The advent of the digital age has opened up thousands of new opportunities for all of us to explore and expand our knowledge and capabilities. More so for children, who have started operating gadgets and devices from quite a younger age.
As a parent, you have some aspirations of your own for your kids; and while your kid may not grow up to be a software engineer, learning a skill like the computer programming can aid in your child’s logical and creative development as well as inculcate important problem-solving and communication skills.
Some expert say that until 2020, over a million jobs in the US will depend heavily on the knowledge of computer science, and that these are some of the highest-paying jobs in the market today. So in a world like this, can learning how to code from a younger age really go amiss?
Why You Should Teach Your Kids to Code
Here are a few reasons why you should teach your kids to code:
- Coding Teaches Critical Thinking. Coding almost always involves a finish line. The target to be achieved is known, and coding is the journey towards that target. This teaches kids to visualize the bigger picture, break it down into manageable bits and pieces, and overcome every small part to get to the end. This way, kids learn to evaluate and complete every task as effectively as possible.
- Coding Aids Creativity. Children always find a way to keep themselves entertained, whether it is playing with Legos or building blocks or many other things. Learning coding helps kids turn these creative ideas into something cooler and more interactive. The boundless possibilities involved in programming are a great tool for children to express themselves freely.
- Coding Builds Confidence. Working in a free environment, finding solutions and getting a computer to solve problems is highly empowering for kids. They don’t have to conform to any fixed path while solving these problems. In programming, any given problem can have any number of solutions. Working through these solutions and finally finding the answer builds confidence.
- Having Fun. There are some popular programs like Scratch that let kids have fun while learning to code. You, as a parent, can also get involved and have a fun time teaching your child how to code.
Programming is fast becoming an essential skill in this day and age. Remember these reasons, and teach your kids to code so that they become smart citizens of the future world.
They’ve been doing a lot with coding at my kids’ school, even at the elementary level. It’s awesome! There is a program called Hour of Code that I think all the grades participate in, and my daughter was in video game club last year where they used a free website called Gamestar Mechanic to learn how to code a video game.
This is a great idea! Although I am very technically literate and use technology all the time, I have no idea how to code! More and more this is a life skill and one our children need to know. Thank you so much for sharing this post with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop. Hope to ‘see’ you again this week. The hop is open now!