Benefits of Coding for Kids: Beyond the STEM

The benefits of coding for kids reach beyond what most parents imagine. Even the tangible skills that kids gain from coding go much further than STEM.

Long-term coding classes for kids provide them with a perspective on what it takes to build a new skill. The challenges that they face in those classes give them a strong ability to identify and solve problems.

What kids do with new technical skills doesn’t just apply to software engineers anymore. A wide range of professions use coding in their work today. Biologists all the way to investment bankers use some form of programming in their jobs!

The most rewarding benefit for a parent of a new coder is seeing the new confidence that it brings their child.

Learn Coding: Learn to Build a New Skill

Building a new skill takes time, whether it’s learning a foreign language or how to build a business. Your child will need to know what it takes to build up knowledge and ability in some area or another. In other words, they’ll need to learn how to learn.

No skill is built overnight. Gaining fluency in some foreign languages takes years. It takes professionals of all areas years to hone in on their craft. This is true for doctors, engineers, managers, you name it.

Coding for kids is a great way to teach kids this life skill. Mastering coding is a long road. Kids can first learn coding through drag-and-drop coding environments like Scratch.

The benefits of Scratch coding for kids starts with learning essential programming concepts like events, loops, and variables. It opens the door to excelling in other future courses.

Code Galaxy offers multiple drag-and-drop coding classes for kids in Scratch.

Later on, skills gained in courses like Python and Web Development can be applied in a real world context. The benefits of Scratch coding for kids never really end as kids grow their abilities beyond Scratch courses!

Better Problem Solving Skills

If you want to learn coding, you need to learn how to problem solve. Coders are constantly faced with unique problems. When a program or code doesn’t work, they have to fix it.

Fixing code can be a tedious task that requires a lot of patience. It can be extremely rewarding, though, to squash a bug in your code.

The first step is searching for the error. Analyzing errors and warnings in the text editor is a challenge that requires patience.

Once you’ve identified the issue you need to find the right solution.

Making the right correction to code may take some improvising. You might have to rely on your classmates or coworkers. The internet has become a common tool for solving issues as well. Platforms like Stack Overflow allow coders to find help from other like-minded programmers.

Problem solving will be important in university and whichever career your child follows.

At university they’ll need to know how to rely on other resources to solve problems in the classroom. In order to find success they’ll need help from classmates, textbooks, and of course the internet.

Identifying problems will be a big asset as they move through their career. This is true whether they’re an engineer analyzing the functionality of a product or a teacher trying to raise their students’ test scores. Entrepreneurs create new products or services from a problem that consumers have. As future professionals, your kids will solve these problems with the help of the people and resources around them.

Kids will apply these skills both professionally and personally for the rest of their lives.

Careers Outside of Software

Coding classes for kids shouldn’t be considered an option only for future software engineers. A vast array of professionals use coding in their work.

From an office worker using VBA to automate a spreadsheet in Excel to a biologist using R to manage data, coding is everywhere.

A coding language like Python can be used in a wide variety of areas.

Python is a highly valued skill in traditional roles like software engineering. It’s also valuable as a tool for statistics. As an example, the language is commonly used in finance to analyze financial data.

Code Galaxy offers Python classes as our flagship courses for middle schoolers. For many it will be their first exposure to text based programming. Students can learn Python as early as second grade.

When kids learn coding they’re building a highly sought after skill. Automation is becoming a bigger part of work every year. Behind that automation is code.

Coding Classes for Kids = More Confidence

Through coding, kids learn that being able to do something that’s challenging isn’t just about being smart. Kids will walk away from each coding course with more confidence.

It’s a skill that they can take ownership of through projects they’ve built themselves.

Aside from being able to code, kids will better understand how technology works.

Social media platforms for many kids are a pain point. It’s a place where they’re forced to compare themselves with others. A web development course can change the internet from being a place of anxiety into a place of confidence and higher self-esteem.

Kids walk away from the Code Galaxy Intro to Web Development course knowing more about HTML and CSS. Learning web development is one of the great benefits of coding for kids as html is the foundation for web pages on the internet. This means kids walk away with a better understanding of a critical piece of the world wide web.

Get the Benefits of Coding for Kids at Code Galaxy

Courses for students of any skill level at any age are offered at Code Galaxy. However, we have a long-term curriculum for students that stick with us!

Generally, students start with Scratch in elementary school then move to Python in middle school and finish with web development in high school. There are several other courses to take along their journey as well. These include fun courses like Minecraft and Roblox.

After finishing the curriculum students will understand the perseverance needed to learn a high value skill. They’ll gain lifelong problem solving skills. On top of that, they’ll gain technical skills valued across professions. Most important of all, they’ll have more self-worth from having the confidence to tackle new challenges.

If you’re interested in getting started, register for classes or sign up for a free demo today. In the case that you have any additional questions about the “benefits of coding for kids”, reach out to our team at support@thecodegalaxy.com.