For the last two decades, programming languages have seen extensive changes for the better. It has become essential not only in the tech world but also for every person. Why is that? The main reason is when you are working with programming languages, you will develop skills such as reasoning, logical thinking, and problem-solving. Yes, you might raise a question here, the programming language is complicated for adults, but how will children learn to code? This is where block coding comes into the picture. In the upcoming sections, we will see what block coding is for kids and how it simplifies the complexity of programming languages. And parents, you can learn from this, too.

What is Block Coding?

Block coding takes the traditional computer programming (it can be anything C, C#, C++, or JavaScript) and converts them into "blocks." These blocks are color-coded so that learners can differentiate the different functions of the code. The main advantage of block coding is that learners can drag and drop "blocks" of the code in the working environment and construct stories, games, and toys. The drag and drop functionality enables children to learn primary computer language through visual block coding instead of traditional text-based programming. This learning is also known as block-based coding.

History of Block Coding:

The term 'block coding' started with MIT developing a basic and simple programming language called "Scratch," which is the first block programming language. The main objective of Scratch is to teach kids about the basics of computer programming through visual representation instead of text-based programming languages. Many programming courses started to adopt block coding due to its creativity, ease of use, and fun learning of code scripts. Scratch blocks is a new project collaboration between MIT and Google to enhance the graphical block coding for kids. The other features offered are such things as Scratch WWW (a web client for the Scratch community) and Scratch Jr (an introductory programming language course for kids aged between 5-7).

Benefits of Block Coding:

1. No Prior Coding Skills:

The main advantage of block coding is to provide an approach for children to learn the fundamentals of programming language. Block coding involves "drag and drop" functionality; kids can learn the function efficiently. It is also effective for teachers to understand how programming languages work and teach coding to kids.

2. Induces Creativity:

Exploring new ideas and not worrying about debugging, even experts tend to create new stuff using block coding. Block-based coding languages help the kids experiment with new ideas and implement them in real-time.

3. Syntax Free Programming:

People tend to think coding is complex, mainly because of syntax. The syntax is nothing but an arrangement of the set of lines of codes to perform a specific action. The syntax will be different for different activities, making the whole coding challenging to understand. But the syntax is eliminated in block coding. Drag and drop functionality replaces the syntax of the text-based code.

What Are Botzeestoys?

Botzeestoys is the best place for your children to learn not only block coding but also other skills such as problem-solving and creative thinking and this format makes them better at collaboration. Botzeestoys is an expert at integrating cutting-edge technologies to make fun, creative, and in-depth educational products. The main objective of Botzeestoys is to develop children in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) through a fun approach.

Botzees primary five essential abilities that are necessary for growth are:

1. Cognitive knowledge- Acquired from choosing the parts while assembling the toy robot
2. Hands-on- Actual project experience in real-time
3. Creation ability- Various imaginative approaches for constructing robots
4. Concentration ability- There are 130 building blocks available in the robotic kit. Kids can acquire knowledge by choosing each block to build the robot.
5. Logical knowledge (Computational thinking)- Acquired by exploring computational interaction between the moving parts of the robots. E.g., Sensor and LED kit installation.

How Does Botzeestoys's Block Coding Work?

Block coding, as mentioned above, is a block-based coding language that consists of chunks of instructions on how certain functions should work. The main advantage of Botzeestoys's block coding is that it simplifies the traditional block coding (Scratch) with a simple and effective UI (User Interface) suitable for children aged over 4+. The below image represents the UI of the Botzeestoys block coding:

NOTE: The image is the representation of the application UI, which you can get from the App Store or Google Play store

To get to the coding part, two things are required. First, you need to have either an Android or iOS device. Once you download the app, connect to Bluetooth. The next step is to have access to the toy itself. Power on the toy robot, and it will connect automatically to the app.

Botzeestoy's operation consists of C-Creat, P-Program, and P-Play.

1. Create--Your child's first step is to assemble the toy robot with the help of the 130 movable pieces. These pieces are provided with rounded edges for child safety. They can refer to the step-by-step Botzees tutorials to assemble the robot. The best part is if you want, you can create a unique toy, which you can customize based on your imagination.

2. Program-- Once your child is done with the assembling, your child can program the robot using "drag and drop" block coding using an application downloaded on your device. The block coding UI looks like this:

You can see a list of "blocks in the above image." There are six main blocks, which consist of sub-blocks for different functions. For example, suppose you want your robot to play some tunes. In that case, you can program it by selecting the sound blocks, i.e., the "music" icon from the block list and selecting any of your tunes, dragging and dropping to the working environment (block placed at the bottom of the screen). In the same way, you can create an unlimited function using this block coding without knowing any programming languages.

3. Play-- the next thing is to PLAY! Botzeestoys created an AR world that you can access from the application. Once you have finished the programming, the AR world in the application will look like this: