Unlock Your Child’s Inner Coder with Python and EduBlocks!

Is your child curious about technology and loves to create? Are you looking for a fun and engaging way to introduce them to the world of coding?

Python with EduBlocks is designed to make the shift from block-based to text-based programming easier by combining the simplicity of block-based coding with the powerful possibilities of Python. With EduBlocks, young learners get to experience text-based coding in a visually engaging way.

EduBlocks was developed by Joshua Lowe, a 14-year-old Python developer from the United Kingdom. I saw Joshua demonstrate his project at PyCon 2018 in May 2018.

Bridging the Gap Between Block-based and Text-based Coding:

Moving from visual to text coding can be a big step for kids, but with the right support, it can also be an incredibly rewarding experience. EduBlocks combines Python’s syntax with familiar block-based features, allowing kids to ease into Python programming without losing the comfort of visual cues. As a parent, you can help by discussing the similarities between block commands and text-based lines of code, building your child’s confidence as they make this shift. Encourage your child to view text-based programming as a creative tool that enables even more possibilities.

Learning by Doing: Your First Project Together

Let’s create a simple “Hello World!” program together. Here’s how:

Imagine you have a box of colorful building blocks. In EduBlocks, each block represents a line of code. We’ll use a block that says “print” to show a message on the screen.

1. Find the block with the word “print” written on it.
2. Drag it to the workspace.
3. Inside the “print” block, type “Hello World!”.
4. Add block “import time” then add another block “time.sleep”
5. Inside the “time.sleep” block, type “3” to add a break of 3 secs
6. Now again, add the print block and Inside the “print” block, type “How are you?”.
7. Click the “Run” button (like a play button).

Voila! Your child just wrote their first Python program! This is just a taste of what EduBlocks offers.

print("Hello World") import time time.sleep(3) print("How are you?")

In this short script, you and your child will:

1. Learn about input() for user interaction.
2. Understand how print() statements work.
3. time.sleep(3): This line pauses the program for 3 seconds.
4. See how text can be combined in Python to create a dynamic response.

Is Python with EduBlocks Right for Your Child?

As Educators, seeing your child progress from block-based coding (like Scratch) to text-based programming is both exciting and a little daunting. But this transition can be made easy if you take the right steps.

If you’re still unsure about which path to take while teaching programming to your kids. You can reach out to us for expert advice from our Educators. We offer a free 30-minute STEM Explorer Session to help you understand the different ways to learn programming and suggest a program that’s more suited for your kid

You can also check our course outline for Python with Edublocks

This blog post is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more detailed information on specific projects and how you can support your child’s coding journey with EduBlocks!