Sheena Vaidyanathan Creative Coding in Python

The New Jersey Education Association refers to coding as the “language of the future.” As coding skills become more and more desirable among employers, it makes sense to begin training teenagers in computer programming. Should your teen’s high school not offer any coding classes, you can purchase a book on coding for intermediate teens on your own. It’s important to do your research before selecting a book to make sure it matches your son or daughter’s learning style.

Students who are more visual learners will do better with a coding book that features a lot of illustrations. This type of book makes learning code entertaining. Consider an option that not only contains more than 100 colorful illustrations, but also uses humor to make the text more exciting. Some of these courses focuse on JavaScript; however, most computer programming languages follow similar patterns. That means after your child masters JavaScript, he’ll be able to quickly pick up other programming languages.

Teens who are more hands-on learners will want to go with a coding book that contains a variety of projects. A book that comes with a total of 14 exciting projects is an excellent choice, for example. This type tends to include creating quizzes, matching games and secret puzzles. Students will need to download Python 3 to use this type of course, which means you’ll need to have a desktop computer or a laptop on hand.

Opt for a course that doesn’t require you to spend any further money. For example, Camille McCue’s “Coding For Kids, Second Edition” from the For Dummies series instructs students on how to use simple tools and free programming languages to create their projects. The book lays out the steps in an easy-to-understand format across 20 chapters. It’s great for beginners and can even be used by children as young as 8.

If you live in a state that follows Common Core standards, you’ll want to go with a book on coding for intermediate teens like Workman Publishing’s “Everything You Need to Ace Computer Science & Coding.” It’s vetted by award–winning teachers and made to meet important science and history standards. Students will find the following topics covered in this course: computing systems, binary code, algorithms, web development, programming in Scratch and Python, HTML, CSS and cybersecurity.

• Always check to make sure you’re getting the most current version of the book on coding for intermediate teens that you’re interested in, as technology is ever changing.
• Most of the books on coding for intermediate teens are best used with programs that are downloaded to a computer or laptop; however, there are a few that are compatible with certain smartphones. You’ll need to double-check the product description before buying if you plan on coding with your phone.
• If you have younger children who are interested in coding, you’ll want to start off with MIT’s Scratch. Older kids would be better suited to using Python.
• Code.org has a project ideas page that can be an excellent source of inspiration once students have completed their coding books.
• For the most part, all books on coding for intermediate teens are affordably priced. Workman Publishing’s “Everything You Need to Ace Computer Science & Coding” costs slightly less than Camille McCue’s For Dummies series book “Coding For Kids, Second Edition.” If you’re willing to purchase a used version, or one that can be downloaded to your Kindle, you’ll save even more.