Speculating about the future of technology is so much fun because this is a dynamic, fast-changing industry that creates modern marvels. In sci-fi movies, it's always technology that makes the future seem so futuristic. 

Coders and computer scientists of today need to pass the baton to the next generation for technology to keep evolving at its current rate or faster. Today's youth need to grow up in conditions where they learn the fundamental computer coding skills to design and program the concepts they imagine. 

Learning how to code is a more creative activity than people may think. Once the basics are absorbed, coders transcend the languages they know and create new programs and concepts that need to be dreamed up to come into existence.

Please continue reading to glimpse a closer look at what the best coding classes are like.

Learn to Code Video Games

Most children won't be very excited if you present coding classes as something that prepares them for the workforce or their schooling down the road. If they know they're building a video game, that changes everything! 

Fittingly, learning how to code and design a video game becomes its own type of game, and kids won't even realize that learning the rules of this game is essentially learning how to code in specific languages. Students need a carrot to chase, and for kids, there's hardly anything more motivating than video games.

Languages the Pros Use

Some schools use programs like Scratch to introduce basic coding concepts to kids, but this won't familiarize them with the coding languages professionals use every day. Nor will such drag-and-drop programs prepare kids for what they will encounter in later grades at school or in the workforce.

The best programs that teach online coding for kids and teens use actual programming languages used to build sites, apps, and games that are popular internationally. Here's a brief list of some of the coding languages the best programs offer:

• Python

• Java

• JavaScript

• C++

• C#

Even kids as young as seven are old enough to learn Python in the right teaching environment. If a course only offers the drag-and-drop program, it's a sign you should pass on them.

Small Classes

Teaching any subject is challenging in a noisy environment with frequent disturbances. Small classrooms where there's a low ratio of students per teacher set students up for success. 

Ideally, there's a maximum of four students for every teacher, so there's a guarantee that your child won't have to compete for their teacher's attention. It's even better if there's no minimum, so the class will run no matter what, even if your child is the only one who signs up for the program. 

Young Teachers Who Relate

Like any subject, teachers are best when they have first-hand experience in their specialty. Video games are a relatively recent phenomenon, so, by definition, it's something only younger teachers grew up playing.

Kids remember that special feeling they get Christmas morning, and it's not an exaggeration to say their memories of gaming as children are filled with the same type of overflow of nostalgia. Just look at how popular retro games are today even though the graphics and gameplay are so palpably inferior, and you'll begin to understand the hold games played as youth have on people when they grow up.

Look for a program with teachers who study computer engineering and computer science, so they have the subject matter expertise. But they should also have meaningful experience playing games when they were younger.

Of course, the program needs to teach kids the fundamentals of coding, but younger teachers also tend to be more fun and relaxed. The best courses emphasize working with kids over domain knowledge, even if both are crucial aspects of the program.

Get a Free Sample Lesson to Test the Water

There are many coding classes out there competing for your attention and business. It's nice when the programs offer a free trial lesson so you and your child can experience what the sessions are like for yourself. 

Observe the teachers and the course's methodology and get a better sense of what your child will experience should they continue in the program.

Technology has always been at the forefront of innovation in society, even during the pre-computer era. If kids learn STEM skills and how to code from a program with all the above qualities, they won't just be ready for the future - they'll be leaders.