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5 Simple Ways to Get Kids Coding
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Jan 2, 2018 | STEM
If you’re following this blog (or the news!), you probably know that there’s a big push toward teaching kids how to code. Besides being a fun new challenge, introducing kids to coding is something you can do now to help ensure their success later – at least a basic understanding of programming will be a must-have for tomorrow’s employers. Plus, learning to code hones logic and problem solving skills, develops creativity, helps them make better use of their technology, and more. That’s why this mom has resolved to start her kiddo down the path to coding this year – and here’s how!
1. Take Another Look at Laundry!
Yes, laundry! Sorting and ordering is a key piece of coding. Dump your dirties on the floor and ask your kiddo to help you sort the lights, darks, and mediums. Or find all the socks. You know, do what their parents do practically every day? Then, when the laundry’s clean, have your little one help you sort the socks into matching piles. Simple! And possibly helpful.
2. Speak Another Language…
No, we’re not starting Mandarin lessons just yet, but learning and practicing the language of “If, Then” is a great way to get your child thinking like a coder. And it’s fun! If, Then works kind of like Simon Says. Using your own silly words and actions, try to get your kids to understand the basic logic of command and execution. If I say “bleep”, then you jump once. If I say “bleep, bleep” then you jump twice. If I say “bloop”, then you spin around. Then give them a series of “bleeps” and “bloops” to follow. Congratulations – you’re coding!
Speak Another Language_With Your Feet!
3. What Happens Next?
Who’s up for a game of “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Just kidding. Ugh. But understanding logical sequence is an important coding skill. Ask your kids to tell you about their day, in chronological order. Or have them summarize the plot of a book, TV show, or movie, making sure they’re sharing the events in the same order they happened. Thinking in sequential order will help your kids see what happens, first, next, and last.
4. Think Like an Inventor!
This one is fun. Challenge your children – and yourself – to come up with a list of things that are frustrating around the house. Maybe the kitchen trash can is stinky or the kids constantly track dirt or grass through the front door. Then, make a list of all the crazy ways you can think of to solve that problem. For example, my daughter doesn’t like picking up toe nail trimmings, and drew a sketch of a nail clipper with a basket to catch all the cuttings. Out-of-the-box thinking is a critical skill for programmers, whose job it is to create new ways to solve problems.
5. Play Your Way!
There are also some really great apps, computer programs, board games, and even robots like Learning Resources’ Botley The Coding Robot, designed to teach kids to code. Find a format your kids like – a robot for your computer kiddo or an activity set for your tinkerer – and watch them master a skill that’s sure to make a meaningful difference in their futures!
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Why Young Children Should Learn How to Code From apps to board games, hands-on toys like Learning Resources’ Botley™ the Coding Robot, classes at school, and even dedicated summer camps, it feels like we’re surrounded by coding! Coding is definitely a hot topic and it’s becoming a big business. But can little kids really learn to code? And even if they can, should they?The answer is a great, big, YES! Even if you don’t think your child is destined to be the next Sheryl Sandberg, there are big time benefits to learning to code and kids can start as young as preschool. In fact, like most things, learning to code is actually easier when kids are younger.Some people think that knowing how to code will soon be as important as knowing how to read. We’re not ready to go quite that far, but an understanding of computer science – the way computers and apps work, will be pretty key in our kids’ futures. Whether they work in coding or not, understanding the basics of how software is programmed will help kids use it more efficiently, even if it’s just to search for the latest video from their favorite YouTuber.
That said, there are more concrete and immediate benefits to an early introduction to coding, the biggest of them being logic. Learning to think logically – also called computational thinking – plays a critical role in your child’s mental growth. Coding teaches kids to identify a problem; find a solution; break that solution down into single, actionable steps; and identify any problems, or errors along those steps. This is the same, sequential though process used to solve a math problem, understand a scientific process, and write a story.
Speaking of, believe it or not, learning to code encourages your child’s creativity! Because there’s not just one solution to every problem, coding enables your child to come up with their own way to think about and address a need.Teaching kids to code also promotes curiosity and innovation. What problems do your kids see? What are some of the many ways these problems might be solved? When they see a problem, rather than looking up an answer, coding encourages kids to find and try their own, out of the box, solutions.
And, of course, learning to code prepares kids to use and manage the technology they’ll use every day, for the rest of their lives, including to test at school.A simple search will reveal tons of different ways to introduce your child, even your very young child, to coding. Botley The Coding Robot, provides a hands-on, screen-free introduction to coding, enabling kids to build and program, or code, their very own robot to follow all kinds of commands, including navigating an obstacle course, capturing a flag, breaking through a ‘brick’ wall, and more. The Let’s Go Code!™ Activity Set is a fun, physical way to get your kids started with coding. Kids step, hop, spin, and more, to complete the mazes they code with the included coding cards.
No matter how you choose to introduce or practice coding skills with your kiddo, you can feel good about the fact that coding is exercising their growing brains, essentially helping them learn how to learn.
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