Sometimes, when we learn a new subject, what we absorb gets applied down the road in surprising ways. You never know how a math lesson may assert itself later in contexts that have nothing to do with crunching numbers.
For example, kids learn problem-solving when they do math, but thinking on their feet can help them in countless other situations. Likewise, learning how to write code can help kids in several unexpected ways.
RP4K is proud to make our online programming lessons fun above all, but we’re also glad to help prepare kids for a rich life. Let’s check out some ways that content from our coding classes can be applied in real-life situations.
Aside from the direct benefits of learning how to write code, many parents want their kids to learn coding online because it helps them think like an engineer. Engineers tackle problems with a tendency to think outside the box. They test their broad-minded hypotheses rigorously.
Engineers are open to considering a problem from every angle possible and aren’t biased towards a specific approach or against certain conclusions. They’re methodical and thorough. In other words, parents want their children to have healthy habits of mind which learning to code promotes.
Sometimes, to think effectively, you need to feel good about how you think. It’s important to foster a positive association so children grow up enjoying the learning process. Making mistakes and errors in the work is inevitable, but learning how to code teaches kids not just to accept mistakes but to embrace them!
“Mistakes” in coding provide important data because it tells programmers what not to do. This guides their thought process and helps them get to the right solution. But more than that, it conditions children to accept their errors.
Otherwise, kids may beat themselves up for making what they deem as real mistakes. A child’s self-esteem shouldn’t hinge on how they perform on a given task in school, but sometimes, this is exactly what happens. Learning to code helps them enjoy the learning process by understanding that the journey’s ups and downs are all inevitable and not to get too worried or stressed out.
Higher self-esteem correlates to better performance in the classroom, so RP4K is sure to nurture that spirit in our classes.
If you ask the average person to name a language, you’re more likely to respond with traditional languages, like “Spanish” or “French” than “JavaScript.” However, coding languages are very much languages with their own conventions, rules, syntax, and even grammar.
RP4K is proud to teach the coding languages that employers expect their employees to know, such as:
Even young kids can begin learning Python, rather than a drag-and-drop program like Scratch, which is really only designed to give kids a sense of what coding is like. Beginners start learning real programming languages, and advance within it, honing their skills, before moving on to the next language.
This journey lets them convert their imagination into a real computer program quicker and more responsively. Kids won’t even realize they’re learning a language, but improved digital literacy exercises the same underlying muscle.
Kids today are born into a complex digital world that is only set to expand. Today, people use apps and devices for banking, getting their news, communicating, and doing countless other things. Knowing how to write code helps children interact with the digital world safely and effectively because, in a sense, coding lets them peek behind the curtains and understand how these devices work.
Even programs like Microsoft Word use C++ for the program interface and the file system. People can feel alienated from large swathes of the internet and digital devices when they don’t understand how they work. Especially considering technology’s dominant role in society, kids shouldn’t be frightened of digital technology.
The more comfortable with digital technology they are, the easier it’ll be for them to safely navigate the digital world. After all, you want your kids to make their mark on technology, not the other way around. Kids tend to be more fluent with the technology they’re born into, but there’s a difference between navigating a device and using it safely.
One of RP4K’s main goals is to make the classes so much fun that kids don’t even realize that they’re learning, of all things, math! RP4K’s founder is a mathematician, and math has always been at the core of programming.
Children in our online coding classes learn integers, vectors, and even trigonometry. We love math at RP4K, but we understand that if you ask a kid, “Are you eager to learn math?” the answer may sadly not always be affirmative!
Math concepts are baked into programming when kids start learning, though it definitely gets more advanced as they pass through the courses. The logical thinking involved helps, so there are direct and indirect ways that coding improves their math skills.
One thing is for sure. Kids taking online coding classes will only perform better in math classes moving forward. It’s even possible that if you ask them afterwards if they want to learn math, they will say “yes.”
Finally, knowing how to code opens the door to countless jobs, including in fields adjacent to video game design or programming. Many exciting and good-paying IT career paths involve general computer skills kids obtain while learning to code.
The video game industry is now worth more than the film and music industry combined! That’s one reason parents want their kids to know how to code games, not just play them. However, there are even more jobs available than that!
If kids learned nothing from coding classes and only enjoyed a fun extracurricular, that would be reason enough to sign them up. But, fun aside, there are many direct and indirect benefits of learning to code, so contact RP4K today to inquire about which class is right for your child.
