Have you ever thought about the toys industry, how big it’s?
If you don’t know, then don’t worry.
According to the sales statistics in the United States, “$32.6 Billion spent by consumers on toys in the year 2020, and 16% sales increased with the previous year”.
Wohh! That’s a lot of money.
You may be shocked after reading how big the number is, but it is more likely to grow more with time. As more fanciest, and expensive toys are going to introduce to the stores in the upcoming years.
But, what if you ditch the fanciest, and cute teddy bear toys with the educational toy. Although, It doesn’t look like a toy, you can also find it for under $10, and will make you busy during the whole day.
You may be thinking, where do I find such toys that would help me in my real life, and make me busy?
Arduino seems to be a great option here. Before you buy your first board, you should know what an Arduino is, and what is the perfect age to get started with Arduino?
Yes, it is perfect for kids, and the ideal age of getting started with Arduino is 12 years of age, or more. The best, and suggested board for kids is Arduino UNO because if it’s easy interface, and flexibility. Additionally, it totally depends on your kid, and what Arduino kit he buys for further use.
Table of Contents
What Is Arduino?
Arduino is a microcontroller board which comes with different functionality, and specifications. It is an open source hardware, and software program that can be used to make different projects like water level sensors, 3d printers, and home automation.
Arduino is not only a hardware, but Arduino could mean two things; Hardware and software
Hardware
Arduino family boards consist of different microcontrollers with components that support the microcontroller to program.
Software
Arduino can be programmed in various languages such as python, C, C++, C-sharp, but it has a dedicated software to transfer data into the microcontroller called Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment).
A lot of hardware libraries are available inside the software that you can use for your project. It is famous for its flexibility, and easy to use. An expert can take advantage of the software as well as the beginner can try their programs.
Community
The Arduino community is strong enough, and has a dedicated forum where you can ask, and learn things at a better, or deeper level. You can find out about your community from here.
Arduino programming for kids is the ideal way to present children to an entirely unused world of hardware and innovation. It gives your kids the certainty to assist them to flourish, but moreover, it gives them a way to remain a step ahead of others.
Agreeing to the suggestions of the child psychologists, the minimum age is 6 a long time ancient and onwards. Despite that, we had one-of-a-kind cases where kids began the program at the age of 4.
Is Arduino Really worth it?
Yes, it is totally worth learning Arduino, and it is one of the key drivers to increase in your education, not only education but for your professional career.
It also allows you to learn about Arduino, but you will know better about the components like resistors, capacitors, LEDs, shields, libraries, hardware, how they work, and how you make a functional robot. It allows you to enter into a new world of electronics, and you get the following advantages
- You can earn a lot of dollars by doing consulting, and making projects for others.
- Unlike other microcontrollers like raspberry pi, and VEX Arduino is easy to understand, and straightforward to use. You don’t need an electronics background to understand Arduino.
- Arduino is easily available in the market with different specifications just like Arduino Mega is ideal for 3d printers, and has the highest number of pins among all Arduino family. Arduino UNO is the best, and suggested board for the beginners to get started.
- Libraries for modules are easily available on the internet.
- Open-source hardware, and software program.
At What age kids can start learning Arduino?
The ideal age of learning Arduino is 12 years, but kids under the age of 12 can still learn some basic features, and coding about the board will give you a lot of benefit in the long run.
At 8 years old?
I would say as early as possible, but an 8 years old kid can’t get their hands on an Arduino board directly by themselves. They need adult supervision in making their first project because neither they can program, nor they are good at hardware, and troubleshooting. You must have heard about the youngest Microsoft developers, but they are exceptions.
At 9 years old?
Yes, 9 years old is still young, and they can make their own way to make the first project on Arduino, they need supervision in hardware, and software both. If your kids are nearly 9 years old, I would suggest you get started with the basics of Arduino UNO, jumper wires, and resistors.
At 12 years old?
Yes, 12 years old is the ideal age to get started with the Arduino, as well as with programming. It totally depends on the kids interest and you can introduce them to programming languages like C++, or python. You can now turn your idea into reality by making an Arduino project. There is also a community of Arduino where you can find out libraries for hardware, and codes where you use it for your requirements.
Why Kids should learn Arduino?
Kids are always impatient and curious to know about the background knowledge of everything like how they are made, and what makes them work so perfectly? They are always trying to understand the background theory about the subject. This wouldn’t be wrong if I say, Arduino will do justice here. It will excite them, and give a better understanding about the causes and effects because of its easy to use, and make robots within no time.
You can set up a robot in under an hour, and control lights, motors within a minute. There’s always room for everyone to learn, if you are an embedded engineer, or just passed an 8 years of your age. Teaching them a technology will make them eager to learn, and develop thinking, but under the supervision of an adult, kids can turn their idea into reality.
How to teach Arduino to your kids?
I know 6 is the age when children neither do programming nor join the circuits. So I advised you to help your kids by hand. You can take online courses of Arduino for your child if you also don’t know how to program.
Note: I would suggest you to go and look at Roboto for better understanding about the arduino.
Arduino is the most used and finest board for beginners who are just getting started, to begin with; hardware for the first time. It highlights a combination of circuits, coding, DIY, problem-solving, and imagination that weld together considering disciplines, but if you are still missing out something here are a step by step procedure how you can get started with Arduino:
- Download Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment) board.
- Get an Arduino UNO.
- Get a printer cable, 1K ohm resistor, and a couple of LEDs.
- Plug your Arduino with the Laptop. You will see a green light blinking in the Arduino board.
- Select the board.
- Select the serial port.
- Go to examples, and open Blink LED examples.
- Upload the program
What board should you buy?
There is a whole family of Arduino available in the market, but I suggest you go with Arduino UNO. This board is basic, complete, and works like a charm. Moreover, most shields are consistent with the Uno R3, which is why it is such a great choice for someone to begin with.
Arduino Projects for kids
- Portable SMS Device.
- Remote Controlled Robot.
- Breath Controlled Windmill.
- Digital Pet.
- Bluetooth Controlled Toy Car.
- Electronic Dice.
- Simple Interactive Robot
- USB to TTL converter