Coding for Children: Why and How? 

In today’s world; technology is everywhere and human beings are more tied up with it than ever before. Our lives are moving very fast, nobody can spare their time to sit and watch the news for hours when we have the same provided by our smartphone on the move in a very short amount of time. Nowadays we are extremely interconnected, be it with our friends or with people from different parts of the world, due to the technology that allows us to watch every moment of their lives as it unfolds. Ever wondered what made these possible? The apps that provide us with news within our commute time and that allow us to share moments of our lives and many more such apps and web platforms contain millions of codes that help in their construction to make them what they are.

 What are codes? 

In computer programming, codes are the representation of the command we give to the computer. In simplistic terms when we were kids, we learned that the command we gave to the computer was in humanistic text or speech but it processed that command in binary codes like 0 and 1. So, 0 and 1 is a form of binary code language. But Coding languages have come a long way than that, today we have coding languages like Python (primarily used for developing websites and software); C and C++ (used in Operating systems); Java (used for developing applications); HTML; SQL, and many more. 

Benefits of Coding 

For anybody trying to not only harness the power of technology but to make their own space and identity in this sphere, coding is an absolute necessity. The more and more technology penetrates our lives the more important coding becomes. 

But there are other benefits too: 

For children, learning to code teaches them to think differently, while coding children face numerous challenges which makes them think logically and improve their problem-solving skills as they learn to break the problems into small pieces to solve them effectively. 

Coding allows the children to experiment and provides them with the confidence to be creative. Using their coding skills children can design something on their own, they can digitize their ideas or create an app the opportunities are endless. 

Coding helps children with their math skills. It is very common for children to develop a phobia regarding mathematics at an early age which can be solved through coding as it allows them to apply math to real-world situations which makes it fun and creative. 

If we think from a career perspective, coding is a great way to nudge children and develop their interests in STEM subjects. Programmers, Software engineers, Data Scientists, and developers are in much demand today and this demand is only to grow with more technological advancement. Proficiency in coding language helps in enhancing our portfolio and making it stand out from others, and due to the surging demand in this sector companies are always willing to offer attractive packages.

 For any parent, teaching their children to code can be a daunting task. People like me who are not familiar with either coding or any programming language can find it difficult to make the children understand or take an interest in it. Fortunately, there are many good platforms where children can get an overall proficiency in coding from early childhood. 

And children can experience and learn from the comfort of their own homes. Learning to code, therefore, has never been this simple. The gateway to the future has been opened and the future is the technology and it is up to us to grab it when it is still within our reach