I introduced Coding to my 5-year-old. You should, too.
No, it’s NOT because I want him to become a Programmer.
Good parents help their kids immerse themselves in a broad variety of activities: drawing, dancing, playing the piano, playing chess, etc. without any expectation of a professional outcome. Children are natural learners, explorers, scientists, and artists. They deserve to have as many ways of enjoying life, expressing themselves, and engaging their brain and body as possible.
Still, there are only 13-15 waking hours in a day for a child. They cannot learn all. So it does matter which are the activities you invite your child to try.
Here are 3 reasons I believe Programming is one of the best activities for your child.
Programming empowers the Creator in your child
Nowadays it’s so easy and addictive to consume. If you let your child watch YouTube on an iPad, they won’t bother you for hours. Sounds seductive, but dangerous. We humans should be masters of digital technology, not slaves.
A better way to live is to create. Write stories. Draw pictures. Shape models. Create cards. Design machines. And Programming brings a whole new dimension to Creating! Your child can create interactive stories, imaginative animations, fun learning games, and so much more. Above all, they will have fun doing so.
Programming engages their whole brain
To create an interactive story in ScratchJr, your child will:
Masterfully use logic and math. They put the coding blocks in Sequence, think about Conditions, understand Loops, plan and trigger and respond to Events, manipulate coordination, etc.
Create imaginative and thoughtful designs. Where to put these characters? What should they wear? What will they say? How would my friend interact with this? Should we hide the other buttons?
I have yet to find any other activity that can engage BOTH the logic and creative sides of the brain as well as programming.
Programming helps develop resiliency and grit
Your child will meet plenty of problems. Many will be within easy reach.
But sometimes programming gets hard. Well, really hard. Unexpected, mysterious bugs happen. Your child may want to do something that requires a lot of repetition and/or complexity. Every time they meet those kinds of programming problems and persist to finish their creation, they are building a more resilient, gritty mindset.
And that’s one of the most important factors for long-term success.
These three are the most fundamental, foundational benefits of programming and digital creation.
And there are plenty more! Introduce your child to Programming and experience them by yourselves :)
