Can 3-8 year olds really learn how to code? Even if they can’t read?

The answer is yes, and quicker than you think! Because young children are hard-wired to absorb new language patterns. If we think of programming as a form of literacy, we realise that primary teachers already have the skills to teach it. Coding suddenly becomes less daunting and more familiar.

Mama.codes is all about putting creativity and fun in to coding education and taking the fear out.

We think coding education can be so much more than video games! Our programme of step by step coding projects give children the skills to tell their own stories in code, and allows teachers to explore cross-curricular learning in a new and engaging way.

We empower teachers with no prior coding experience, to deliver the computing curriculum in existing lesson time.

We teach preschoolers to code nursery rhymes, because the patterns in the code follow the patterns in the songs and rhymes they already know.

When they’re five we move on to coding jokes and stories – again practicing repeated coding patterns to gain fluency. By seven, they are coding Shakespeare and the Great Fire of London, along with common KS1 science and geography topics.

We use the free, tablet-based ScratchJr app, because it was developed by early years’ experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Its intuitive drag and drop interface is icon-based, so it’s great for pre-readers.

We’re looking forward to meeting lots more educators at Bett, to talk coding education and share learnings. mama.codes offers creative coding lesson materials for EYFS & Key Stage 1 (Pre-K to Grade 2). Come visit us at stand D472 to learn more about getting creative with code in YOUR classroom.

Website: www.mama.codes

Twitter: @MamaCodes