Rise of Machines – 10 Reasons Why Coding is an Essential Skill for Kids

Coding and children! Do they rhyme? The answer is a big no. Can you fit dry and dreary coding into the beautiful world of the little ones? The world they build with Legos, decorate with toys, and splash with colors of innocence! Again, the answer is no! 

No issues! But when you look at the data, you will get a jolt and it will force you to think otherwise. The Smithsonian Science Education Center reveals STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Math) occupations out-earn non-STEM fields by 12-30% across all education levels. STEM jobs have doubled as a proportion of all jobs since the industrial revolution.  

The impact of the technological revolution is such that as many as 375 million workers globally would have to switch occupations or gain new skills by 2030, according to a McKinsey report. Moreover, 60 percent of occupations have at least 30 percent of constituent work activities that could be automated by 2030, globally. 

Phew! The numbers are mind-boggling. All STEM fields including robotics, automation, AI, App Development, and others will be interdependent on coding. Are you still in two minds about introducing your child to computing? Are you one of those who are fighting against implementing coding in the school curriculum? 

What happens when you leave your little ones with colors and canvas? They let their imagination fly and introduce you to their hidden feelings and emotions with a splash of colors on the canvas. You get to see the creative side of your children when you leave them alone with the Legos. 

They use the blocks to create their inner world in the form of various shapes and sizes. Similarly, when those little fingers fly on the computer keyboards to code a new matrix, they can unleash a new creative side. They can create a different world with the power of computing.  

The discourse about children learning to code is important because the world is changing at a rapid pace, and it is important to empower our children. They should be able to ride the changing tides with élan.

A report by the World Economic Forum forecasts that in 2025, machines will perform more current work tasks than humans as compared to 71% being performed by humans today. The rapid evolution of machines and algorithms in the workplace could create 133 million new roles in place of 75 million that will be displaced between now and 2022.

So, can you imagine a world 15 years from now? Can you imagine your child struggling to survive the wave of rapid change? Exposure to technology at an early age can help them understand the importance of technology, and they can use this power of knowledge to open various avenues for themselves. 

What is Coding?

Coding is a language that communicates with a computer. The mode of giving instructions to a computer to perform specific tasks is called coding. Therefore, to function a computer thoroughly, you need to learn coding. Coding is vast. 

You can make software, video and digital games, apps, websites and so much more through it. Coding has molded itself into a life skill whose importance will only grow with time. 

Why is Learning Coding Vital?

Technological skills are survival tools for the future. Coding is an essential skill in today’s world, and it will have an even bigger impact and role to play in the future. So much so that across the globe, a process to include coding in the school curriculum has already started. 

Statistics projecting a futuristic work ecosystem have made it mandatory to make the move. The STEM education stats says by 2018, 2.4 million STEM jobs will go unfilled. And others like 71% of all new jobs in STEM are in computing, but only 8% of STEM graduates are in Computer Science.

Coding is not just an extra classroom activity anymore, but a full-fledged life skill that reaps several beneficial rewards.

Here, are some of the benefits of coding:

1. Coding Boosts Career Opportunities

In today’s highly skillful world of incredible competitiveness, children are required to punch above their weights and possess skills that are futuristic and in high demand. Coding is no longer just a cool skill to have, but jobs related to coding and computers are growing at a rapid pace, much more as compared to other jobs around nations. 

The world is moving online, and in these digitized times, coding professionals are extremely well-paid.

2. Future Belongs to the Robots 

We live in crazy times where it seems that there is a machine for almost every human activity that can do the task at a much rapid pace. We communicate with machines in cars, we listen to songs on a machine, turn on and off the lights through it, and so much more. All these machines function on coding. 

Therefore, it is important that children learn to code and understand the nature of these machines better. It also opens up a number of employment opportunities for a highly automated future. In no time, coding will become as relevant as any human language in our lives. 

3. Coding Belongs to the 21st Century

Coding is an amalgamation of various computer programming languages – Java, HTML, Python, etc. Understanding how these languages make everything function so smoothly is important and instrumental to success. Coding is the literature of the digital world. 

4. Coding is Creativity

Coding triggers the creative headspace of children. There is a great boost that it provides in self-confidence and children start thinking innovatively, with the desire to create something on their own. Coding is a great way to elicit the genius of the young little minds. It is important to inspire children to create more, and this is what coding does to them.

5. Coding Fosters Math Skills

Maths is a complex subject, or is it? Well, when you learn to code, it isn’t so typical. In fact, it helps children to understand the seemingly impenetrable abstract concepts and apply math to real-time situations. You would see coding as an integral part of various STEM programs as it also fosters algebraic and arithmetic skills.

6. Coding Means Resilience and Persistence

It is important to be graceful in your failures and portray the will to keep learning. Coding helps children understand that spontaneous results are mostly transitory and you have to take the hard route for success. It is because children fail various times when they start to learn to code. 

They keep digging it out the hard way until they get their desired result. Such rigorous discipline helps children to tackle future difficulties in a better way.

7. Coding Enhances Problem-solving Skills in Children

As Dan Crow, CTO of SongKick explains, “Computational thinking teaches you how to tackle large problems by breaking them down into a sequence of smaller, more manageable problems.”

Don’t we visualize coding as something very complex and a network of tricky programs? Well, if that’s the case, then those who are exposed to coding at an early age learn how to solve the most difficult problems because they can identify routes that take them towards solutions. 

Coders just start to see complexities as easy-going, understandable lessons. Problem-solving is a very useful trait to have and that is why there is a need for the educational system to inculcate coding in their curriculum and teach children to see through things deeply and intricately.

8. Coding Provides a Better Understanding of the World

It is important to understand how our surroundings work and also those who accompany us in it. Coding is a wonderful and very helpful substitute for children who are on the autism spectrum. Coding programs help these children explore various concepts that make their lifestyles and daily household routines more convenient. 

Moreover, as discussed earlier, understanding coding helps us develop a relationship with devices and technology that we are surrounded by and interact with daily.

9. Coding Improves Academic Performance

There is always a structured way of learning that helps children utilize their time in a useful manner. Coding allows children to create segregations and divide their tasks in an assembled manner. 

Creating coding programs in such a way helps them take short steps towards learning, idea testing, and further establishing logical patterns. This experiential form of learning is the future, and that is what coding provides to children. It thrives on building computational skills.

10. Coding is Fun-learning

Children are much more likely to learn and grasp ideas at their age than adults. They seem to have fewer mental barriers and a youthful determination towards taking up new challenges. Coding is fun to learn with endless growth opportunities. The usefulness of coding in today’s world is at an all-time high, and if you know coding, you know how to rule the world.

Children can make apps, video games, websites and so much more. Learning to code is a hands-on experience for children which helps them to understand coding concepts that are extremely educative and helpful.

Currently, children have to go that extra mile to make your children tech-savvy. But the EdTech industries have solved this by bringing lessons to our fingertips. Some of the young players in the field like Moonpreneur have ushered in simple yet effective learning modules. Moonpreneur’s four-stage Innovator Program makes it easier for the children to get interested in STEAM subjects and pursue them with full force.