Why Children Today Must Learn Coding

Are you looking forward to enrolling your child in one of the hottest after school programs? How about coding?

It is hard to imagine a society today that does not need anyone with knowledge of coding and it is time we think of equipping the future generations with this knowledge. The kids today grow up in a world that is radically different from the one we grew up in.

Software is a crucial part of life today and soon we would enter an age where unawareness of the language of computer would amount to being illiterate. The time is not ripe enough to say that all the jobs in the future would involve programming but still, learning to code would soon be a skill necessary to acquire.

What is Coding?

Also referred to as developing or programming, if spoken in layman’s terms, coding refers to telling a computer or a website what you expect it to do. Code refers to a string of typed instructions that a computer can follow right from displaying the word ‘hello’ to directing a driverless car through heavy traffic.

The adults had been undertaking tasks like coding all this while. What role can a child play here? Well, with technology dominating our life, learning basic computer programming is not just a smart idea but a must acquire skill for the adults and the children alike. Learning the ways to build games and websites help kids refine logic, design as well as problem solving capabilities.

The computers today are similar to a box of crayons rather than calculators. And do you know what are the most significant traits or rather what attributes in a child can help to excel in coding? They are

• Persistence
• Creativity

In the first few sessions, the children are bound to put their hands up, saying, ‘it isn’t working’. It is crucial to help them understand that things are not working because they did something wrong.

You can use a few apps to aid children with learning coding or enroll kids in an institute to learn coding.

Advantages of Learning Coding for Children

Teaching kids the way to write codes is a winning idea.

Betters Job Prospects

Learning the art of coding better prepares the child for future. The demand for programmers is on the surge. Every year, millions of programmers complete their studies but still the demand has not been met with. There are a number of occupations that use codes directly like the software developers, web designers and the robotics engineers. The jobs in nanotechnology, information sciences as well as manufacturing also require candidates deft at coding.

• Develops Problem Solving Skills

Nowadays, learning is not just about knowledge of a couple of facts. It is about sourcing the reliable details, thinking logically, and developing mental flexibility, creative problem solving and self – management.

Debugging, writing and mixing codes made by self with that of others aid with developing problem-solving capacities.

Learning the art of coding improves the analytical skill of children when faced with a problem. The ability to think logically can be a real advantage when faced with the stressful situations.

The computational skills allow the kids grasp concepts like flowchart and algorithm. Well, they won’t be able to understand the terms but they will certainly gain an understanding of the basic concepts.

• Enhances Fluency with Technology

It is technology that has helped mankind take strides towards advancement. Technology has always played a significant role in the development and owing to this, it is crucial for children to develop acquaintance with the technology in use around him or her.

Clare Sutcliffe, the co-founder of an organization that teaches programming skills points out, “There is a massive difference between consuming content and being able to create it”. Sutcliffe added, “It is important to have agency over the tools you are using.” Knowledge of coding in the early years leads to an enhanced sense of confidence.

What is The Best Time to Teach Kids Coding?

Children are probably the best group who can be taught coding. Kids tend to absorb information significantly fast and interact with new technologies as if they have been using it for years.

Most believe that it is vital to get the kids interested in STEM activities well before the 4th or the 5th grade since around middle school, children start forming opinions on what is cool and what is not. Most kids prefer to put the subjects like computer, math and science in the ‘not so cool’ category. So try to enroll your kid in coding classes as early as possible.

In a study, a few members were polled asking how early the computer programming skills should be introduced to kids. As many as 75% people pointed out that the students should learn to code in the elementary school. This appears to be quite sensible since learning an actual language is quite similar to learning a programming language. Common knowledge says that children aged less than 7 can pick up foreign languages easily.

Creating an animation or a game certainly has several fun elements attached with it. Keeping in mind the influence technology casts on our society and the multiple advantages it comes with, it is time we encourage kids to start coding just as you are used to encouraging them to learn playing an instrument or sports.