8 reasons your child should learn to code at an early age
Are you reading this on a device – mobile, laptop, or tablet? Do you regularly speak to people via video conferencing? Did you log into your laptop this morning or use a security code to get into your building? The answer is probably yes, and guess what – all of these activities are impossible without coding!
Stephen Hawking once said, “Whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you just want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to learn.” More than being a catalyst for career success, coding will help develop your child’s logical, cognitive and strategic abilities.
When it comes to coding, the younger you start, the better. Ideally, as early as 6 to 7 years of age! Here’s a little trivia for you: guess the ages when some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs – Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk – started their coding journey. The answers are 8 and 10 respectively! That’s why we at AlphaGen Learning have developed courses for children as young as 7-year-old! Here are 8 benefits your children will get by starting their coding journey as early as possible:
1. Builds your child’s confidence – When we give our kids the knowledge and skills they need to create anything they want, their confidence and self-esteem levels are unmatched! Now is the time to equip our children to take charge of the world around them and become confident creators of technology.
Whatever your child’s area of interest, AlphaGen Learning makes sure to hone each child’s skills and celebrate their uniqueness by making learning fun, personalized, and interactive!
2. Develops problem-solving skills – Sometimes, our first response to a technical problem is to reboot our device. But how about we tell you, that’s not enough? Coders know that random fixes do not solve problems. They approach problems by logically breaking them down and efficiently implementing the best solutions. Learning to code and debug projects at a young age helps your child build a problem-solving mindset to deal with larger challenges that they will face later in life.
3. Enables your child’s creativity – Does your child have a knack for sketching? Do they love music? Do they often talk about fictional characters or superheroes? Through coding, your child can materialize their own unique ideas!
Take the example of Esha, one of our students, who is a huge Potterhead! With our instructor’s help, she created a game with one of the Harry Potter movie’s characters, Lord Voldemort. Check it out here and don’t forget to let us know your high score!
4. Keeps your child productively engaged – Instead of just playing games, let your child make their games! Have the best of both worlds by having fun while learning a valuable life skill.By enrolling your child for coding classes, you can have peace of mind in knowing that they’re learning a language and developing important life skills through this fun activity.
5. Builds logical abilities – Coding is all about one thing – logic! In fact, it is logic that allows a program to perform calculations and make decisions. A coder must know the application of logic to sequence code, write the correct syntax and create algorithms. Coding enables your child to analyze information and determine what to do with that information.
6. Helps with academic performance – A popular conventional belief is that kids interested in coding need to develop strong math skills since coding requires a great deal of knowledge of mathematical concepts like calculation, algorithms, algebra, etc. However, as it turns out, the reverse may also be true! Coding can help children build their mathematical skills while making the subject fun and easy to understand. It also helps children with their writing skills, by making them understand the value of concision and planning.
7. Helps in understanding the world around them better – In Steve Jobs’ words “a computer is a bicycle for your mind!” In today’s world that is dominated by technology, coding not only helps children understand computers but it also fosters their curiosity. Digital literacy skills ranging from safety and security online to understand how the devices that surround us work are a must for the next generation.
8. Develops grit and a ‘never give up’ attitude – A great way to develop patience and grit is to let a child go through life as if they were trying to pass a level within their favorite game! Succeeding at a game ironically means signing up to fail repeatedly, and while getting stuck for too long can get frustrating, the sweet success at the end is that much more satisfying. Learning to code and debug projects gives us the tenacity to endure trial and error, until we learn to get it right!
Come code with AlphaGen Learning
We believe in student-led, personalized classes for the next generation. A child’s learning journey should be empowering, fun, and interactive! That’s why we only host one-on-one classes so that 100% focus will be on your child and the class will be personalized based on their interests! Sign up for a free class today and experience it yourself.
