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Python is a great language to learn to code for kids and for adults. There are several reasons why Python is a great language which I'll explore in this article.
Before I tell you about Python, let's take a step back to see what it is that children are learning when they learn to code. The language they learn, whether it's Python or some other language, is important. But it's not the most important part of their learning.
Learning to code is first and foremost about learning how to think using a coding mindset. What do I mean by this? Coding is a form of communication between a human and a computer. Kids learning to code need to learn how to break down their ideas into small steps designed to be understood by a computer and not by a human. To learn to code, a kid needs to learn to think in a way that's compatible with how computers operate.
Once the thinking is done, you'll need a coding language to express those steps using a language the computer understands.
There are many coding languages. At one end of the spectrum there is Scratch and other children-specific coding platforms that are meant to introduce some of the early coding concepts to students in a child-friendly manner.
However, kids will need to move away from Scratch and start using a proper coding language very soon. Even when it comes to real-world languages, there are many! Each language has strength and weaknesses and programmers use the language that's best suited for their particular application.
However, when it comes to learning to code, there's a clear winner: Python. Here are the two main reasons why Python is a great language to learn to code:
Python code is easier to read and write than many other languages such as Java or C++. This means that a beginner can understand every line of code they write. In many other languages, it is impossible to explain every word and line that's written even in the simplest of programs. From a learning perspective, this is very important as code will look less obscure. Python code will make sense to a beginner a lot more than code in Java or C++, say.
Python is a broad language. What do I mean by this? Python has many diverse applications in the real world, from games to making websites to analysing financial data to studying astronomy, and many more. Other languages can be more narrow in what fields they can be used in. This also means that Python has a large user base who contribute to the language. Whatever application you want to use Python for, you're likely to find libraries with plenty of Python tools you can use. Therefore, Python is a great language to learn as it's more likely kids will need to use it in the future and not need to learn another language.
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