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Thirty years ago, only about one-third of the computer science industry was made up of women. It was a male-dominated industry from almost the beginning.
As the industry has grown, though, and as organizations like Women Who Code have popped up on the scene, the thought was always that more women would begin to get involved in computer programming. But unfortunately, this hasn't been the case.
As of 2021, only about 25% of the computer science industry is made up of women. This is disheartening, to say the least.
If you have a teenage daughter, teaching her how to code would go a long way toward helping to solve this problem. It would help get her interested in coding and potentially open her up to a career in the computer science field in the future.
You don't necessarily want to force your teenager to learn how to code if it isn't something that interests her. But you should put it out there as a possibility and let her take it from there.
Here's how to encourage your teenage daughter to learn how to code.
Talk to Your Teenager About Coding Early On
If you would like your teenage daughter to give coding a chance, you should begin talking to her about coding long before she enters high school. It's never too early to talk to her about coding.
If your teenager takes a liking to playing video games or if she has a cell phone that she uses to download apps, you should speak with her about how coding makes it all possible. It'll open up her eyes to the wide world of coding and crack the door as far as getting her interested in coding is concerned.
You should try not to push your teenage daughter too hard at first when it comes to trying to get her to learn how to code. Instead, you should simply talk to her about what coding is and how coding works to plant a seed in her brain.
Tell Your Teenager What Coders Do
As your daughter gets older and enters her teenage years, you should continue to discuss coding with her. You should also take it upon yourself to break down what coders do.
Once again, you should try to explain things in a way that your teenager will understand. They might not yet understand what something like a programming language is. But they'll start to comprehend what coders do when you tell them that they work on things like app development.
Buy Your Teenager Books About Coding
Outside of talking to your child about coding while they're growing up, you should also invest in books that are designed to get young girls interested in science and technology. There are many science books for girls that would be worth your daughter's time, including the Rocket Girls books by Melanie Fine.
You should buy these books for your daughter when she's still on the younger side. And once she's a teenager, you should also search for other books about coding that are written in a way that teenagers can understand. They'll build on what she already knows about math and science after reading the Rocket Girls books.
Unless you know a lot about coding yourself, these books will provide your teenage daughter with the tools she'll need to start experimenting with coding. They'll also help her figure out if coding is something that interests her in the first place.
Sign Your Teenager Up for Coding Classes
Whether you know a lot about coding or not, you'll probably want to skip trying to teach your teenage daughter about it on your own. Rather than doing this, you should look into possibly signing your teenager up for coding classes.
In some cases, you might want to see if your child's school or a local community college might offer coding classes for teens. But you might also want to explore signing her up for online coding courses for teens.
Either way, your teenage daughter will get the opportunity to learn how to code from someone who knows what they're talking about. It'll help her decide if coding is something she enjoys doing, and it'll also allow her to produce something through coding that will make her feel a sense of pride.
Just try not to put too much pressure on your teenager as she begins learning about coding. It can be frustrating trying to learn some of the basic coding concepts at first.
It'll be your job to check in on the progress she's making and continue to tell her how proud you are of her for giving coding a chance.
Discuss How Your Teenager Feels About Coding
After your teenage daughter has been taking coding classes for teens for a little while, you should sit down with her and discuss how things have gone. She might say she loves coding, she might say she hates it, or she might say she's still on the fence about it.
Whatever the case, you should keep the lines of communication open and provide your teenager with a place where she can talk freely about her feelings on coding. It'll make it easier for her to decide if she wants to continue to learn how to code as she works her way through high school and heads off to college.
We Can Help Get Your Teenager More Interested in Coding
If you'd like to get your teenage daughter interested in coding, you've come to the right place! Rocket Girls can provide you with the resources you'll need to promote math and science for teens to your daughter.
From empowering books for girls to Rocket Girls gear, we can set you up with whatever it is you need. It'll enable you to show your teenage daughter that learning how to code could be the key to her enjoying a very successful career.
Shop for some of the products that we sell and contact us with any questions you have.
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