The Importance of Teaching Coding in Homeschool
Whenever you sit down to decide on your homeschooling plan for the year you know that there are subjects that will always be important, like English, math, and science. Beyond that, you have things like history, geography, and literature are pretty much a given. At least for some of the homeschooling years you know that you can stick with the basics. But, have you thought about the various other classes and lessons you can add? For instance, have you thought about teaching coding in homeschool?
Teaching coding is something that a lot of people don’t consider. But, it has a lot of benefits for kids of all ages. And as we continue to live in a world which has a digital based workforce the more your kids can know about this subject the better prepared they’ll be to enter the workforce when the time comes.
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I’m sharing some of the biggest reasons why you should consider adding coding to your homeschool curriculum.
4 Reasons to be Teaching Coding in Homeschool
Coding is A Valuable Skill
We’re all heavily reliant on computers these days and coding is becoming an increasingly important skill, even outside of tech jobs. A basic understanding of coding can help in a lot of different jobs, so it looks great on a resume.
Many schools are starting to teach this skill as standard class, so if your child doesn’t have any knowledge of it, they could be at a disadvantage when they are older.
There Are Some Great Coding Resources
Many parents shy away from teaching coding because they don’t understand it themselves. It seems like this intimidating, complicated thing and you might not have a clue how to start teaching it. The good news is, there are some amazing resources out there. Companies like Whitehat Jr offer some great online coding courses that your kids can get involved in. These online courses use simple concepts to teach coding and make it fun and easy for young kids. This is a brilliant introduction to the subject and it gives them a good base for future learning. You can then look for more advanced free coding courses when they are a bit older.
Coding Helps With Math And Problem Skills
Math is one of the most important skills that everyone needs to learn. It’s a universal constant. So no matter where someone is in the world they’ll need math skills.
You should always follow a good quality math program in homeschool. But there are other ways to develop math skills that can be just as instructional. There is a lot of math involved in coding and children of all ages tend to be more engaged with it because they are using their math skills in a practical and fun way.
Coding is also heavily reliant on problem solving skills. Since problem solving is an integral part of math computation, this is an incredibly important life skill and your child stands a much better chance for success if they can develop it from a young age.
Teaching Coding in Homeschool Encourages Creativity
People don’t tend to think of coding as a creative skill, but it is. Your child will need to learn all of the practical, math and problem solving based parts of coding, but there is also a big creative aspect. When designing apps, for example, you need to use a lot of creativity. If you have students that are not interested in more traditional creative subjects like writing, art or music then coding is a good way to get them to flex those creative muscles.
Coding can be used to create digital art, robotics, or designing web pages. There are so many ways that creativity and coding go hand in hand.
Coding might be unfamiliar territory to you, so you may feel a bit apprehensive about teaching it. However, if you do some research and spend time learning the basics yourself, you will be fine. And, outsourcing the instruction is always a valid option in homeschooling.
If you can add it to your curriculum, you help your child gain a valuable skill while also helping them to develop other areas of their education at the same time.
Check out these other homeschooling ideas.
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