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“There’s always a block for what you want.” |
“Makes me feel free to make what I want to have fun.” |
“It’s just fun. I don’t get stressed out.” |
Kami is a 6th grader who’s been programming with Tynker. “Tynker is awesome,” she says as she walks us through a complex multi-level game she created where players must catch ice cream scoops that fall from the sky. “There’s always a block for what you want. It’s simple, quick, easy, and fun to do. When I grow up I’ll be able to make games that I like because they are my ideas!” Comments like this make our day, especially when they come from girls. Today there’s an unfortunate stereotype where girls think that programming is “uncool” or “too complicated”. But girls like Kami and dozens of others tell us a very different story.
They rave about how much they enjoy coding on our platform, and how much they love creating things and using their imagination. 6th grader Astrid appreciates the fact that “you don’t have to do ‘this, this, this’ to have fun. Tynker makes me feel free to make what I want to make.” And Quinn, a 5th grader says “It’s just fun. I don’t get stressed out, but I know I’m learning something.” Girls love Tynker not just because it’s easy to use and fun to play, but because it’s engaging in a way that’s inspiring them to be creative and innovative.
Tynker is great because you get to use your imagination to make something extraordinary!
— Kaela, 5th grade
We see girls gaining the confidence to build better and more complicated programs because they are creating things that interest them like dancing games and animated birthday cards that they can share and play with their friends. Parents agree. Andrea says of her daughter Elizabeth, “She’s now inspired, enthusiastic about programming (she had no interest before), and wants to make games. She has learned persistence at getting things done and the confidence to work through complex challenges.” Another parent, Sue, remarks: “With Tynker, Millie feels in control and it gives her a lot of confidence to feel that she is learning such cool stuff, really all by herself.”
We hear these things and can’t help but wonder, if the girls who are exposed to the Tynker platform develop the kind of confidence, enthusiasm and motivation that we see every day, how can we empower them to continue on this path as they grow up? Our hope is that we can keep cultivating an engaging environment that embodies our guiding principles:
- Incorporate interest-based learning. From fairytale stories to astronaut games, we enable ALL kids to find something that will be interesting to them as a way of engaging them in the learning process.
- Make it accessible. Create an low-stress, confidence boosting environment where kids can learn at their own pace, and provide them with the guidance and help needed to succeed, regardless of experience or ability.
- Make it kid-friendly and fun. Cool characters, fun tools, exciting projects!
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“This looks so cool.” |
“It works!” |
“Let’s get creative.” |
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“I made it myself!” |
“I’ve got this!” |
“What would happen if…” |
The Google’s and Facebook’s of the world are also responding to the challenge. They, as well as organizations like Code.org and Girls Who Code, the new Code Documentary, and many others that are doing a wonderful job bringing potential solutions to light. Lego and the very successful Goldie Blox are feminizing their products with colors, props, and packaging in an effort to appeal to this market. Even Mattel tried join the conversation with their latest “I want to Be an Engineer” Barbie and picture book but, unfortunately, missed the mark (and the book has since been pulled off of Amazon accompanied by a statement of apology from Mattel).
Today, we have an equal number of girls and boys in the classroom and in our camps programming on the Tynker platform. We believe that success and talent crosses gender lines (even the Tynker product is developed by both male and female engineers) and that all children have the capability to be independent and confident creative thinkers and problem solvers of the next generation.
Greg Messerian, a father of a 4th grade Tynker user expresses our philosophy perfectly: “Whether or not Emma ends up coding when she grows up, what matters is that she had experiences like this one (Tynker), where being a girl didn’t limit her opportunities.”
Interested in getting your child introduced to programming? It’s not too late for your child to try an Hour of Code, where we aim to get millions of kids coding (boys AND girls!).