Every parent wants their child to succeed and have the best opportunities in the future. The best way to do this is to prepare and equip your child with tools and skills while they are still young.
Allowing your child to learn how to code and be able to program is one way in which you can prepare them for a bright future. In doing so, you are helping to boost their abilities to learn by giving them the tools to get ahead in their studies and expand their academic capabilities.
Not only will your child learning to code bring some valuable benefits to their schooling environment, but it can also offer future benefits and help them become successful in their career paths later on.
There are also many other skills that your child will learn through gaining this skill, such as organization, problem-solving, confidence using technology and persistence.
As a parent, you may be unsure whether to encourage your child to learn to code and encourage your child to be focusing their attention on the digital world.
Coding does not go against the importance of limiting your children’s screen time. However, it is an activity that highly differs from allowing your kids to sit and watch YouTube or play games for hours on end. Coding is a digital language that engages the brain in a productive way.
As the world is advancing and a firm reliance is being placed on technologies, there is no better time than the present to utilize these formative years and allow your child to better themselves.
There are many developmental reasons for encouraging children to learn how to code. They are gaining a skill that is continually growing and becoming sought after. They are learning how to work independently, gain confidence, problem solve and work on the creative side of their brain.
Here are some of the key developmental benefits your child will gain.
Coding is a physical way to showcase how the skills they are learning in school (such as mathematics) are being applied practically to solve real-life problems. Once your child understands how computers and the basics of coding work, they will build up an appreciation for how things function and how much effort is put into building some of the things we take for granted in our everyday lives.
Seeing firsthand how lessons being taught are applied will encourage your child to engage more with their other core curriculum subjects. It will help them think about problems logically, focus their attention on details, and logically tackle problems.
Problem-solving is a trait that can be applied to all the different aspects of life. It can be applied to all areas of schooling, sports, challenges and creativity. It allows your child to remain calm and consider the best solution to overcome any problem they may face.
Coding is more than just being able to type lines of code. It is about looking at the overall desired outcome, breaking it down into smaller sections and applying a different thought process.
The ability to systematically take a problem and break it into workable sections engages your child to use their brain differently.
Coding is more than just the mathematics of logically solving problems and writing lines of code.
If you think about what coding is used for, you will realize that it requires a high level of creativity.
Games, apps, and videos all require coding. Children exposed to learning coding and computer programming have to develop their written communication skills and get creative with problem-solving.
One of the first lessons your child will learn is that there is more than one solution and way for any problem to be solved.
Sometimes it will be apparent. However, your child will need to utilize a creative outlook and apply different approaches through experimenting with their code to solve various problems.
Plus, once the coding is complete, they will be able to physically see the rewards of their creativity in a live and working application.
There is nothing better than seeing your child shine with confidence.
Coding can boost your child’s confidence and self-worth. Unless taught, technology can make even the brightest people feel un-equipped and out of their comfort zone.
Nothing builds confidence faster than seeing your work pay off. Coding allows that by encouraging your child to solve a problem systematically. With meticulous attention to details, your child will be able to transform lines of code into a real and live game, app or video.
Empowering your child to learn the basics of technology increases their confidence as they grow and start using technology more and more within their daily lives. Knowing they have the skills to use and create something develops confidence within them.
Enabling your child to gain the skills, even at a basic level, will help them in all avenues in the future. As society continues to develop technologies and more of the world is becoming digital, having some technical knowledge will be the key to success.