This is the era of technology. Mankind is trying to build a civilization on another planet, smart cars, humanoid robots, and so on. We are living in a digital world and due to this, it becomes important for kids to learn to code, the core of the technology.

There are many online coding courses and classes available for this already but where to start and which language is important for them. Here in this blog, we will be figuring out the same for you. We will walk you through JavaScript, which is a popular and beginner-friendly language.

JavaScript is considered the language of the future and it’s everywhere these days – front-end, ML, mobile, games, and even on desktop. JavaScript was one of the most wanted job skills in 2020 [source: StackOverflow’s developer survey 2020 ]

In this article, We will learn What is JavaScript? Why should your kid learn it? What are the future opportunities in it? followed by the sample program. Let’s get started!

What is JavaScript?

In 1995, Brendan Eich developed a language called LiveScript which appeared in a popular browser of that time, Netscape. Later he named it JavaScript.

JavaScript is a simple, lightweight, cross-platform, and powerful scripting language.

Initially, it was designed to enhance the interaction of a user with the webpage. If you’ve ever seen and interacted with an interactive website or game, It was because of JavaScript. Now Developers are using it in most of the fields such as game development, mobile apps, web pages, server applications, etc. Some of the most popular platforms that use JS are Google Chrome, PayPal, Uber, and Netflix.

• The program code in JavaScript is called script which is executed as plain text and doesn’t need any special preparation to run.
• A script or program can be considered a set of statements. That a programmer asks a computer to follow.
• In JS, the statement starts from a new line & ends with a semicolon(;).
• The syntaxes of JavaScript are mostly inspired by the language C.

Important terms in JavaScript

Do not try to memorize all of them, they are just for your future reference and to build a foundation of understanding for you.

• Variables: They hold a single word, number, or any other information in code and include variable type, name, and value.
• If and Else statement: ‘If’ runs a part of code if the condition is satisfied and ‘Else’ runs a part of code if the condition is not satisfied.
• Functions: A group or block of code which can be used to perform a particular task more than once in the same program/Script.
• Loops: Loop will check if the given condition is true or satisfied if yes then it will run the part of code continuously till the condition is false.
• Arrays: They are containers that hold a similar type of variable.
• Framework: Collection of JavaScript code libraries that provides you with pre-written code to use for usual programming tasks. For example – Angular, React, Vue, and React Native.

How to Run JavaScript and what tools are required?

JavaScript is a scripting language and can not run on its own. When a user opens an HTML web page containing JavaScript, the JS script is sent to the browser and the browser executes it. Thus it needs a browser to run. JS supports all the modern browsers including Google Chrome, Bing, Firefox, and any other.

Also, you can choose your favorite text editors such as Visual Studio Code, Atom, Notepad++, Sublime Text, or any other to write code. So simply, you need a text editor to write your program and a browser to display your program.

What are the applications of JavaScript?

Initially it was developed for web pages and now you can see JS in all the major areas and some of them are:

• Web Page design: The most common use of JS is in Web development. It is used to make web pages interactive, beautiful, and accessible for the user. For example, animation display, playing audio or video on the web page, Image zoom in and out, etc.

• Games: What if you have an amazing game idea? Give it a real view with JavaScript. You can design your own game with a combination of HTML5 and JavaScript.

• Machine Learning: JavaScript has its library for machine learning-related work called ml5.js. You can implement a machine learning approach in your web pages with it.

• Web and Mobile Applications: Nowadays everyone is using a mobile phone and you can design an app for them of your own with different JavaScript frameworks. Also, you can design web apps with it. 

Fact: With React Native framework of JS, you can develop apps for iOS and Android operating systems with a single program. You just need to write it once and it will run on different platforms. 

You can even use JavaScript in Smartwatches, Web Server, and server applications.

Why learning JavaScript is a good idea for kids as a beginner?

1. Easy to code and run: All you need is a text editor to write code and a browser to run it. So you can easily experiment with your creativity.

2. Beginner Friendly language: JavaScript is a professional coding language used by many experienced developers across the globe but it is an easy language to start with. No matter if you are a kid or someone who does not have any experience in writing codes. JS is a language you can learn easily.

3. Extensive future growth: JS is one of the highest-paying technologies in the current world. There is a huge demand in the market for web developers. So you can build a secure career in front-end web development after learning JS with HTML and CSS. Many other high-demand career opportunities are available with JS such as full-stack Web developer & App developer, and game developer, and many more.

4. Cross-platform application development: Although JS was designed for the web initially, now it’s everywhere. So with one language, you can work in many fields including ML, Game Development, App development, etc.

JavaScript Program Sample:

Let’s write a simple ‘Hello World’ program in JS. There are three ways we can do that and they are:

• log(): Used in code debugging.
• alert(): Displays an alert box on the webpage.
• write(): Prints the content to the HTML document.

We will try the alert() method of printing hello world. So Follow the following steps on your system:

1. Open your favorite code Editor.
2. Create a new file and start writing code.

<html>
<head>
<title>My First JavaScript code!!!</title>
<script type=”text/javascript”>
                      alert(“Hello World!”);
          </script>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>

Note: We add the ‘script’ tag in the body or in the head tag of HTML code. In this script tag, our JS code is written.

3. Save your file with any name followed by a .html extension. i.e. helloworld.html
4. Open the helloworld.html. This will display an alert box written ‘Hello world!’.
5. Congratulations to you! You just made your first JavaScript Program.

The world is continuously changing. Coding helps your child with their creativity and enables them to develop competitive skills for the future. So let your child learn new technologies through online coding classes.

JavaScript was initially created for the web but it is now used in many fields. So if you are looking for a beginner-friendly programming language for your kid then it is the best choice for you. And we can help your kid in learning through our online programming courses.