Coding Week: 5 Benefits of Learning to Code Young
On his travels around the world, Banjo has learned loads of new and awesome languages. But the one he’s found most fun to learn (and thinks his pals should learn too) is coding – the language of the future! To celebrate National Coding Week we wanted to discuss the benefits of learning to code from a young age.
Whether you’re a parent, educator or have a keen eye on the future of education, you’ll have heard many statistics about the importance of jobs relating to STEM skills and skills of the future. One, in particular, coming from Dell Technologies and the Institute for the Future (IFTF) is that 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 have not yet been invented. This is specifically related to the advancement of technology and how quickly new evolutionary technologies come about.
These advancements of technology speak a global language which, over the last 5 years, has been recognised all over the world as a language children need to become fluent in, to ensure they are adapting to the new job opportunities of the future. It’s even being taught in classrooms across the world to children aged as young as 5 years old.
But ensuring that our children are prepared for their future is not why the cats here at Banjo HQ believe it would be beneficial for your kids to learn it too. From improving creativity to developing problem-solving and even writing skills, learning to code can bring plenty of benefits to your little one’s development. And they can have fun doing it too!
Here are our top 5 reasons why learning to code is a must nowadays!
1. Coding is like another language
Language teaches children how to communicate as well as developing their logical thinking skills when they learn to speak a new one. Learning to code is often compared to learning a foreign language, as they both require knowledge of new sets of grammar and vocabulary. And linguists have continually found that the younger you are when learning a new language, the easier it is to pick up fluently, with children’s brains being more receptive to new systems, as well as exploring these systems more creatively. So, if you’re wondering if your child is too young to learn how to code the answer is most probably no! You can start them off with simple activities or games before moving on to harder coding activities.
Check out our fun coding activities for 5+ year-olds.
2. Coding develops problem-solving skills
As kids learn to code and give directions to computers, they also learn there is no one way to solve a problem by learning to break down a problem into smaller, solvable issues. This is known as decomposition and is a vital part of personal development. Coding offers this as it works step-by-step in building a solution towards achieving an end goal. This encourages a child to see a problem logically and work towards solving it in a goal-oriented manner, rather than an unorganised approach.
3. Coding fosters creativity
Coding is all about experimenting and creating new things. From finding a new way to do something or creating an entirely new game. Coding encourages children to be creative in finding the best solution to the problem they are trying to solve by also providing them with multiple ways to solve it, fostering creativity in their approaches and enabling them to.
4. Coding helps kids organise their thoughts
Learning to code can also help children learn how to plan and organise their thoughts. For young kids, this can help them communicate better as well as help with their writing skills which brings further benefits in an academic setting.
5. Coding can help foster perseverance
Coding involves a lot of experimentation. This process of failing and starting again from the bottom until you manage to find the right solution can help foster a sense of perseverance in your child and teach them to never give up in the face of difficulties!
Here at Banjo HQ we think these are pretty awesome reasons to start our kids with coding from an early age. And we’re not talking about complicated activities like programming a video game. There are loads of super easy, screen-free and fun activities you can do with the kids to reap the benefits of learning to code.
We’ve put together a fun printable coding activities pack for 5+-year-olds here. If you want even more coding fun, check out Hour of Code for hundreds more free activities you can do together!
Stay FANTASTIC!
Love, Banjo HQ x
