Reasons to Teach Coding from an Early Age

Recent research has shown that learning coding is the keystone of future career and success. We live in the digital-fuelled era and coding can be considered a transferable skill that opens new horizons. That is why it is so important to develop a problem-solving mindset in young kids from quite an early age.

Coding is a skill that helps communicate with a computer in a language it understands. It serves as a means for giving it instructions on how to operate and perform certain functions. It allows for creating computer software, applications, websites, or video games.

There are different types of codes. They are applied depending on what you want to develop. Various programming languages have specific sets of rules. The earlier a kid learns how to code, the better results they will achieve in the future. In this article, we explain why it is so important to teach a young kid coding from an early age and what outcomes you may expect from that.

How to Teach Coding to a Young Kid

You can start doing it now. Here are some important pieces of advice on how to begin with that:

1. Use a deck of cards or some other unplugged coding activities for the beginning. You can find plenty of them on the Internet.
2. Consider coding apps for young kids that help use screen time for educational purposes.
3. One hour of coding practice is enough for the beginning and you can use the coding activities which are available online.
4. Apply coding worksheets to enhance basic concepts of coding that are already learned by a kid. They may represent the concepts of sequencing, branching, building up algorithms, decomposition, or debugging.

There are many other methods and techniques which you can utilize for teaching coding to young kids. Now, we need a more thorough look at why you should apply them and why teaching young kids coding is so useful and vitally important these days.

Why Teach Coding to Young Kids

You are sure to find newer and more interesting methods of teaching coding to young kids. There is a lot of information on the Net. The purpose of this article, however, is to find out why it is so important. Let us consider the following reasons for teaching coding to young kids.

1. Teaching Problem Solving Is Beneficial
Children always want to know how different things work. When they learn the basics of coding, they are sure to get more information about logical ties between the objects. You may tell them that software developers are very creative people who know how to solve mathematical problems in a fun way. The knowledge of how to solve problems is applicable not to Maths only. It is useful in life. When a kid learns how to solve math problems, they will know how to deal creatively with other life issues on their way.


2. Coding Helps Develop Flexibility
The most important thing to teach children here is to understand that failure does not always mean a loss. There is nothing bad in making mistakes because it is just a new learning opportunity. Debugging a code is fun and if a kid tries to correct the mistake, they will repeat their attempts again and again considering them from different points of view. They will learn how to succeed and produce results despite any errors.


3. Thinking Is What Coding Provides
When a kid is learning how to code, they start to develop their thinking abilities. Computer programming is not a mechanical process at all. It involves thinking differently every time you have to cope with some separate minor tasks. Children learn to see the overall problem and divide it into sole parts to find the most effective solution. So, decomposition is a great way of learning how to think properly. Even if a kid has some vague ideas, they will have to apply their creativity to make them work. If one way of problem-solving does not work, they can try another and proceed until the issue is repaired and the problem solved. These thinking skills are likely to be quite valuable in the future.


4. Expanding Creativity Is a Huge Benefit
Computer programming teaches young kids how to be creative. They get an opportunity to invent and implement something that is completely their own. If a child has created something unique, they deserve a lot of positive feedback. That will motivate them and developing confidence is also important. A great result leads to building up to higher self-esteem and consciousness.


5. The Future Will Belong to Computer Programming
Coding is a great skill to develop for the future. A lot of businesses nowadays rely on computer coding and they do not perform simple technological processes only. They are quite variable and you can see coding in many spheres. That is why it is so prospective. While teaching coding to young ones, you will give them a great benefit for the future. More career prospects and employment opportunities will be waiting for them. Thus, coding is essential for school curricula as well.


6. The Software Industry Is Lacking Skillful Developers
The technology is moving forward. Its advance needs more skilled workers. Computer programming opens new career opportunities. If an employee can code, any industry will open its doors to them. A highly qualified computer programmer is a rare option for employers so they are ready to pay them very big salaries. When a child learns coding at an early age, they will have enough time to learn more, develop professionally, and become a top expert whose salary will be a subject of envy for many.


7. Coding Helps Make Friends with Maths and Science
Maths is the main source of all the coding processes. Such skills as analyzing and organizing data are indivisible from Maths. Children will never get bored by coding the same way they can get bored with classical Math and Science teaching. They will never realize that they are studying Maths though their calculation and logic skills will boost. That may be a good reason for supporting the idea of introducing coding in school programs and courses.


8. Learning Becomes Fun
If a kid gets bored easily with different educational approaches, there is no risk of being bored while coding. The children will meet the fun challenges but they will be delighted to spend such an interesting time overcoming them.


9. Storytelling Skill Formation
That may sound unusual but every coding process always involves a set beginning, the medium part in progress, and a conclusive end. It looks like storytelling performed in a unique computer language. Here, every alphabet letter has its specific formula. This aspect can provide children with important help and further understanding in such spheres as oral communication, self-representation, and writing.

Conclusion

All in all, if you teach a child to code from an early age, you will provide them with the best chances to be successful in the future. When they continue studies at school and then at University, they will be able to boost their learning process in other fields and make it more effective.

Coding will help future students develop other soft skills, such as perseverance, self-organization, self-presentation, and confidence.
There is no certain answer about at what age to start teaching coding to kids. However, since a coding editor allows for creating animations or games, the interaction with the computer environment can start from the age of 7 or even earlier. However, even if a child is 10 or over, the teaching-learning process will also go smoothly for the future benefit of children.

We hope that the reasons why you should teach coding to young kids beginning at an early age are quite persuasive and you are ready to start now.


Guest Blogger:

Mary Byrd is a freelance writer with a combination of analytical mind and creativity. She is currently working at the software development company VironIT and does everything to climb the career ladder of the blog.