Categoría: Coding Concepts Explained

Coding Concepts Explained: A Glossary for Kids and Parents

Every new skill comes with its own vocabulary, and coding is no exception. Words like variable, loop, function, y algoritmo can sound intimidating the first time a child — or a parent helping with homework — runs into them, but each one is a simple, learnable idea once it’s broken down in plain language. This category is CodeMonkey’s growing glossary of coding terms, explained the way we’d explain them to a curious 8-year-old: real examples, no jargon, no assumed background.

Terms covered in this series:

• Variables — how code stores and remembers information
• Loops & Nested Loops — how code repeats an action without repeating the instructions
• Funciones — how to package a set of steps to reuse again and again
• Conditions & Boolean Logic — how code makes decisions (“if this, then that”)
• Algoritmos — step-by-step instructions for solving a problem
• Depuración — finding and fixing what went wrong in the code
• Triggers & Events — how code responds to something happening
• Inputs, Outputs & Parameters — how code takes in information and produces a result

Each post tackles one term on its own, so it’s easy to find exactly the concept your child is stuck on — for homework help, an Hour of Code activity, or just their own curiosity. Together, these posts also build toward something bigger: pensamiento computacional, the broader problem-solving skill all of these individual concepts support. For the big picture first, start with our guide to computational thinking before working through the terms below.

New to coding vocabulary yourself? You’re not alone — most parents and many teachers are learning this right alongside their kids. Bookmark this category and come back any time a new term comes up.