Coding is about developing or programming the computer through a creative process that guides the computer to perform various actions. It is achieved through codes or some instructions vital for a computer to perform in a preferred way. Simply, codes are the series of inputs, actions, outputs, and reactions. In this digital era, coding skills are very essential for people in most industry. Various studies have highlighted that children who know how to code from the beginning of their schooling level, perform better throughout their education. Such students also prefer to go into STEM area in college as well as in career.
What is the best age to learn coding for kids?
Every child has own uniqueness. They can adopt various things at different rates and ways. Experts are of the view that children should learn coding at their early age. According to MIT, the best age for kids to start learning coding languages such as Scratch Jr is from the age of 5 to 7. People often achieve this through different logical games that help in simulating the skill of coding. After some time, you can move onto the more demanding exercises. There are also various programming courses available that follow a research-based approach proven the teach real-world skills that can effectively engage your kid. At Classover, we help kids to develop their coding skills by providing the best in class online coding experience. Let us introduce your kid to the basics of programming. Feel free to try out our free trial classes, you will be surprised by how much your kids can learn in less than 1 hour.
Why should Kids Learn How to Code?
Coding is considered fundamental learning in the digital age. So, understanding the technology and working with it is a need of this age. Kids should learn how to code because:
It helps in problem-solving
Children will understand how things work by learning the basics of programming and by understanding computers. They will also learn the usefulness of math in logically solving problems. That’s why it is important to teach coding to kids so they learn these problem-solving skills while they are young.
It helps the children to develop resilience
Through coding, children learn to bounce back after every failure, to bounce back in the best possible way. They learn to embrace their mistakes and not give up but instead learn from their mistake. They can also learn that failure is a part of moving forward as it serves as a learning opportunity. This is the best reason why children should learn to code as they will get to know that “debugging” the code is half the fun, not a burden.
Coding teaches children how to think
Steve Jobs, once said, that “A computer is a bicycle for your mind”.
Computer programming does not revolve around typing lines of code but it has more to do with your thinking ability. Learning to code teaches your children how to think effectively and differently. It is about logical thinking, Programmers usually observe a large problem and then break it down into smaller pieces to solve it effectively.
Computer programming is the future
In this progressing age, coding or programming is considered an important skill as various businesses, not just the technological sector, are relying on computer code. If a child learns to code, it will benefit him in having more employment opportunities in the future either in the health department, technology sector, finance, retail or other. That’s why children should learn how to code.
How should kids start learning coding
Your children will end up frustrated if you start doing too fast in the start. The whole process should be fun. So, it is recommended to start slow, learn things with time, and complete small tasks along the way. You should introduce coding to your kids in the following way:
Introduce them to the basics first
It is important to grasp the basic concept to master it. You can introduce the coding to your kids with some viewing or reading. Various books and articles are covering all the coding concepts. If your kid learns things through videos and listening then there is a lot of material available on YouTube.
Try something small
Your kids are excited and ready for more knowledge as they learned that coding is the origin of different robots, video games, and movies. Assigning something difficult will easily make them frustrated. Their first project shouldn’t be an open-world adventure game. Start with them with something small. This is the best way to keep them excited and engaged before they fully dive into this programming world.
Move onto something bigger
As they learn the basics, then they can move onto better things. The next step shouldn’t be shooting for the stars. Just stick with the things familiar to them. Take the baby steps and focus on understanding each and everything. This will help them in learning how various things came together to bring life to something. With such steps, they will be getting ready to make simple apps and it is the core of making something bigger.
Coding Languages for Kids
As we have discussed that learning to code is important, but figuring out which language to start with is a difficult task. Some languages are easier while some have wider applications. This article highlights some of the languages suitable for your kid.
Python
This programming language is easily readable like normal speech. It is easy to learn and understand, and widely used in the real world. Its libraries help in creating a lot of programs. It has already built-in common functions. All these qualities make it best for the kids.
Scratch
If your kid is more interested in creating art, interactive stories, and animations then he should select scratch.
Java
It is a little tough as compared to Java but learning this as a first language will help in learning other languages more efficiently.
To learn more about what programming language is good for kids to learn, check out this article 《Best programming language for kids》
Conclusion
The best age for kids to start learning to code is in their early elementary years. They can use their cognitive moment to sow seeds for the complicated knowledge later. We believe that the best age to learn coding for kids would be around 6-7.