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Introduction
The world is changing rapidly, which may seem obvious, but are you taking the right steps in ensuring your children’s success?
This article aims to provide insight into why this is a pressing issue and give you steps you can take today in securing your child’s success in an inevitably tech-dependent future.
1. The One Trend We Can Predict With Certainty
There’s no denying our increasing dependency on machines.
We’ve gone from the first camera phone sold in 2000, to 6.6 billion people owning smartphones in a matter of 22 years.
With human’s innate attraction to faster, cheaper and easier solutions, and technology’s ability to meet those requirements – It’s safe to assume that this trend will only accelerate with time.
“If there is one prediction we can make about the future with certainty – it’s that technology will be a huge part of it”
2. What Can We Do to Secure Our Child’s Future?
Introduce them to coding as early as possible.
Computer coding is the language of technology and serves as a middle-man between human and machine.
It allows us to give a set of instructions to a machine and produce consistent results with unmatched speed. Every single interaction you have with technology works because of coding.
Studies show that the future of work is changing rapidly and that future employees will not only be required to be technology-capable but will be expected to have a deep understanding of technology itself.
Since 2005, the Australian job economy for tech workers has increased by 66%, as opposed to 35% for all workers.
Graph showing how the Australian job economy for tech-workers has grown by 65%, as opposed to 35% for all workers:
Whether or not your child chooses to pursue a career in technology, it’s clear that understanding how it interacts with our day-to-day lives will have undeniable benefits.
Benefits of coding for children (backed by studies).
Career options:
According to LinkedIn’s Emerging Jobs Report, during the last decade, the roles of coding experts have upsurged 650%. In this 2022 LinkedIn report of the 15 fastest growing Australian roles, 8 of them require an expert level in coding.
And regardless of becoming a fully-fledged expert or not, jobs that require some level of coding pay $30 000 more than jobs that don’t – according to a study conducted on the job market in 2016.
Mentail Resilience:
Teaching them coding isn’t necessarily to create a coder, but to give them the foundations and confidence to reach their goals with creativity and resilience. In the same way that maths is a crucial subject, coding is crucial in that it teaches children how to communicate with each other and successfully interact with machines.
A study conducted by MIT highlights that programming is advantageous for children. When children encountered problems, they used and shared resources to solve them.
Do children enjoy coding?
Non-techies hear the word ‘coding’ and either physically or mentally cringe at the thought of tackling this topic.
But here’s the reality:
Children aren’t afraid to code.
As adults, and having little experience in coding growing up, it’s not intuitive for us to explore coding. When children are introduced to abstract concepts (like coding) at a young age, it becomes second nature, which nurtures a positive and familiar relationship with technology.
When should I take my child’s coding education seriously?
Right now.
Studies show that humans are most susceptible to new concepts at the age of 5.
It’s important not to procrastinate on this closing window of susceptibility. If your child is older than 5, don’t worry. Children’s brains continue to develop all the way until their early 20s. The point is: The earlier the better.
Regardless of your budget or understanding of coding, there is an abundance of resources out there to meet anyone’s needs.
Whether your time commitment is big or small, allocate at least some time every week to the topic.
After all, it’s your child’s future we’re talking about.
In the next section, we explain exactly how you can introduce your child to coding, or how to best nurture their interests.
3. Steps You Can Take Today to Introduce or Nurture Your Child’s Coding Interests.
Firstly:
Determine your child’s particular interests.
The most crucial step is understanding why coding interests them. We can use this to align the right resources with their specific interests.
For children between 5 and 12, games continue to be a primary motivator. It’s an excellent way to get past the ‘scary’ learning curve of coding and have fun doing it. Conveniently, some of the most popular games among children have education-based counterparts. We mention a few in the next section.
Children 12 and over are often still intrigued by programming games, but their interest tends to shift to more practical coding applications.
Try to find out what motivates your child to code. Maybe they like making useful applications, or maybe they still like making games.
Secondly:
Consider which ‘form-factor’ suits best.
There are two main coding ‘form-factors’:
Block-based and text-based.
Block-Based Coding:
Block-based coding is the most entry-level form recommended for children aged 5-12, who have no coding experience.
It describes the use of simple code blocks that users can drag and drop to create simple computer programs. Many coding platforms use this framework, allowing beginners to create programs easily.
Our favourite block-based coding platforms:
Scratch:
Scratch is as entry-level as it gets, with kids as young as five able to jump in and code.
It engages users with the ability to create custom 2D games, with a website that features a block-based editor and mini-tutorials to get you started – although we observe that professional help accelerates the understanding of core concepts.
