Writing code is to give instructions to a computer in its own language. The key to teaching a child a language is to introduce the child to the language early. One source suggests that educators should place the same emphasis on communicating, calculating, and computing as they place on the 3Rs. There are other reasons children should learn how to code.

Coding Skills Are Life Skills

Coding is not simply about instructing a computer to create apps, games, and software. If after leaving school someone never writes another line of code, they will benefit from skills they developed while learning to code. On a résumé, being able to code can help someone land a job that doesn’t necessarily require coding skills.

Coding Teaches STEM Skills

In the near future, more employers will be looking for employees trained in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine (STEM). All Coding classes for kids prepare children for STEM careers. Coding familiarizes children with technology that will be an integral part of their lives.

Coding Skills Are Critical Thinking Skills

Throughout their lives, children will be confronted with challenging problems. Coding teaches the decomposition approach to problem-solving. In computer lingo decomposition does not mean to decay, but to solve a complex problem by breaking it down into a group of less complex problems. Critical thinking is a skill transferrable to everyday life.

Learning Code Exercises the Brain

The word “exercises” is not being used figuratively. An experiment was conducted using an MRI to record brain activity while two groups of subjects worked on problems related to computer coding. In both test groups an increase in cognitive activity was recorded. There was increased activity in regions of the brain governing attention, comprehension, language, and working memory. Left-hemisphere lateralization, the concentration of cognitive processes in one side of the brain, were recorded. In short, studying computer coding benefits a child’s brain.

Studying Computer Coding Fosters Creativity

It was mentioned earlier that coding is about instructing a computer to “create” something. You can’t have a creation without creativity. Being able to write code enables children to give life to any computer program their imagination conceives. Creativity is another example of a life skill that is acquired when children are taught how to code.

The Workforce Needs More People Who Can Write Code

Of the four skills that comprise STEM 71% of them require computing skills. Computer scientist accounts for only 8% of those holding STEM-related jobs. Learning code is the first step in learning computer science and entering the workforce with a skill that is in demand.

Writing Code Teaches Children to See Things Through

A child who quits the moment something gets difficult is not likely to have a happy or successful life. Studying computer code teaches a child to try and try again until the coding problem is resolved. Learning to never give up benefits a child in the academic and everyday world.