There is a lot of coding programs for middle school students and various coding summer programs for middle school students nowadays. Many parents and students wonder which ones would be the best and the most convenient for their child to take part in. If you are one of those concerned parents, please continue to read on.
This website contains links to the BEST CODING PROGRAMS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS. These include some advanced high school coding programs as well as middle school coding courses. The variety of choices ensures that middle school students will be able to find a coding program that they will enjoy and learn from.
Lightbot
Ages: All ages
Pricing: Free trial. Monthly and annual subscriptions.
LightBot lets kids solve puzzles using programming. It’s a puzzle game, based on coding, that secretly teaches you programming logic as you play.
Kids will learn sequencing, overloading, procedures, recursive loops, and conditionals without feeling like they’re learning. The games revolve around a robot and blocks, similar to the popular game Minecraft. LightBot was designed with first-time coders in mind, so it’s simple for beginners.
Glitch
Ages: 13+
Pricing: Free
Glitch is a simple tool for creating web apps. They’re evolving and simplifying developer tools, making it ideal for older kids who are learning to code. Coding on Glitch is like working together in Google Docs–multiple people can work on the same project at the same time. There’s no setup, and you can see changes live on the web as you type. Students can use simple, yet powerful tools to build their website and remix projects from real-world languages and frameworks.
Kids can work collaboratively on projects or on a team. It’s easy and fun to express yourself in code on Glitch. Not only that, they have a community of developers at all levels to support their learning.
Students don’t have to worry about fussing with servers and setup. They can now create industry-standard code from start to finish.
Codecademy
Ages: 13+
Pricing: Free. A PRO track is available for a monthly subscription.
Codecademy offers a comprehensive set of text-based courses on web development and related programming languages. Students can pick which language they want to learn and advance through lessons with instant feedback on their code.
Aimed at those interested in becoming professional web developers, Codecademy courses cover how to build a website and a whole slew of related coding languages, including HTML & CSS, Ruby on Rails, Python, JavaScript, jQuery, SQL, PHP, and more.
General access to Codecademy courses is free. The paid PRO track adds a personalized learning plan, quizzes, projects, and access to live advisors. For kids dreaming about a job in programming, the final project in the paid PRO track covers how to build a professional online portfolio.
Code HS
Ages: 13+
Pricing: Limited free trial. Three paid levels.
Code HS is a coding website for kids that delivers a blended learning approach to high school computer science classes.
Code HS offers online, self-paced classes by blending video lessons, coding exercises, quizzes to assess subject mastery, and access to live tutors (for the paid levels).
Courses include two Intro to Computer Science classes, one in JavaScript and the other in Python. The catalog also lists two AP classes: AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science in Java.
A limited free level is available. The three paid levels add quizzes, handouts, lesson plans, various dashboards, and access to live tutors.
Pluralsight
Ages: 14+
Pricing: Monthly subscription
Pluralsight offers one of the largest selections of coding courses online for new and aspiring developers.
Over 50 separate expert-led courses are organized into seven paths. Each path covers the fundamentals of a single coding language or topic such as Ruby, JavaScript, HTML & CSS, iOS, and databases. If you child is interested, they can also learn about IT, Data, and Cybersecurity.
Each course is built around a storyline that gamifies the material taught. Instruction is delivered via video and reinforced through coding challenges. Courses come with skills and assessment tests to make sure the concepts are solidified and an online community forum to answer students’ questions.
Code Wars
Ages: 14+
Pricing: Free
Code Wars is a coding website for kids who like competition. At Code Wars, you improve your skills by training with other coders. Coders pursue mastery by completing coding challenges in CoffeeScript, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Java, Clojure, Haskell, or C# (Csharp).
In an approach based on the Japanese martial arts practice of kata, the first step in Code Wars is to choose a language and prove your skills. The coder is ranked and given a challenge based on this initial challenge. The challenges get progressively more difficult. Coder gains Honor points for each challenge that he or she successfully completes.
Once a challenge is successfully completed, the coder has access to other coders’ solutions who’ve completed the same challenge. By studying other people’s approaches, the coder gets new insight into how the code works.
It’s a unique and fun approach to learning and practicing coding skills. It can especially help kids who are trying to master a language or expanding their knowledge of newly learned languages.
Khan Academy – Computer Programming
Ages: 13+
Pricing: Free
Khan Academy offers expert-created content and resources for free online courses and practice. For computer programming, Khan Academy has courses in JavaScript, Processing JS, HTML & CSS, HTML & JavaScript and SQL.
Each of these courses presents a comprehensive introduction aimed at building a base for professional level skills. There’s also a section called “Meet the Professional” which contains interviews with 11 computer programmers from around the world working in a variety of industries.
Normally Khan Academy presents their courses via video, but for its programming courses, they use “talk-throughs” which are more interactive than a normal video. With a talk-through the student can pause the video and “play” with the code listed on the screen. Talk-throughs are followed by step-by-step coding challenges and projects. Both are designed as coding practice. Finally, there’s a community programs area (i.e., online forum) where students can share projects, leave comments, and ask questions.
The computer programming courses are most appropriate for high school students and adults, but a tech savvy tween could probably work through them with some mentoring.
Vidcode
Ages: 11+
Pricing: Limited free access. Tiered annual subscriptions.
Vidcode is a coding website for kids that offers research-backed computer science courses focused on open-ended projects. Their courses teach computer science, object oriented programming, web programming, design, & JavaScript.
Learners can upload photos, illustrations, videos and audio and manipulate them with code right away, allowing tweens and teens to connect computer programming to the media they interact with every day.
Using JavaScript, students learn coding as they produce videos and motion graphics. As they work, students see a thumbnail of the video and code behind it side-by-side. As they make changes to the code they can see the effect in the thumbnail. Share video projects in the Vidcode online community or via social media once completed.
Free access to Vidcode gives access to the software, some beginner tutorials, and an online community. This is a great platform for the kids interested in social media and creating videos for the web.
Conclusion
Middle school students interested in software development will find a range of different courses designed for their age group. These are often more affordable than college courses on similar programming languages, and they are great tools for learning about computer science before it even becomes part of your curriculum. If you are shopping for middle school apps, then check out how to buy coding programs for middle school students