Help Your Kids With Computer Coding

Kids can take their first steps toward becoming expert computer programmers with this fully updated guide to coding for beginners.

They'll master Scratch 3.0, the brand-new version of the world's most popular coding language for beginners. This will let them discover what makes a computer work while learning how to build their own computer programs and games.

Once they're Scratch experts, it's onto the more complex Python programming language to delve even deeper into the technology that surrounds us every day. Computer Coding for Kids uses a simple, visual layout to guide budding programmers step by step through the ins and outs of computer code, from algorithms to variables, even showing them how to find and fix bugs in their code. Before you know it, they'll be creating their own programs from scratch.
It doesn't stop there, though. If Scratch and Python have got them hooked, there's a peek at binary and JavaScript to show them where their coding career could be heading next. This book also lifts the lid on computers and shows young readers the chips and processors that make technology come to life. Fully illustrated with funny and informative graphics, Computer Coding for Kids makes even the most difficult aspects of coding fun and easy to understand.

Carol Vorderman MBE is one of Britain's best-loved TV presenters and is renowned for her mathematical skills. She has hosted numerous TV shows on science and technology from Tomorrow's World to How 2, and was co-host of Channel' 4's Countdown for 26 years. A Cambridge University engineering graduate, she has a passion for communication science and technology and has a keen interest in coding.

Dr John Woodcock has a degree in physics from the University of Oxford and a PhD in computational astrophysics from the University of London. He started coding at the age of eight and has programmed all kinds of computers, from single-chip microcontrollers to world-class supercomputers. His many projects include giant space simulations, research in high-tech companies, and intelligent robots made from junk. Jon has a passion for science and technology education , giving talks on space and running computer programming clubs in schools. He has worked on many science and technology books.

Craig Steele is a specialist in Computing Science education. He is a Project Manager for CoderDojo Scotland, which runs free coding clubs for young people. Craig has previously worked for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Glasgow Science Centre, and the BBC micro:bit project. Craig's first computer was a ZX Spectrum.