When it comes to extra-curricular activities, your child could be keen to explore areas of computing and digital technology. Along comes coding – a very accessible yet creative subject that children can take on at any time – that many Redbridge schools now offer as an additional area students can explore.
But what are the key benefits to coding lessons? We explore them, and more, in this guide.
Helps children solve problems
If there is something that children will learn in the world of coding, it is how to solve a problem. So many things can easily go wrong in a string of code, but it does mean that your child is able to act on them as they arise.
Coding, in its advanced stages, relies on a person navigating different elements of computing and programming to ensure it completes the task on the front end. Problems have to be broken down into smaller problems to get through them at effective speed. Children will soon learn this from the moment they begin to code for themselves, with various results to report back on as they learn.
Teaches children about resilience
In coding you do have to persevere to see the results you are after. This can mean a lot of trial and error, but as a student in a coding lesson you have to see these through in order to find what could be going wrong and how you can improve for next time. It ensures your child is able to teach themselves how to cope under a different amount of pressure and what will help them the next time they come across a problem in a piece of code.
Helps children learn to be creative
When you think of computing, you might be right in thinking it doesn’t instantly remind you of being creative. It means that your child has to come up with solutions as they go along, and thankfully, with many areas of coding being live and instantly showing you results, they can adapt quickly.
Children will explore age-appropriate content that helps them learn to code. For example, individual animations might be required, or your child is learning how to make a small computer game, animate a person’s face, or create something entirely from scratch. All of it requires a child’s creative vision.
So there are many ways you can help your child get into coding, but lessons on a regular basis will be the best way of supporting them. They could join a club that their school already organises, or you could both try and find a coding club that is run outside of school. It’s an incredible subject that can prepare children for the future, so it’s worth your time taking a look into.
