Getting Your Kids Into Coding
The global landscape is swiftly transforming due to advancements in technology – and the same goes for employment opportunities. Automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, and further technological progress are shaping the future of employment, changing the way we perform our jobs and redefining the role of an employee. As a result, there is a growing need for workers who are adept in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to match the speed of these changes.
STEM jobs are expected to grow by 8.0% from 2017 to 2029. To fill this gap, all of us – parents, educators, and even employers – need to play a role in encouraging our kids (and ourselves) to pursue careers that are heavily reliant on technology, such as coding.
What Are The Benefits of Learning to Code?
Whether it’s for practical reasons or purely intellectual curiosity, learning to code is a useful skill that can benefit your child in many ways.
1. Teach Kids the Foundations of Creativity
Creativity may seem like an abstract concept, but it is a skill that can be learned and improved upon. The best part about coding is that it teaches kids how to solve problems in a structured, systematic way, which is a key component of creating strategies for solving problems creatively.
2. Helps Kids to Develop Out-Of-The-Box Thinking
Creativity may be an important component of coding, but so is problem-solving. Kids who code have to solve problems to create their project, which involves thinking outside the box to accomplish what they want. This type of thinking will teach your kids how to break barriers and think critically about how to solve problems.
3. Boost Self-Esteem and Confidence
Kids who learn to code can gain a sense of accomplishment that they otherwise would have never had the opportunity to discover. Some kids with special needs struggle with self-esteem simply because they cannot do things as quickly or effectively as their peers. Learning to code is a great way for kids to feel accomplished and proud of their efforts – despite the challenges they face.
4. Improve Your Kids’ Concentration and Focus
If you’ve ever watched your child play a video game, then you know that coding helps improve concentration and focus in children. The same goes for other kids learning to code. Coding is a creative activity that can allow your children to focus on their projects without any distractions from the outside world.
5. It Enhances the Development of Social Skills
Social skills are often very difficult for many kids to learn, but coding provides an opportunity for them to improve their social skills, both with their peers and adults. Getting kids together in a coding club provides an opportunity for these kids to interact with each other while having fun while learning something new.
6. It is an Excellent Way to Keep Children Active
The days of video games being a waste of time are over. Video games are often great ways to keep kids active and healthy. Coding is a fun and educational way for kids to stay active, get their hearts pumping, and even lose weight.
7. Prepare Your Kids for the Future
As more schools are becoming technology-oriented, coding has become an important skill that children need to learn to be prepared for the future. Even if your child doesn’t necessarily want to be a computer scientist, knowing how to code can give them valuable skills that will be useful in the future.
How Do You Get Started With Coding For Kids?
There are so many great ways to introduce kids to coding. Enrolling your kid in coding classes or programs is one of the best ways to get them started with coding. But coding can also be taught at home or in extracurricular clubs and activities.
Encouraging your child to play games that use coding will help them better understand the basics of how it works. Kids who are interested in video games might enjoy playing a game like Minecraft. Not only is the gameplay fun and engaging, but it also teaches kids how to code.
There are also much more advanced programming languages that teach coding concepts in a fun way. Scratch is one of the most well-known programming languages that’s designed specifically for children. Kids who like music can even learn how to code using their favorite songs.
If your child is really into games and coding, they can even try to create their own. Kids can use many different programming languages to create video games or applications for computers and mobile devices.
Coding Is Not Just For Future Coders
The good news is that kids don’t have to be geniuses or coding experts to learn how to code. If you have a child excited about computer science or building things, teaching them coding is the best way to help them develop these skills. However, even if your child isn’t interested in learning how to code in the future, there are still many reasons why they should learn the basics today.
The possibilities of coding are endless, and learning how to code will provide your child with valuable skills that will prepare them for the future. Even if your child isn’t interested in a career in computer science, no doubt knowing how to program a computer will be an important skill in this ever-changing digital age.
