Canadian kids today have a childhood wildly different from their parents, thanks to technological advancement. A quick look around any school or family home and you will likely see children of all ages using some sort of internet connected device: a laptop, a tablet, smartphone, or even a toy.
There are many people who lament this current state of childhood. Whatever happened to imagination, fresh air, or simply having your friends over? Isn’t it unhealthy to look at a screen for so long? Is it safe to interact with others online?
The reality for most kids and families is that the internet is here to stay and, when used critically and with caution, can actually be beneficial for kids. Take virtual learning, for example. During the COVID-19 pandemic learning through the internet was essential for the continuation of learning and making social connections with other kids. Sure, it meant that kids were looking at screens a lot more, but for most kids that time was meaningful and educational. There are also many educational games, like math games or writing games, that help kids build numeracy and literacy skills. And thanks to social media teens can maintain social connections or create media easily, though they need to be aware of best usage practices for personal safety and mental health.
Parents of many young children have made many long rides or restaurant dinners bearable thanks to games and videos on a tablet or phone. Thanks to mobile technology, kids can watch Sesame Street or any of their favourite cartoons anywhere they want! And there are even great apps that teach kids the basics of letters and numbers.
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Managing Your Child’s Relationship with the Virtual World
There are certainly drawbacks to having kids online so often, and so it is important to manage their relationship with the virtual world. Kids still need fresh air, exercise, in-person social interactions and other sensory experiences to be healthy, so balancing screen time with other activities is essential.
Start by making sure there are limits to their time online, and allocate time to being outdoors, whether it is taking a walk or playing at the local park. Keep plenty of art or building supplies at home your kids can be creative with, or encourage them to bake or cook. Sign your kids up for plenty of extracurriculars if possible, to guarantee that they get lots of time to interact with other kids. Your city or municipality will likely have lots of low-cost programs at your local recreation centre.
Enable Your Child to Become a Digital Creator
Another fantastic way you can manage your child’s relationship with tech is to enable them to become digital creators and not simply consumers. There are so many ways you can get your kids to make digital products they can share: graphic design, website building, or even coding are great ways to get them started.
Being a creator will change your child’s perspective of technology because they will no longer be consumers of it. Of course, in many ways kids are already creators if they use social media to create posts: videos, texts and photography are all ways to ‘make’ something new on the internet. However, social media can be limiting, and unfortunately supports the ideas that their creative success is determined by the amount of likes or followers they get. Let’s explore some ways we can get our kids to create digital products beyond social media.
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Building Sites and Blogs
If your access to resources is limited, you can get your older child or teen to tinker around with creating websites. Building a website does not need to be a long or arduous task thanks to free, kid-friendly tools like Google Sites or Edublogs.
Get your child started on site building by giving them a purpose to build a site: it can be to document a hobby, their toy collection, local nature, their community, their interests, an existing school project, or even their favourite foods. Whatever interests or engages them will be the best topic for a site!
Introduce them to a site creation tool and let them explore it. You don’t have to be an expert in this area - kids, especially older kids, will be perfectly fine with experimenting with new tools to see how they work. They can make a site that is focused on images, or create a blog for articles or photo essays. Sites are also a great place to post videos they create, or linking their site to their YouTube channel. For anything your kids create, just make sure your kids understand the importance of privacy and hiding elements of their identity.
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Media Design
Designing graphics or creating media is a lot of fun for kids, and is a skill they can easily transfer to the school environment or in the working world. There are lots of amazing free tools that kids can use to make professional looking media, whether it is a video for fun or a graphic to invite friends to a birthday party.
Younger kids will enjoy simply putting together found images and text on a simple platform like Google Slides or Powerpoint. They can design presentations about their favourite toys, animals, or pets! Even kindergarten aged kids can use a tablet or smartphone camera to create and narrate a simple video.
Older kids can have fun using tools like Adobe Creative Cloud or Canva to make interesting graphics and posters. They can use stock photography or their own work to make digital collages they can share with friends, family, or simply complete a school assignment. IMovie is a great app for editing video if your kids prefer that medium.
Coding
Coding is a large area of digital creation that is accessible to kids of all ages. You will find coding tools for toddlers, kids, teens, and adults! Parents of younger children can easily find coding toys online or at a store like Mastermind or Toys R Us. Coding toys for kids are incredibly easy to use and will involve a moving animal or robot kids can ‘program’ to do certain tasks, like moving to a specific place or pushing another object. If that sounds simple, it is because it is: coding at a very basic level is all about programming a computer to perform defined actions, which is what these toys help kids understand.
Older kids can find Lego kits with a programming option: many coding kits are linked with internet applications that kids can use to program their Lego creations. They can build a Lego robot that will move, respond to voice, or seemingly ‘navigate’ a living room or kitchen. In addition to kits, there are also plenty of websites online where kids can write code that generates simple games or animations. Visit code.org to get links to some of these amazing and often free sites.
Why Should Your Kids Learn Python?
Parents of older kids that really love technology and see themselves in a tech career should consider introducing their kids to a programming language like Python. Why Python? Python is one of the tech world’s most well used programming languages, and has been used to develop some of the apps we use every day, like Netflix or Instagram.
Coding skills are in high demand in the workforce as nearly every industry continues to be impacted by digital transformation. In fact, provinces like Ontario have incorporated coding into the math curriculum. With coding skills, your child will be well equipped to find opportunities in the future. Even if they don’t choose to study computer science or programming in college or university, a basic knowledge of coding will support them in whatever field they choose. Or they can simply enjoy knowing exactly how the technology they use actually works.
Python is a versatile language that has become incredibly popular because it is easy to use and feels more ‘natural’ than other languages. There are a plethora of Python resources online, from introductory classes to to pages of pre-made script for more advanced users.
When kids learn how to code, they become empowered to understand the technology they use and become more than passive users. They develop an understanding of how technology actually operates, and can be more critical of the apps they use and why issues like privacy and monetization are important. Most importantly, they will be better prepared to navigate a future economy that will undoubtedly be saturated with new digital technologies.
Should I send My Child to A Computer Course Online?
Online computer or coding courses are a convenient option: there is no drive or commute to get to school, and these courses may often be cheaper because there are no other overhead costs involved for the schools such as a space rental. There are plenty of free courses online for topics like coding or design, which are perfect to see if your child is truly interested and engaged.
Because Python is so popular and well-used, it is fairly easy to find Python classes and tutorials on the internet. For an introduction, you may want to check out maker or coding workshops in your community for a kid-friendly starter class. High school students should check out free online classes or massive open online courses at international schools or universities.
There are so many options for learning Python, including University and College programs. Explore all the ways you can start coding today.
Where Can I Find a Python Tutorial for Teens?
If your child wants a more intensive approach to learning, and wants to delve into Python, why not hire a coding tutor? Superprof Canada has listings for some of the best coding tutors that can work with your child individually or in a small group to show basic or higher level Python coding methods.
A tutor is an amazing option if you or your kids have a busy schedule and need a course to happen at a specific time. Tutors can be flexible with meeting times, especially if you are choosing a virtual format for instruction. Superprof contains listings for dozens of Python tutors, including their background and credentials. You can read all about each tutor’s academic and professional background, their rates of compensation, and determine whether or not they will be a good fit for your child.
Superprof’s site is easy to use and even enables students and families to contact a tutor directly without using a personal or student email account. You can even pay your tutor through the site, so you can feel safe with any transaction that takes place.
Find your child’s Python tutor on Superprof today!
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