Why Coding is Important for Young Minds?
Last weekend (10th Sept 2022), STEAMLabs Africa hosted a Gig and Giggles Coding workshop for young children. In this session, they learned more than just how to code, with the help of Scratch Coding Cards and training software. They also learned how hardware and software work together, with the help of our partner micro:bit and their pocket-sized computer. Altogether, our trainees gained a deeper understanding of how a computer works and how to get a computer to do what you want. In so doing, they learned lessons that will prepare them for life in the digital world, as well as success in their professional lives, at a critical stage in their development; their infancy. But why do we start educating them so young? And why is coding so important?
Coding is important for young minds because:
👾 It is another language: Coding is another language. Every letter in the alphabet is assigned a numerical value of 0’s and 1’s. These numbers, called binary code, tell computers what to do, when to do it and how to do it. So, learning how to code at a young age is important for two reasons. First, our children’s lives will be, and are, defined by technology and their interactions with technology. Therefore, to prepare them for life is to teach them how to talk to and with computers. Failing to do this, would be like sending them out on a boat, without any paddles to row with. The second reason why learning how to code at a young age is important is because it will be easier to learn at a younger age. Since coding is learning a new language, learning it at a young age allows you to pick it up faster. Studies have shown that children soak up languages like sponges because their brains are primed to accumulate new information. Therefore, to pass up this opportunity would be like passing up the opportunity to invest in Apple and Facebook in the early 2000s.
🎨 It fosters problem-solving and creativity: Programming is messy. Code can fail at the last minute, with no easy explanation or way to solve it. This is why coding is a trial-and-error process that depends upon identifying the RIGHT problem to solve. Coding teaches how to get to the root of a problem, and shows you how to design a solution. As a result, it also fosters independence in your child, develops self-confidence in their abilities and grows a sense of perseverance. All this is developed at an age where your child’s personality and values are forming and being reinforced.
🤔 It teaches children to embrace curiosity: If you really want to code, you need to figure out what you want to make, and then learn how to make that thing work. In other words, coding starts from a place of curiosity and asking questions. To solve the problems that our children will face, they need to challenge the status quo. To challenge the status quo, they need to learn how to ask questions and be willing to ask them.
In short, coding helps children grow into confident and resilient problem solvers, who not only live life curiously but are able to make the most out of the tools available to them.
This does not mean that you should enrol your children in any coding class. You must enrol them in a coding class that goes beyond teaching your children the mechanics of coding and, instead, goes to the ethos, or spirit, of coding. The former is like learning grammar rules, and the latter is learning about the culture behind the language and exploring how it has been used.
At STEAMLabs Africa we help your children think like coders thanks to our hands-on programmes, specialised attention and a student-centred approach. And by helping your children think like coders, STEAMLabs Africa helps them think like winners 🏆.
