to customise their web pages.
Cons: There are some browsers that are incompatible with the CSS style sheet. CSS has multiple levels which can get more tricky – but on the upside this means those learning CSS can progress and develop their skills.
JavaScript
JavaScript is another lightweight programming language which is easy to implement. It is one of the core technologies for the web and in 2022, JavaScript was reported to be used on 98% of websites.
Pros: Although JavaScript is hard to learn at first, once a user is comfortable and confident with using it, they will be able to pick up other programming languages very quickly and easily.
Cons: The syntaxes take a while to learn and understand. And, installing the JDK (the tool for developing and testing programs written in JavaScript) can be an initial hurdle.
Python
Python is a popular, general-purpose programming language that's great for beginners. This program emphasises code readability and is great for pupils who are completely new to coding.
Pros: The main advantage of using Python is that the code reads like normal speech, so you wouldn’t have to worry about teaching your young learners how to translate their ideas into a complex ‘language’. Because it's so user-friendly, children can pick it up without too much trouble.
Cons: Python runs slowly, which means the execution of instructions and programming behaviours is slower. Because Python is very simple, once students learn it, they may find other coding languages more difficult to master.
Ruby
Ruby is a general-purpose programming language that aims to make programming productive and simple. It’s most similar to Python.
Pros: It has the most readable syntax out of all the programming languages, and this makes it easy for children to pick up and use.
Cons: As with Python, this program is slow running, and there isn’t much flexibility if you want to create something unique.
What coding language does Erase All Kittens recommend?
As this blog highlights, there are pros and cons to all programming languages! Nearly all the languages listed here are user-friendly and easy for children to pick up, so you have to decide what’s best for your child. So what is the best coding language for kids? Here at Erase All Kittens we focus on teaching children how to code using HTML and CSS.
In our view, HTML is the best language for kids to start coding, as it teaches them how to structure data. It’s one of the easiest languages to learn and helps children learn to build their own website. And as most websites use HTML, it's easy to add feature ideas from another website to your own.
Learning HTML and CSS from the start will help kids pickup other programming languages that use more complex syntax - including JavaScript. CSS is responsible for the look and layout of a website, so learning how to execute website designs will help develop creativity, too.
We hope you enjoyed reading all about the best coding language for kids, and are now ready to start your coding journey.
Find out more about how Erase All Kittens helps teach children HTML and CSS.
Discover how Erase All Kittens can be used to teach coding in school as part of the computing curriculum.
Why not start coding today and play Erase All Kittens for free.