4 Replies
Coding is very common nowadays and they can start as young as 4-5 years old. Now Singapore is moving towards being a Smart Nation, and more schools are offering computer programming courses as well. Children who learn coding will be able to grow their problem-solving abilities, as the fundamental skills imparted allow them to reason and stretch their mental capabilities. Introducing coding to girls at a young age breaks existing stereotypes and exposes them to the world of tech, and adds to their education and career options.
Teaching your children coding at an early age can give them several advantages as they grow older. This includes positive traits like quick-thinking, creativity, and problem solving. These traits can be useful as they go through different levels of education and in their future jobs. Ive heard of kids as young as 8 learning to code. I suppose you can start even younger if your child has a keen interest in it.
4-5 is probably a good age to start. There are a number of screen based options like ScratchJr or Lightbot, but there are also non screen options like Bee Bot and Kibo. Students who learnt coding and generally more logical and can problem solve better than their non coding peers. They also tend to be better at math.
If you're interested in getting your child started on digital literacy, Google x Saturday Kids x 21C Girls is running a free full day coding camp at Google's offices this Saturday (boys can join too!). https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/google-x-saturday-kids-x-21c-coding-camp-aug-27-2016-tickets-27256620285