Those who are parents here.. do you want your kids to learn coding?
Posted by sagson@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 18 comments
My daughter is 8 years old and I dont know whether i should introduce her to coding.
explicit17@reddit
Not a parent, but I think basic programming should be taught
Secure_Number2263@reddit
Honestly, I think it depends more on curiosity than age.
If she’s into puzzles or building things, she’ll probably enjoy coding in some form (like Scratch or simple games). But I wouldn’t make it feel like “learning programming” yet—more like play.
The interest usually matters way more than the timing.
CodeMUDkey@reddit
Imagine this is the debate going on in your mind.
rustyseapants@reddit
What do you do for a living?
Is your kid reading, doing math for fun, drawing, writing a journal, doting chores, light food prep, engaging with friends and family?
nicodeemus7@reddit
I'm teaching my 9-year old daughter. She does have an interest in computer science, so I figured I'd start early. I'm pretty green myself, but want to be able to help her however I can to learn.
sagson@reddit (OP)
How are you teaching her?
no_regerts_bob@reddit
I did some Scratch projects with my daughter. She didn't have much interest in computers beyond games. I think it helped her develop some logic skills, not life changing but it's beneficial
themegainferno@reddit
Programming is actually two distinct skills. One is problem solving or problem decomposition (breaking a problem down into smaller more manageable parts), and programming is a form of applied logic and data management. These two skills put together, or incredibly powerful to learn and integrate at a young age. 8 years old is kind of young I would say, see if she genuinely wants to try and then introduce her to something like scratch.
dmazzoni@reddit
My kids' school introduced them to some coding exercises in middle school already, before I even had a chance.
I think it's great!
The only thing I think we should be cautious about is teaching it because it might lead to a great job. We already know the field is becoming saturated.
This is a recurring problem; every generation pushes their kids to go into the field that became hot and lucrative in the previous generation. By the time the kids enter that field, it's no longer a winner.
That's why we have 5x as many law school graduates as openings for lawyers every year.
schoolmonky@reddit
Why would you not? Assuming they are interested, at least.
Thecandymaker@reddit
If she has an interest in it, go for it!! She could pick up a skill she likes or realize its not for her. Either way its not a bad risk to take. Plus, I think its a good thing for young girls to see STEM as a hobby they can enjoy too.
samanime@reddit
If I had my way, coding would be a mandatory course in school (taken a couple times during their school career).
Even if they have zero intention of becoming a programmer, I think learning to code is one of the absolute best ways to learn to problem solve, which is an invaluable skill no matter what career you may choose.
Learning to break down problems into teeny, tiny actionable steps and working out the best course of action to solve a problem is absolutely essential, and a skill many people don't possess. For that reason alone, I'd definitely introduce it and encourage it if they showed interest.
aqua_regis@reddit
Only if the kids show genuine interest and even then with much care and no force.
Scratch has been created by the MIT for exactly that age group and there is a nice introduction in Scratch Playground - free to read online.
jzombie666@reddit
"Everybody should learn how to program because it teaches you how to think" - Steve Jobs, and I also agree with this.
hXg2167@reddit
not a parent also but isnt coding a problem solving skill? i think your daughter will really benefit from that
Buntygurl@reddit
As long as your daughter is interested in coding, there's no reason not to encourage that.
One of my kids made a career of coding; the other is a people person and runs a computer store.
carcigenicate@reddit
Not a parent, but worst case scenario if they stick with it is they develop a useful hobby that may lead to something later. I'd at least introduce my kid to code to see if they take to it.
PuzzleheadedBase7527@reddit
I work in game dev and honestly I wish someone introduced me to coding when I was that young. Started way later and had to catch up on so much basic logic thinking that could have been natural if I learned it early. Your daughter is at perfect age to just play around with visual stuff like block programming - she won't even realize she's learning real concepts. The problem solving skills transfer to everything else in life too, not just tech careers. Even if she ends up hating it later at least you gave her the chance to try something that could open tons of doors.