Coding: what it means and why it is important for children

Why Teach Primary School Coding?

Coding and computational thinking are closely related: this is why computer programming becomes a necessary teaching since primary school. If you stop to think, all those who today hold the role of computer programmers, have learned coding as adults, in many cases for work needs, in others, training took place during their university years.
This is due to the fact that the work of programming has developed and become necessary recently and was not initially foreseen in school curricula at all. With the reform of the school, it was fortunately decided to introduce new subjects into the curriculum, including coding.
It was soon realized that teaching coding in kindergarten seems to be the right strategy to ensure that children can immediately learn the basics of computer programming.
It is obvious that the teachings given to children in this first phase of approach to coding will not only concern pure and simple notions, but will mainly focus on the development of their computational thinking. What is it and what does it consist of?

Coding and computational thinking are key

Computational thinking is useful from an early age to accustom children to identify a problem and consequently find a solution through the coding. Children who have been experimenting with computer programming since they are small will have less difficulty in developing transversal skills that approach useful programming in future job roles that they will cover as adults.
The first goal of coding is to teach children to develop an elastic mind and projected to effective solutions to simple or complex problems, only in this way will they be able to say that they have a correct mindset starting from the "learning of some basic notions.
In a nutshell, it is precisely the computation thought introduced to children from the early childhood school years that will allow them to formulate both problems and solutions in a way that will be able to process information to achieve dissolution.
The world is evolving more and more towards technology, so making children learn the basics of coding already in primary school is the best way to ensure a satisfying working future. Also consider that in the years to come, all sectors will be revolutionized by technologies and there will always be a greater demand for experienced computer programmers.

The benefits of coding and how to teach it

The advantages of teaching coding in primary school are innumerable: it has been realized that primary school is the ideal place to start introducing the concepts of coding, computational thinking and computer programming, giving students the opportunity to develop smart thinking and consequently an extra gear in life, not to mention the greater chances of finding a successful job with a satisfactory schooling and in step with the times.
But that's not all: coding also gives young pupils the opportunity to express their creativity, giving life to projects that are based on computational thinking; Furthermore, we must not underestimate the fact that coding allows children to work almost always in groups and rarely alone, creating specialized teams for the realization of projects. Computers and programming languages ​​use English as the universal language, so your child will also be able to become familiar with a foreign language which is essential for anyone who is a computer programmer.

But what's the right way to teach kids coding? To ensure that learning is effective, the same approach used for adults cannot be used: the older ones are immediately put in front of a large amount of notions, quickly learning the syntax of the main programming languages, while in the case of children follow a play-based teaching method.
Entertaining while learning will make you forget the basic topic that may seem very complex at first glance for that age. For this reason, coding games for children have been created and specific platforms have been developed that are used to teach programming. in primary school.

4 platforms to learn coding by playing

It is very easy to find on the web platforms that teach the principles behind coding, these are also and above all useful for younger children as they are very simplified and with a playful approach. Here's what they are.

1 - Scratch
Scratch teaches the programming language, but it is also a community with which to interact and share interactive multimedia objects such as games, animations and much more. Users can collaborate by reasoning together in a systematic way and it is a platform specially developed for children aged 8 to 16. For younger children, however, from 5 to 7 years, there is also Scratch jr.

2 - Code.org
The ideal platform for beginners is code.org. The basic idea is totally inclusive, in fact, the creators are convinced that every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science, just like with all the other classic subjects (biology, chemistry and algebra etc. ...).
You will find games, videos and problems to solve in order to win the challenges. Parents will be able to choose the basic mode called "The Hour of the Code", already preset for one hour of starting "computational thinking".

3 - CoderDojo
CoderDojos are free clubs where computer programming is taught to children through play. Look for one in your city, it will be a very useful recreational and educational moment for your child.

4 - Codeacademy.com
Finally, Codeacademy, is a real online academy to take free programming courses from home: just have an internet connection to start the training!