Coding
Coding is an activity in which an individual creates a program to design a video game, software, application, etc. Understanding the syntax used to be very difficult in older days, and successful programmers would be considered a ‘rare species.’ This scenario has undergone a drastic change in the past few years, especially over the period of the last decade.
Do you intend to ask, “How come?”
The answer to this question is that many programming training institutes have taken the shape of Ed-tech platforms that offer online courses in coding or programming over the past decade. These online coding classes are conducted in audio-visual learning sessions for kids. A trainer or coding instructor communicates with the child on-screen during the session and teaches coding using various innovative and exciting methods rather than the conventional and boring text-based programming. The latest ‘interesting’ method to teach coding to kids is colorful blocks-based coding. A program is divided into smaller bits displayed on colorful blocks against the extended, plain syntax used to take a programmer’s interest away in no time in the past. This new teaching method to kids has many benefits – not just for teaching artificial intelligence to kids but also in real-life situations.
How?
Let’s see!
Benefits of Coding:
1.Coding strengthens children’s memory
When children try to recall how they had performed a task in the past, their memory develops. In case of coding, they strive to recall the sequence of steps, the importance of each of these steps in the entire process, the time required to complete every step, etc. This benefits them in other activities also. They learn to apply the same rule to other tasks; also, their memory and overall brain development occur.
2. Programming helps increase children’s capacity to focus
When children start learning anything whole-heartedly, they show readiness to sit for even longer hours to accomplish it. They feel a sense of satisfaction from making efforts to master the skill. This habit, then, helps them in other tasks also. Their capacity to focus on other tasks or concentrate on activities such as their studies, learning some arts or crafts, practicing performing art forms, etc., also increases.
3. It teaches kids to look at situations from many perspectives
Coding teaches kids that a program can be created or developed using various methods or ways and that there is no fixed method. Similarly, children learn that problems in real life can also be solved simply by changing their perspectives. They understand that situations need not be solved forcefully but tactfully to make things or life easier.
4. Coding gives kids an idea that a problem can be solved step – by – step
When coding is taught using the block-based method, a program is designed bit – bit in smaller chunks. This gives kids an idea that any problem in life can be solved by taking one small step at a time, rather than taking the entire problem on one’s shoulder in one go. Thus, artificial intelligence is similar to real life in many ways.
5. It helps kids with school academics also
Programming lessons make studies or curricular subjects easy for kids. Math and science problems and equations are especially easy for kids who are learning to code. Programming develops the calculation skills of kids to an unimaginably great extent.
6. Coding gives children a sense of achievement
When children create a program or a software or a video game successfully, they feel a sense of achievement from creating or designing it. They realize that when they achieve or win anything after hard work or sincere efforts, a sense of satisfaction arises from it is worth a lot.
7. Programming teaches kids to have patience and not to give up easily
Failures at an early age are significant for the overall mental and emotional health development of kids. Kids who learn that failures are not the end of any task or any episode or any area in life; they are, on the contrary, the stepping stones for success, tend to be very successful in life, since they are well versed with perseverance, devotion to an activity or a skill or a talent, and know-how to work hard till they attain success and perfection in whatever they are doing.
Thus, we see in what ways lessons in coding or programming benefits children. Suppose you are thinking about how to keep your children constructively busy. Why not think of getting them enrolled in an excellent online coding class, which can be taken not only without wasting any time and money in commuting but also from the safe environment of one’s own home. You can always check out our partner Condingal as well for coding classes for kids. They have state of art curriculum as well as an in-house team of teachers.