Learning Through Coding:

Why Children Should Start Young

While computer programming skills are an asset in today’s technologically advanced age, there are many other skills children gain from learning to code that are not exclusive to technology. These skills are especially useful when developed at a young age, which is why we encourage our students to start learning computer programming early on.

Critical Thinking

The process of critical thinking involves the identification of a problem, analyzing the problem, coming up with a solution, and then evaluating and attempting to improve the solution—these are all steps that are regularly used when computer coding. Children will understand the concept of cause and effect through their coding exercises, realizing the importance of putting in effort and thought to obtain a solution. Coding teaches children to predict possible outcomes before they have attempted a task, and how different modifications will produce different sets out outcomes. Children begin to make informed decisions to produce logical results, which in turn influences how they think.

Logic

Coding requires a process of decomposition: breaking down components into smaller parts to try and make sense of them and then applying those understandings to the bigger picture. Rather than teaching children what to think, they are learning how to think through this process. Through the practice of decomposition, children will be able to apply these skills and gain a better understanding of math, counting, spelling, and reading. Coding is essentially a form of literacy, similar to learning a new language or instrument, and will help children apply useful concepts to other areas of their learning environment.

Resilience

This improvement and advancement of learning skills will come as students learn to figure out what is not working and why, their interpretation of logical solutions will stem from their comprehension of the mistakes they have made and their persistence for correction. They will try, try, and try again until they succeed. Failure becomes less daunting once it is resolved through a learning experience.

Social Skills

Coding is a medium of expression, which encourages interaction. Whether it is with peers or with our tutors, students are always eager to share and discuss creations they are proud of. There is plenty of room for creativity in coding, and we ensure that our coding workshops appeal to kids through their own interests (ie. music & games). We have found great success with students improving their communication and social skills through our workshops and through the creation of an encouraging, safe environment.