Adapting to the rapidly evolving technologies could be challenging. As the world’s job market continues to evolve, the demand for technically skilled workers is also accelerating. Despite the demand, the supply of qualified workers is low. Parents who are worried about their children’s future and want them to have a career in the tech world are encouraging their kids to pursue coding from an early age.
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Before we explore various ways to get your kids into learning coding, let’s have a brief understanding of what it is, how it helps in the tech adaptability of children, and whether we need to learn coding ourselves before taking our kids into it.
Decoding Coding
Coding involves writing computer programs using any of the programming languages available. Besides being a lucrative career option, coding also stimulates the brain and helps develop skills like creativity, math, problem-solving, and computational thinking, to name a few.
Coding or computer programming is fast becoming popular amongst parents for their kids. A whopping 90 percent of parents in the US have indicated that they would love computer programming to be taught in schools. This is because of the many benefits that coding imbues in children at a younger age and sets them up for success in life later.
How Learning Coding Contributes to Kids’ Tech Literacy
Coding has an instrumental role in fostering digital literacy, opening up enormous options, and enabling brains to prosper in the digital space. It has evolved into a crucial ability in today’s technologically advanced society. Encompassing areas starting from educational coding games to exploring user-friendly coding software, coding plays a transformative role in facilitating digital literacy among kids. Below are a few ways coding contributes to kids’ tech literacy.
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Stimulates Computational Thinking
Coding encourages computational thinking among kids, allowing them to handle issues algorithmically. It teaches them to arrange and examine data, identify trends, and find effective solutions through logical thinking.
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Fosters Problem-Solving Skills
Coding involves the development of stepwise solutions and breaking down complicated issues into smaller chunks. This process fosters logical reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical abilities, all of which help in tech adaptability and adaptability to any critical situation in later life.
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Exposure to Creativity and Innovation
Kids who are learning coding are more creative and innovative compared to those who are not learning. As coding allows them to turn their concepts and ideas into real-world products. Kids leverage code to create games, applications, animations, websites, and other things, all by-products of their imagination. Coding encourages out-of-the-box thinking among kids, making them tech-savvy in this digital age.
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Detailed Understanding of Technology
Through coding, kids can have a detailed understanding of the operation of digital technology, contributing to their digital literacy and tech knowledge. It promotes an understanding of the fundamental concepts of computer systems, software, and hardware, allowing them to use technology more skillfully.
No wonder most parents in the US want their kids to learn computer science, according to a Gallup study. However, for children to take up coding, it has to be appealing to them. This article discusses the factors parents should consider before getting their kids into coding, and some tips to interest their wards in computer science classes.
Things Parents Should Understand Before Compelling Their Kids to Learn Coding
Before getting kids enrolled in a coding class, here are the things parents must consider.
Do I Have to Learn Coding Before Pushing My Child Into It?
If you are the ones who want to send your ward to a coding class and have them come out as a web developer, then you must rethink your idea. Parents must remember that their 8-year-old doesn’t care about whether he/she is a master of coding or not. All they care about is fun, and they can’t enjoy learning coding if you don’t want to get involved with their learning process. This leads to a ‘yes’ as an answer to the above question.
You must have some experience in software development or at least have a willingness to invest your valuable time to learn it. A mentorship relationship should start right from your home when you get your child enrolled in a coding class. If you could help your kids with their practice at home, learning coding would become a fun activity for them. To do that, you can start by enrolling in coding online courses available for adults.
For What Purpose Do I Want My Kid to Learn Coding?
Compelling your kid to learn coding should be a well-thought-out decision and not a “do what others are doing” whim. Parents must have a reasonable purpose for encouraging their kids to learn coding. Children hardly take any interest in things that do not excite them. If you are looking forward to making your kid a tech pro and a skilled developer at such a young age, then you must refrain from teaching them coding.
We should never send our ward to a coding class just so that they can learn programming language syntax. We have to think of it as a subject that offers an opportunity to learn while having fun. So, if you are a parent wanting to have a learning experience that provides a great deal of learning as well as an equal amount of fun, you can go with your plan.
Find Coding Resources Online or in Locality
Coding or computer science can be intimidating for a budding mind. To counter this, it is advised to do some research and find suitable group classes or online courses with a well-crafted curriculum for children. A good coding lesson plan will be designed to teach coding concepts sequentially.
Also, look at online websites providing computer science answers in a simple and easy-to-understand language. These websites will come in handy when your child runs into a speed bump during his coding lessons. A good website will have a rich database of questions related to computer science, ranging from basic foundations to expert level.
A good combination of online resources and well-thought-out coding lessons will have your child punching code in no time.
Gamify the Learning Process
Kids love to have fun! Period. If the process of learning how to code can be made fun, you can rest assured that your kid will take to coding like a bee to pollen. This is where Gamification comes in. Gamification has been the buzzword in the education sector for some time now, since it makes it fun to learn anything.
A study has proved that gamifying a learning process increases engagement and motivation to learn. Especially in complex learning like coding or computer programming, gamifying will help match your child’s interests. In order to make coding fun for a child, listen to what they would love to do with the skill they gain.
Once you know what the kid wants to accomplish through their learning, work towards providing lessons and resources to make that goal realistic. After all, the best education is the one that teaches you to pursue your passion and curiosity.
Choose An Age-Appropriate Coding Platform
The last step in making sure that your child develops an interest in coding is to choose an appropriate learning platform. A platform that’s too easy will bore them soon, and the one that’s too advanced will appear tedious and dissuade them from learning.
Therefore, it is a must to consider various factors like the age and interests of the child before picking a coding platform. There are two types of platforms – visual block and text-based. The former is best suited for beginners and kids between 5 and 7 years of age. Designed to be fun, visual blocks let children view, drag, and drop various blocks to create code.
Text-based coding is ideal for those aged 8 years and above. The main advantage of this type of approach is to impart the knowledge of creating actual software or an app. Such programs use real programming languages and actual coding tools, but are taught in a manner that a child can easily follow along while having fun.
Coding Is Not Easy To Learn Without a Capable Mentor
A mentor who is good with kids and understands how to make coding enjoyable for a child will make the whole process convenient. Moreover, one-on-one tutoring with a qualified and experienced coder or computer science tutor will be an excellent way for your child to learn programming faster and better.
Look around you; there must be a friend, colleague, relative, or teacher who would be willing to give coding lessons. Having a familiar face teach the basics will also help the child learn to code quickly. You can also find business listings by developers in your locality, who are willing to volunteer and mentor children to spread their craft.
As mentioned before, the personal interaction with a tutor is invaluable and makes learning enjoyable for the child. This can be done over Skype, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, among others. There are coding classes online that offer this service if you do not find an option in your circle or locality.
Now that you know what it takes to get your ward started on his coding journey, go ahead and look up coding classes online. Even if they do not pursue a career in coding, they will acquire life skills that will set them up for success.
