Top 8 Coding Curriculum Options for Homeschoolers To Learn Programming
Is it time to choose a coding curriculum and you’re looking for the best options?
These days, many STEM curricula are including coding education into their programs. But, what is coding? And how do you choose the best coding curriculum for your child?
Keep reading to learn what coding is, why it’s so useful, and all about 8 of the best coding curriculum options for elementary, middle school, and high school.
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What Is Coding?
There are many ways to define what coding is, but I’m particularly fond of this definition: “coding is how humans are able to talk with computers.”
Nice, right?
Coding is actually much more than that. It’s the way we transform our ideas into a language that computers can understand.
Put differently, coding “converts human input into numerical sequences that computers understand.”
Why Is Coding Useful?
Tech giants like Apple, Google, and Facebook (and other companies like them) require programmers who know how to communicate with computers.
In other words, they need people who know how to code. So, learning to code essentially guarantees that your child will land a great job in the future.
But honestly, you don’t spend your child’s elementary school years thinking about which job they’ll get in 15 years by mastering a particular subject. So what’s the immediate benefit?
Well, in a way, coding is like math—it helps kids to “develop analytical thinking while they learn to code.”
Get an in-depth definition of “analytical thinking” here.
Coding is about solving problems and that’s a valuable life skill that sets your child up for success, no matter their chosen profession down the line.
8 Great Coding Curriculum Options for Your Homeschooler
To help you find the right coding or programming curriculum for your homeschooler, I’ve put together this list with some of the best options in the market right now.
For Primary School
I’ve included in this section the best coding curriculums for elementary, even if they also offer courses for other levels of education.
1. Code.org
Code.org is a non-profit education organization that has taken the teaching of coding to the next level. It has reached over 70 million students and 2 million students worldwide. It provides free online courses for primary school, for middle school, and for high school students.
Instructional Style: Online, self-paced courses, with drag and drop blocks easy for kids to understand how they work.
Assessments: Formative assessments to check for understanding and summative assessments for evaluation.
Additional Resources: Lesson plans, teacher dashboard, videos, tutorials, and global coding events like the “Hour of Code.”
Price: Free.
2. Tynker
Tynker is another great option for your child to learn coding and develop problem-solving skills. Over 60 million students have learnt to code with Tynker, and thousands of schools worldwide use its courses and capabilities to teach coding.
Instructional Style: Online, self-paced, game-like courses and teacher-led private online lessons.
Assessments: Hands-on projects, interactive assessments, and a parents dashboard to track your child assessment scores.
Additional Resources: Paint editor, game builders, synthesizers, parents dashboard, coding apps, and coding certificate.
Price: You can join for free and then you can buy self-paced plans, 1-on-1 classes, or family plans.
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3. CodaKid
CodaKid is a recognized online coding school with an academic approach based on kids having fun through the use of popular video games such as Roblox and Minecraft. It offers 72 courses, with 300 quests, and 750 challenges.
Instructional Style: Hands-on and project-based system in which students are encouraged to learn by playing games and designing their own.Self-paced, digital lessons with instructor guidance available. You can also book 1-on-1 private lessons.
Assessments: Quests, challenges, and projects.
Additional Resources: Video course library, instructor dashboard, and CodaKid’s online platform.
Price: $25 per month.
For Middle School
Find here the best coding curriculums for your middle school child.
4. Scratch
Scratch is an online, programming language community on which kids from all over the world can learn to program, create games, stories, and animations. It has been designed and developed by the Scratch Foundation that’s an non-profit organization also in charge of moderating the community.
Although Scratch offers ScratchJr for kids aged 5 to 7, most of the students using Scratch are aged 8 to 16, and for that reason I’ve included Scratch in the middle school section.
Instructional Style: Creative learning approach in a safe and fun learning environment where kids can create and solve problems by themselves or work collaboratively.
Assessments: No assessments, only projects.
Additional Resources: Activity guides, coding cards, coding app, starter projects, tutorials, and the ScratchJr Book.
Price: Free.
5. Homeschool Code Academy
Homeschool Code Academy offers a coding curriculum specifically designed for middle school and high school homeschool students. This course teaches to code through video lessons with a series of hands-on challenges for the student to solve.
Instructional Style: Online, self-paced, video lessons.
Assessments: No assessments, only projects.
Additional Resources: Online support, python software including python 2D graphics, python games, and turtle graphics.
Price: $125 for 159 lessons.
6. Code with Google
Code with Google is a series of programs and apps including CS First, Grasshopper, and Machine Learning Crash Course, that aim to provide a free computer science curriculum to students aged 9 to 14.
Although Code with Google has been designed to help teachers in their classrooms, Google has made it available for homeschooling educators and parents too.
Goal: To help “educators give their students confidence in CS, advance their skills, and prepare them for the future.”
Instructional Style: Video tutorials with different themes such as sports, art, and game design, and block-based coding.
Assessments: No assessments, only projects and graded assignments.
Additional Resources: Lesson plans, tutorials, starter guides, posters, sticker badges, activities, apps, solution sheets, and events such as the “Hour of Code.”
Price: Free.
For High School
Find here the best coding curriculums for your high school child.
7. CodeHS
CodeHS is a coding education platform for high school students used by thousands of teachers and schools worldwide. It offers over 60 free computer science courses from introductory curriculums to AP courses. CodeHS is a great tool for independent learners and homeschoolers.
Goal: “To empower all students to meaningfully impact the future.”
Instructional Style: Fun, friendly, and accessible curriculum, with a series of challenging problems for the students to solve using their creativity and developing their problem-solving skills.
Assessments: Computer science certification exam for high school students.
Additional Resources: Tutorials, hour of code, digital textbooks, case studies, assignments, videos, exercises, offline handouts, and coding syllabus for beginners PDF.
Price: Free.
8. CompuScholar
CompuScholar offers online computer programming and digital literacy curriculums for homeschool students. Their courses are mostly for high school students, but also include some programs for middle school ones.
Goal: “To prepare students for the computing jobs of the future.”
Instructional Style: Online, self-study curriculum with instructional videos and step-by-step lessons.
Assessments: Auto-graded quizzes and tests, as well as hands-on projects.
Additional Resources: Teacher’s guides, answer keys, fully coded activity solutions, electronic gradebook, and free technical support.
Price: One-year self-study courses from $120.
Find the Coding Curriculum to Program Your Future
These are some of the best coding curriculum options that you can find in the market these days. Now it’s up to you to find the right fit for your child! Remember to check your state’s homeschooling requirements before buying any curriculum and make sure that your program of choice complies with them.
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