Coding and Creativity; Are They Intertwined?
Coding is always linked to computational and mathematical thinking; people focus, think, and bring out solutions. Isn’t this related to creativity as well?
Mathematicians and programmers are always considered the geeks of the future; they solve complicated problems in order to bring a good product at the end. Being linked to STEAM education in general, we should say that coding and creativity come hand in hand, but how should parents educate their kids to code in order to foster their creative minds? Let’s check this out!
How to Foster Your Kid’s Creative Mind with Coding?
Kids are creative, they are even much more thoughtful than we think. Try to ask your child to solve a riddle, complete a puzzle, or even build something out of some Lego blocks they have, and wait for the creative solutions and ideas you are going to receive, you will definitely be stunned.
Kids always try to transfer what they see in real life to games which they could create out of the toys and tools they have at home. This also happens when it comes to offline coding, which is the first step in teaching your child how to code. Offline coding is teaching kids to code without the use of computers or any technological devices, just depending on hands-on activities to make it all more interactive at the beginning.
So, how should parents teach their kids coding and foster their creativity at the same time?
- Putting a Baseline to Start from
In order for the child to learn something, they should first understand how to link it to everything surrounding them. Kids should understand that coding is a unique and creative language for them to learn, this comes from the system or baseline you start from. Coding is generally known as the tool that make things happen on a screen or the instructions given to a robot in order to take actions, and creativity is all about coming up with the out-of-box solution; that’s how creativity and coding should be always linked together.
- Depend on Your Kid’s Talents
There are different methods for learning, it’s either you ask for the end goal and show the kids the steps they should follow, or else ask for the end goal, give them the tools, and then ask them to solve the riddle creatively. Trial-and-error is how kids will learn, so when it comes to assessment, always look for how clearly the child presented his/her ideas and not on the general outcome, because they might build their ideas clearly but fail to reach the same result you want.
- Fulfill the Interests of Your Child
This world is divided into two sections when it comes to kids’ education: the first is providing them with the activities that will fulfill their interests, and the second is about fitting these activities within their interests. In the case of coding, kids should learn to code through the things they love to do, so always make sure that the learning games you are providing them with are in some way related to their general interests.
These are things you could do with your kids at home, but there are different programs, events, and schools that are specialized in teaching your child to code.
How to Nurture Your Kid’s Creativity?
As much as creativity is important for kids to code, it is important for parents to know how to nurture their kids’ creativity. In addition to the activities which parents should focus on to foster their kids’ creativity, there are also other parental treatment methods to be considered in the everyday life interactions.
Do you want your child to become a coder and understand this language? Then work on their creative minds. Here are some interesting recommendations:
- Create Your Own Stories
Bedtime stories could be the best example because when you make up stories for your kids, you will help them use their imagination and keep building up on the story you have created. This is one important way to depend on when it comes to nurturing your kid’s creativity.
- Let them Take New Roles
They could be doctors, parents, mathematicians, teachers, etc. through the costumes they receive. You don’t have to bring a new costume but let your child choose the role he/she wants and then sit together to think about how you could bring this role or personality to life, what are the tools you will need to have. This will give your child the chance to think in order to prepare a costume that will represent the role they are going to take. Let them get creative, let them create their own costumes with just a little bit of help.
- Ask them Questions
Open-ended and thought-provoking questions are always interesting to ask, they help the child think, imagine, and provide unexpected answers. Such questions do not ask for the same answer, but instead it asks for one that depends on the way a child thinks, which is one way to nurture the kid’s creativity and give him/her the chance to think differently. Ask them about their personal opinions, about how they would react in specific situations, etc.
- Limit Screen Time
Coding means technology and this might be contradicting with what we are advising parents to do in order to foster their kids’ creativity. Kids could start with offline coding then move forward to the point of using screens, this is considered much better for them because computers make everything much easier and we need those kids to think more, so let’s keep them away from technology, keep them engaged with their ordinary offline toys, and see how creative they will turn out to be.
Why Kids Need to Be Creative?
Teaching kids to code will always depend on their talents, but almost every child could create codes. Kids need to be creative because how could they come up with ideas or solve problems if they are not using their minds? Creativity is all about the simple acts that kids could do in order to solve a problem or obstacle they are dealing with.
If you want to teach your child how to code, it is important to nurture their creative minds first, let them learn more about offline coding, and then leave them to screens and technology and ask them to start coding. There are different coding games for kids which parents could start with, those which will guide them through moving blocks before going to the harder ones that include writing actual codes — which are usually for older kids and adults.
We have to say that coding and creativity are definitely intertwined; for kids to learn basic coding, they should use their creativity, not just for the entry levels but for the more advanced ones as well.
Nurture your kids’ creativity and give them the chance to use their thoughts, ideas, and solutions to lead the game.
There are different games that teach coding, we have some easy ones that are suitable for all ages starting 3 years old. Sign up for free and let your child use their creativity in playing our coding games.
Originally published at https://robogarden.ca.
