How Coding Can Be A Great Activity For Dads And Children
"Coding for kids should be introduced as young as possible. Not only does it teach skills that will be immediately relevant in tomorrow's job market, it helps strengthen skills in a number of corollary areas such as math, reading, spelling, and problem-solving. Later on it will help kids develop skills in geometry, trigonometry, statistics, data analysis, physics, and more." according to David Dodge, CEO of Codakid.
Parents create a feeling of comfort and security in the home. They help their children grow emotionally and psychologically in addition to instilling discipline in them. Fathers, mothers, and legal guardians perform these roles, and fulfilling them is always possible. Coding can help you do that. In fact, the bond that you have with your kids will become stronger than it ever was.
The first step is to understand what a code is. Codes refer to instructions that are present in a computer program. The instructions alone, written in a particular programming language, are the source code. Instructions converted into a language understood by a specific computer program are executable code.
Here is how coding can be a great activity for dads and children to do together.
● Spend Time with Your Kids
Learning to code takes 500 to 1500 hours on average translating into 21 to 63 days. It may seem like too much time to take off your schedule, but it is not. For example, becoming fluent in French by taking a French class takes the same amount of time as learning to code does. However, in this case, you would be learning something with your child instead of studying it in a room full of strangers.
Kids spend a lot of time on computerized programs including video games, social media, and the internet. For example, a 2013 study by Nielsen revealed that the average 13-year-old child who likes video games spends 6.3 hours a week playing them. The same kid watches TV for 6.5 hours every week.
You can spend time learning code with your children, and there are numerous websites that offer online coding classes for free. Doing so would help them acquire a new skill that is in great demand in today’s tech-focused world. More importantly, they would not waste their time on video games, social media, and TV.
● Help Them Prepare For the Future
Did you know that computer programmers earn an average of $82,240 annually? In contrast, the average salary in the country stands at $51,939. Additionally, people with a doctorate and an advanced degree receive an average of $81,400 and $72,824 respectively. That means people who are good at coding earn higher salaries than ordinary individuals and even highly educated professionals.
Therefore, coding is an excellent activity to do together with your kids because it prepares them for success. Remember, one of the principal functions of a father is to equip his children with the skills they need to thrive. The statistics on earnings for coders vis-a-vis other working people shows that coding is a skill that will help them succeed.
● Teach Them Values
Coding involves many iterative steps such as finding the condition in the alphabet index. Others are verifying the code and identifying the highest specificity. Reviewing chapter-specific guidelines is also an iterative step in coding. Following these steps takes a bit of discipline and learning how to do them correctly takes patience.
Another value that people learn while coding is self-control. For example, bugs in their codes would make them feel like giving up, shouting, or cursing. However, the desire to complete the task would encourage them to continue trying. Eventually, they will remove these bugs. Consequently, your kids will learn the value of overcoming hurdles in life instead of succumbing to them.
Teach your kids these values by developing codes with them. Encourage them as they face difficulties in coding, and then applaud them when they overcome these challenges.
● Nurture Their Talent
In 2015, Muhammad Hamza Shahzad became the youngest Microsoft Office Professional in history. He scored 757 points to receive this certification, which is 57 points above the minimum requirement of 700 points. Shahzad was six-years-old at the time. He started coding with his father who helped him nurture his talent.
In 2017, another child, Yuma Soerianto, became a global sensation for his coding abilities. Soerianto was attending the Worldwide Developers Conference organized by Apple. Apple decided to invite him because he had developed five apps that were now in the App Store. He was ten-years-old at the time.
You can nurture your kid’s talent as well. Remember, you never know what your children are capable of until you help them in areas they consider challenging. Coding is one of these areas. Help them excel in it so they can determine if coding is something that they can consider doing in future.