Learning to code is a valuable skill at any stage in life, but it’s especially beneficial to young children. Kids are naturally curious about everything around them and pick up new information with ferocity. And coding is the type of skill that offers more to kids than might be obvious. Children should learn to code to expand their minds and their potential for future learning.
Children are never too young to learn a new language. Coding, at its most basic, is simply a new, exciting language. It opens up the world for more logical and analytical thinking. It helps take complicated aspects of our increasingly technology-filled world and make them more easily understood by young minds. At its base, code matches each letter of the alphabet with a sequence of 0’s and 1’s. The 0’s and 1’s become directions that make the technology around us perform correctly.
Coding encourages children to look beyond themselves to find creative, new solutions to problems. While engaged in coding activities, children engage in different parts of their brains. Areas of the brain associated with applied mathematics become stronger. Coding can be considered a jumpstart to getting your kid interested in STEM. STEM may be a buzzword in today’s world, but many children lack a proper introduction to it.
Without the gateway to unrestricted problem-solving that coding offers kids, they may not realize the importance of failure. Coding teaches kids that there is often more than one way to solve any given problem – whether it be a mathematical problem or something else. The idea of failure in coding is a natural thing and encourages kids to improve their thought processes before proceeding again with solving a problem.
A less obvious benefit in having children learn to code is the impact on their written communication. Coding aids children in organizing their thoughts, which is key to better writing. A child who begins to code can become a more focused written communicator.
Coding should be encouraged for all children because it opens up a whole new world of learning. This enriching activity prepares kids for active futures as excellent communicators and incredible problem solvers. Children should learn to code as a means of building their confidence in STEM and other academic areas.
