ROBOTICS AND CODING ARE CHANGING THE FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN

Growing up, we didn’t have tablets, smart phones or Netflix. In fact (can you believe this!?) there was NO Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat. I didn’t own a cell phone until I was 23 years old and it wasn’t a smart phone, it didn’t take pictures and it flipped open! Today, children’s minds are infiltrated daily with social media and devices that will “make their lives easier.” My nine year old is coming home from school talking about her friend bringing her cell phone to school and kids as young as two know how to swipe and control a smartphone or a tablet.

Image via Shutterstock

Many times we hear that technology is harmful to children, however, it can be great for them! It is up to us as parents to help our kids not only survive growing up in a tech-filled world, but also to THRIVE and stay one step ahead of ever-changing technology.

One way we can do this is to encourage our children to embrace learning new things, even if we as parents aren’t familiar with them.

ROBOTICS AND CODING FOR KIDS

Computer programming used to be a course of study available at my high school to those students with higher grades and understanding. In fact, many programmers and coders my age were only exposed to these types of courses in post-secondary education. But in the world we live in now, coding has been shown to give kids incredible life skills!

Allowing kids to create their own online games, apps and robots may sound a little odd. But kids are starting to code and create things younger and younger.

What are some benefits of enrolling your children in a coding program? Learning to code helps your child in a variety of ways:

#1) KEEPS YOUR CHILD’S MIND ACTIVE

#2) DEVELOPS PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS which include experiments and troubleshooting

#3) HELPS FORM STRATEGY AND COMPLETION OF TASK

Coding for kids is just one way of learning. Having your child learn about robotics is a great hands-on way to get your child’s imagination and creativity flowing! Robotics will provide your child with:

#1) PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS

#2) HANDS ON ACTIVITIES that allow for learning about science and engineering concepts (which is great for students that need that “interactive” approach to learning)

#3) PRACTICAL STEM SKILLS

Our world is ever-changing and we as parents need to be the ones to help our children navigate a very different world than the one we grew up in. Coding and robotics will continue to grow.  Did you know National Robotics Week is April 2-10?  Sylvan Learning is offering two great new programs which are perfect for kids wanting to learn code and robotics. These courses from Sylvan offer your children a world of opportunities: Coding for Kids and Robotics for Kids. Learn more about all Sylvan Learning offers as a part of their Sylvan EDGE program today!

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This post was brought to you as part of the Sylvan EDGEucators Squad.  All opinions are my own.