Coding is the language of the future. By 2025, it is expected that more than 21 billion devices will be connected to the internet. Now, what does this mean for your child? It is never early to get children started in coding! In fact, learning to code at a young age is more important now than ever before.
Here are the top 10 reasons your kid should learn to code:
1. Learn how games and apps are created
Learning to code helps kids demystify how technology is created and used. With basic coding knowledge and skills, kids can understand how games and apps are created. It will not just be a screen used to play Minecraft, rather they will understand how the game is created. With a strong understanding of technology, children start to look at the world with a new perspective to help solve problems.
2. Create technology, rather than consuming it
Kids consume an overload of devices from TV, video games, smartphones, laptops and more. Instead of just constant consumption, coding allows them to be creators and critically think as they focus and organize tasks. Kids’ coding games, such as Minecraft, give them a chance to go behind the scenes to create codes.
3. Spark creativity
With codes, kids can create their own stories, music, games and apps. Coding is a tool for creative outlet. Steve Jobs built Apple based on the notion of merging “art with science.”
Computer Science is a liberal art. – Steve Jobs
4. Develop problem-solving skills
Children develop their problem-solving skills, including computational thinking, through coding. A valuable tool in a computer engineer’s toolbox, computational thinking is taking a big problem and breaking it down into simpler problems to achieve a solution. This is a skill that can be applied in everyday life, including math.
5. Boost math performance
Learning to code is just like math! After all, they are both problem solving. Students who have difficulties grasping math concepts cannot visualize these concepts, which can be frustrating. With coding, there are steps that children can follow along with, allowing them to “see” the process more clearly. This computational thinking can be applied in their math journey.
6. Improve communication skills
Programming for kids is an opportunity for them to improve their communication skills. At Discover Coding, we encourage collaboration among students who have a shared interest in technology. The classroom environment, whether in-person or online, brings kids together to ask each other questions, solve problems, share ideas and create with code.
7. Build perseverance
Learning to code can be challenging, and kids are bound to make errors. To create, test, fail and problem solve is a normal process – and it’s one that builds perseverance. When kids make mistakes, they learn from them, create revised solutions and eventually get it right.
8. Grow confidence
The ability to create projects empowers kids. It allows them to be creators of technology, which boosts their confidence academically and creatively. There are many different programming languages used in the coding universe, some more difficult to learn than others. As kids challenge themselves to learn new languages, they’ll grow their confidence until they are writing programs with Python or JavaScript.
9. Prepare for the future
As technology advances, the ability to code becomes more and more essential. Students will use technology in any field they go into, plus having coding as a skill on a resume will gain attention from potential recruiters for jobs and academics.
10. Coding is a fun activity
Coding is fun! It’s all about experimenting, exploring, and creating with all hands on deck and the brain engaged. After learning to code, kids will start building games, designing websites, creating apps and more on their free time! Next thing you know, your kid will be the next Bill Gates.
It’s easy to get your kids started with learning to code. At Discover Coding, we offer coding for children ages 5-15. Our code camps strive to build technology, problem-solving and digital literacy skills to set up kids for success in the future.
Explore our course catalog and sign up your kid to start coding today!
