The Benefits of Coding for Students

Today’s children don’t know a world without computers. Those who understand the codes that make even the most basic functions possible have an advantage. The benefits of coding for children include learning to use the full range of computer power for learning and careers.

Any child can, and should, learn to code — no special talents needed.

CCA’s Coding and Computers Club is a fun, engaging activity for teaching coding for kids in grades K through 5. Students learn how coding applies to a variety of fields, whether it’s agriculture, art, fashion, health care, education or, of course, technology. Under the guidance of the club adviser, they explore software, hardware, coding, future career options and more, all through fun and engaging activities.

Table of contents:

• Benefits of coding for kids
• Learning to code for different age groups
• What children learn in CCA’s coding and computers club
• How CCA helps students learn valuable skills through coding

5 Benefits of Coding for Students

Why teach kids to code? After all, you might think, computers do all the work without any help from us. But computer coding for kids packs a punch across many skills and career fields. As Tufts University child development expert Marina Umaschi Bers explains the importance of coding, “Coding is a way to achieve literacy in the 21st century, like reading and writing.” Kids should learn to code as a way to express themselves and apply skills they’ll need for a lifetime.

Professional Development in STEM Fields

It’s said that 85% of jobs expected by 2030 haven’t been invented yet. Could your child become an organ creator, saving lives by building hearts and kidneys? An earthquake forecaster? A mechanic for self-driving cars? A “rewilder,” helping nature reclaim abandoned factory sites? They’re all tied to STEM, the science, technology, engineering and math skills vital to every aspect of modern life. By learning how to code, kids are getting a head start in professional development, learning to understand the programming underlying the tools and software they’ll use in their work and personal lives.

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Coding Lessons Encourage Creativity

Every child is a creative being, imagining that a toy dinosaur is a real T-Rex or turning boxes and blankets into a fort. Throughout life, the ability to think creatively inspires careers and opportunities. Learning to code helps implant creativity in the brain, where it remains accessible for the rest of your child’s life. Through coding, your child feels free to experiment when presented with a task such as landing a virtual spaceship or making a dragon breathe fire. Your child also builds “whole-brain thinking” that links the artsy right brain with the technology- and logic-oriented left side. Put the two together, and children learn to turn brainstorming into reality.

Coding Requires Logical Thinking

Good coding starts well before numbers and symbols are entered on a keyboard. In coding, computational thinking is a type of critical thinking that involves analyzing even the simplest actions for every step needed to achieve a desired result. Computers simply do as they’re told, and if the instructions are vague the results will be messy. Coding teaches kids to think through an issue step by step — a skill needed for effectiveness in academics and careers. Logical thinking breaks down an action into smaller pieces, making achievement of the goal a matter of managing each segment.

Children Learn Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solvers are useful people to be. Dilemmas don’t halt them in their tracks. Children who learn to hash through an issue and analyze its components before settling on a solution are better prepared for school and work. As children are learning how to code, they are applying processing skills and math toward a workable solution. In teaching kids to code, we are encouraging them to recognize problems and take the initiative to solve them.

Coding Clubs Encourage Collaboration and Teamwork

Computers are learning to think and perform tasks that were once reserved for humans, but this doesn’t mean that human interaction will become outmoded. More than ever, children need to learn to collaborate and work in teams, because businesses and institutions thrive and grow only if their people generate the most innovative ideas on the planet. Computer coding for kids brings them together to solve problems, share ideas, encourage each other through the failures and cheer for their successes.

Learning to Code for Different Age Groups

As children grow up, learning to code offers different levels of skill-building that make it fun and engaging.

• Grades K-5: What’s the right age for teaching kids to code? Many experts note that the best time for learning a new language — whether that’s Spanish or computer coding — is in childhood. With their pliable brains, young children have the capabilities to understand multistep commands, follow logic and distinguish fantasy from reality. Learning coding in the elementary years teaches children not to fear technology, no matter where life leads them.
• Middle School: In the elementary years, children typically learn to code by manipulating blocks on the computer, much as they play with building blocks in real life. By middle school, they are ready for the challenge of typed code targeting more specific tasks. They can learn to use different coding languages as they apply logic to troubleshooting problems. Learning increasingly complex coding at this stage helps keep them interested in computer science and its applications in the real world.
• High School: According to many studies, students who study computer science perform better in other subjects, are excellent problem-solvers and are likelier to attend college. High school students who know coding are equipped to build personalized websites and apps, understand the impact of computers and technology on society, and prepare for careers in a variety of fields, from health care and science to language and the arts.

What Children Learn in CCA’s Coding and Computers Club

Technology is integrated into every aspect of our lives. CCA’s Coding and Computers Club gives young learners — girls and boys alike — the confidence to take control and use coding as a tool for all their endeavors. Students learn age-appropriate coding at different phases.

• The youngest club members, in grades K through 2, learn through lessons from Code.org, as they apply visuals, graphics and games to learn the importance of sequence in codes by dragging and dropping blocks.
• In grades 3 through 5, students continue integrating codes into games while they see how code is written. They get to work hands-on with robotics and watch fun videos about jobs in computer science.

Club members meet virtually once a week through CCA live classroom sessions. At least one in-person activity a year brings club members together to explore robots and their capabilities.

Other CCA clubs also teach learners to comprehend the power of technology. Students of all ages use varied computer programs to weave images and audio into stories through CCA’s Digital Storytelling Club. In grades 6 through 12, they can join the Gaming and Computers Club to learn about gaming styles and gaming-industry jobs. High school students can continue honing their coding and other tech skills in the Computer Science Club or as members of the Real World Design Challenge team.

CCA Helps Students Learn Valuable Skills in Social Settings

At CCA, learning isn’t restricted to the boundaries of a classroom. We encourage children to explore their interests, as they open their minds to worlds of knowledge, fun and career possibilities. It’s all part of CCA’s personalized learning, accommodating each child’s unique learning style and talents.

CCA’s 40+ clubs and extracurricular opportunities appeal to students with a wide variety of interests across the arts, literature, science and computers, math, and volunteering and community service. With the flexibility of CCA’s online learning and less time wasted on such brick-and-mortar necessities as moving around the building, our learners have more time to enjoy multiple extracurricular activities. Our clubs introduce students to new pursuits and to each other, as they build friendships and plot their paths toward lifetime success.

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