Coding is becoming increasingly important/crucial these days. Especially with the recent advancements in technology, coding is present in almost everything, and is behind most of the things we use today. So let’s first understand what coding means.

What is Coding?1

Coding is a medium through which human beings interact with computers and instruct them to do complex tasks. A code tells a computer what actions to take, what to do, what not to do, how to behave, and so on, and writing a code is the process of creating a set of instructions for the computer to follow.

Why Should Children Learn to Code?2

There are a multitude of benefits for children to learn how to code today due to the fact that it builds a variety of life skills in addition to educational and career benefits.

Children who learn to code develop an understanding of how digital technology works because it is such an important part of their life today.Coding is much more than just a technical skill. Coding strengthens and fosters many life skills, such as computational thinking, problem-solving, logical reasoning, creativity, persistence, writing skills, mathematics performance, planning and organization skills, etc.

What Do You Mean by Planning and Organizing? Why is it Important?

Planning and organizing are essential skills for achieving success in practically any setting. Planning entails considering and arranging tasks that must be completed in order to achieve a specific goal.3 It is required that you complete homework, manage a project, an activity, or a situation that you will face. Organization involves managing tasks and ensuring that each task is arranged appropriately in light of time constraints and workload. Organizing also entails making backup plans in case certain issues arise and anticipating possible solutions.3 To properly organize your tasks, you must first plan your activities and then prioritize and mediate which tasks must be completed in what order.

Children with poor planning and organization skills are more likely to jump into activities without adequate preparation and become overly absorbed in the moment, failing to see the big picture and failing to achieve their goal.4 They tend to have disorganized homework, lockers, and rooms, and are frequently unable to locate specific items such as school supplies, books, clothing, sporting equipment, and so on when they are needed.4 Therefore, it is important to assist children in developing planning and organizational skills, which can be instilled in your child while they learn to code in a fun way.

How Coding can Aid Your Child’s Planning and Organizing Skills5

Planning and organization are key to doing any task well, and coding is a great way to hone these skills because it  necessitates extensive planning and organization.

Planning is crucial when dealing with any coding process.When it comes to starting any task, children must learn to determine their goal and starting point. Software development is more about thinking and planning than just writing any code, and the benefits of planning ahead before starting to code are endless.

So, What Kind of Planning Happens When Children Learn to Code6

  1. Idea Planning: Planning an idea or clarifying the concept is the first step in developing any program. Children should learn to clearly articulate what they are trying to do. Like, what are they trying to make their program do? What problems is the program designed to solve? What is the purpose of the program? Or what goal is it attempting to achieve? Putting down the idea in the language children use before looking at translating it into the language the computer understands could be the first part of their planning.

When children learn to create programs, music, apps, stories, videos, games, etc., this step can help them formulate their plan in their own words, which can always serve as a reference throughout their project. 

  1.  Algorithm planning: After articulating their ideas for the program, children should start developing the algorithm—the step-by-step instructions for the computer. Storyboarding, flowcharts, and pseudocodes are common techniques used in algorithm planning. 

Children will be able to produce well-thought-out codes with less debugging if they learn to build algorithms using flowcharts and pseudocode. Furthermore, by providing various representations of coding challenges, they enable several entrance points for children to conceptualize algorithms.

How Coding Builds Organizing Skills5

Organization goes hand-in-hand with planning, especially when it comes to writing code, both easy and complex. The more sophisticated the code, the more a child must arrange it by including aspects such as data structures to streamline the code. 

The ability to organize and manage different types of information is crucial for children when they are learning to code. Children learn to manage multiple inflows of information and categorize them accordingly when learning to code. This helps them learn, remember, and present information within their projects better. Coding teaches children a structured way of organizing information as well as computational thinking, both of which will help them throughout their coding projects.

The logical nature of coding⏤identifying a problem, thinking through the various steps, coming up with various solutions, and then implementing the best-suited resolution⏤are things that encourage sustained planning and organizational skills. According to the paper by Roy D. Pea and D.Midian Kurland, “In explicitly teaching the computer to do something, it is contended that you learn more about your own thinking.“5 

Coding teaches children these crucial life skills, which will aid them in practically anything they do. From the simplest to the most complicated task, planning and organization are critical. When children learn good planning and organization skills early in life, they can flourish in school, at work, in sports, and in other pursuits.

Visit BYJU’S FutureSchool Blog to learn more about the advantages of coding.

References:

  1. What is Coding – Grasshopper. (n.d.). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://grasshopper.app/why-coding/
  2. 14 Benefits of Coding for Kids and Students – Raise Smart Kid. (n.d.). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.raisesmartkid.com/6-to-10-years-old/5-articles/benefits-learning-code-kids
  3. Organisation and Planning – Elite Editing. (n.d.). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.eliteediting.com.au/organisation-and-planning/
  4. Tips to Improve Organizing and Planning Skills in Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://learningworksforkids.com/2013/10/5-ways-to-improve-organizing-and-planning-skills/
  5. How Coding Develops Focus and Organization | Tynker Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.tynker.com/blog/articles/ideas-and-tips/how-coding-develops-focus-and-organization/
  6. Planning Before Programming – UTeach Computer Science Application | Digital Promise. (n.d.). Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://microcredentials.digitalpromise.org/explore/planning-before-programming
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