Children we recommend Scratch to:
- No coding experience
- Aged between 6 and 12
- Desire to create custom 2D games
Find their website with useful resources here.
Example of a Scratch game built with block-based coding:
Minecraft Education Edition:
Minecraft Education Edition is a great way to jump into coding because of most kids’ existing relationship with it. The idea of customising a game that they love is a powerful incentive for overcoming the problems they’ll encounter. Please note that your account needs to be associated with an education organisation to access this platform.
Children we recommend Minecraft Education Edition to:
- Some coding experience is recommended but not essential
- Aged between 6 and 14
- Already familiar with Minecraft and interested in creating custom mods and games
See their parent’s guide here.
Example of block-based coding in Minecraft:
Code.org:
Code.org is a widely accepted online resource for children to explore coding. Its website features short coding tutorials to explore.
Find their website here.
Text-based coding:
Text-based coding refers to the ‘grown-up’ form of code that real computer programmers use. Many coding languages use text-based coding, but the one considered to be most user-friendly is Python.
Although being considered a great entry point for kids looking to graduate to higher-level coding, Python is a powerful coding language used by 48.24% of programmers worldwide!
Our favourite text-based coding platforms:
Minecraft Education Edition (again):
Minecraft Education Edition is a great tool in that it offers both block-based coding and text-based coding frameworks, making it easier for children to advance.
Children we recommend text-based Minecraft Education Edition to:
- Some block-based experience for younger kids, no experience for older
- Aged between 10 and 18
- Already familiar with Minecraft and interested in creating custom mods and games
Example of text-based coding in Minecraft:
Roblox Studio:
Roblox Studio is another popular choice because of it’s already existing relationship with children (43.2 million daily users). It uses a programming language called Lua, which is similar to Python. Users are encouraged to create their own games and upload them for the community to enjoy.
Children we recommend Roblox Studio to:
- Some block-based experience for younger kids, no experience for older
- Aged between 10 and 18
- Already familiar with Roblox and are interested in creating games for others to enjoy
Find the Roblox Studio website here.
Example of coding in Roblox Studio:
Last but not least,
Python:
As we touched on, Python is a great entry-level coding language for it’s simplicity and power. Bare in mind: Python is a coding language, not an ecosystem with pre-built features like the others we’ve mentioned.
If users are exploring this without help of a professional, they will need to seek information and guidance themselves. Fortunately, you can find an abundance of free courses online by searching ‘Free Beginner Python Course’. However, this is a framework where professional help is invaluable.
Learning Python is a big step up from just creating games. You can code anything you want in Python including applications, games and even artificial intelligence. Graduating to a programming language like Python should be considered the end objective.
Users will need to first install the Python language and then an environment like Pycharm.
You can find instructions here.
Example of some Python code:
Thirdly:
Consider which delivery method is suitable.
As available as coding resources are these days, it’s still an abstract concept to children. When a child inevitably hits a roadblock, it’s invaluable to have the support of professionals and peers to guide them along their journey.
Consider these 3 delivery methods:
At home/self-taught.
Pros:
- It’s free
- Serves as a great way to get started
Cons:
- No professional support
- No classmates to engage and solve problems with
- Possibility of fizzling out
At home resources are great for gauging a child’s interest. Once their interest is recognised, consider getting help from professionals and peers.
In-person group sessions.
Pros:
- Support from professionals and peers
- Accelerated understanding and skill development
Cons:
- Isn’t free – but can be affordable
Please note: It’s important to understand the difference between Progress-Based Coding Schools and Coding Holiday Camps.
Progress-based coding schools offer term-to-term, year-to-year coding support, whereas Coding Holiday Camps are more of a ‘one-off’ with no future growth in mind.
1-on-1 tutoring.
Pros:
- Maximum personalised skill development – great for serious coders
Cons:
- No peers to support you
- Highest costing delivery method
Summary
The world is changing faster than most realise. With an exponential increase in tech in the past 20 years, it’s important to equip the next generation with the right tools to succeed throughout their lifetime.
Seriously consider introducing them to coding, whether the commitment is big or small. Coding is the language of technology and with the trajectory of technology, it’s safe to assume that having an understanding of how it works will have dramatic benefits for their confidence and career options.
Take time to communicate with your child. Find out what their interests how and how that could align with coding. You’d be surprised just how excited they get about the prospect of creating their own custom games.
If you’re just getting started, utilise the plethora of free online resources to gauge your child’s interests. If they already have a healthy relationship with coding, consider using the supportive environment offered by coding schools to best nurture their skills.
Try our Free Course Advisory Tool:
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