Programming education for kids is not a generalization, it has a distinctive impact on children of different ages and can help them grow in multiple ways. Let’s talk about the specifics of each age group in detail.
Preschool (3 – 6 years old)
Developing Independent Thinking Skills
At this stage, children are often exposed to programming through tessellation and game-based programming.
For example, one programming starter toy allows children to control a cartoon car to move forward and turn by putting together blocks of different colors and shapes. As children play, they have to figure out how to combine the blocks to make the cart follow their desired route.
This motivates them to think proactively and try different combinations to solve the problem of “getting the cart to the designated position”, and their logical thinking skills are slowly becoming stronger in the process.
Improving Hands-On Skills
Building models is also a common form of programming education for this age group. Children are asked to pick up blocks and parts and build various shapes, such as small houses and robots, according to certain ideas. In this process, their little hands are busy operating, their eyes have to observe the shape and position of each part, and their brains are thinking about the overall structural layout. Hand, eye, and brain work together, and hand-eye coordination and spatial imagination have been greatly exercised.
Enhance the sense of achievement and willpower
Preschoolers often fail in programming games, for example, they can’t put together the right blocks to make the car move, or the model they build always collapses. But when they try again and again and finally succeed in making the car move according to the requirements, or build a solid and beautiful model, the sense of achievement will make them especially excited.
And in the process of failing and trying again and again, their willpower is also practiced.
Game-based Learning
Programming learning at this age is like a super fun game party. Kids learn things without even realizing it as they play. For example, by playing programming games, they become more cognizant of numbers, colors, and shapes, and the improvement in these fundamentals has a positive impact on their academic performance in kindergarten. One kindergarten compared children who participated in a programming games program with those in a regular program and found that children who participated in programming games scored an average of 8 points higher on a comprehensive assessment.
Primary School (7 – 12 years old)
Building a Sense of Information Technology
In their daily lives, children see computers and information technology everywhere, such as smart watches and electronic learning machines. Programming education gives them a deeper understanding of the principles behind these.
For example, by learning about simple programming, they know how the interactive games in e-learning machines are designed, which fosters their interest in programming. According to a survey, 80% of the children said they were more interested in computers and information technology after an introductory programming course in elementary school.
Developing Personal Hobbies and Interests
Programming is like a big box full of treasures that children can explore. Some children like animation, so they can create simple animation clips through programming; those who like math can use programming to design math calculation games.
Through these personalized projects, children can discover where their true interest lies and develop it further. One elementary school student was interested in music, and through programming, he created a small program that could play different music clips according to different rhythms, which took both his love of music and programming to the next level.
Initial Programming Fundamentals
In elementary school, children begin to be exposed to basic programming concepts, like variables (which can be understood as a small box that can hold different things), loops (doing something over and over again), and so on.
They can use simple programming tools to build simple programs, such as making a small animal on the screen run along a set route, or creating a simple e-card.
This lays a solid foundation for them to learn programming in depth later. It is known that children who have been exposed to the basics of programming in elementary school understand new knowledge 20% faster than those who have not been exposed to it in subsequent programming courses in secondary school.
Middle School (13 – 15 years old)
Increased Information Awareness
Children in this period, through programming learning, can have a clearer understanding of the development of information technology and the great impact it has on society. For example, they know how the Internet has changed people’s way of life and learn to use some professional software tools, like drawing software and programming software. After some schools have launched programming courses, students’ attention to information technology news has increased significantly, and their knowledge related to information technology has become more in-depth.
Initial Programming
Junior high school students already have a certain knowledge base and logical thinking ability and are able to write some simple programs independently or in collaboration with their classmates. For example, they can write a class activity management program to record information such as activity time and participants; or use multimedia tools to create an interactive presentation introducing campus culture to aid learning.
In the process, their programming skills and application of knowledge are enhanced. Some students of the junior high school programming club have won several awards in IT competitions organized by the school through their participation in programming projects.
Teamwork Ability
Programming projects often require teamwork. At the junior high school level, children are involved in group programming projects where each person is responsible for a different module. For example, when creating a small program for campus navigation, some students are responsible for designing the map interface, some write the code for the positioning function, and some are responsible for testing the program.
In the process, they learned to communicate, assign tasks, and work together to solve problems encountered, and their teamwork skills were well developed. Some educational studies have shown that middle school students who participated in programming team projects scored 12 points higher on the Teamwork Skills Assessment than those who did not participate .
High School (16 – 18 years old)
Effective Problem-Solving Mindset
Programming requires students to think rationally and critically. In senior secondary school, students work through complex programming projects, such as developing a small enterprise management system, which requires them to plan the whole system in detail, analyze various possible problems, and find solutions. This allows them to gradually develop a mindset of efficient problem-solving, which they can also apply to improve their problem-solving efficiency when facing problems in other disciplines or difficult problems in life.
Some data show that students who participate in programming competitions in high school are 15% faster and more accurate in solving problems in subjects such as math and physics than the average student.
Basic Computer Principles
The study of programming at the high school level involves knowledge of how computers work and networking. Students learn how data is processed inside a computer and how networks enable the transfer of information. This enables them to use a variety of information resources proficiently, such as using the Internet to search for specialized information and optimize their programming projects.
Some high school information technology teachers gave feedback that students who learnt programming performed better in the Principles of Computing course and had a better understanding of the knowledge.
Self-directed Learning Ability
In high school, programming technology is constantly updated, and students need to choose appropriate IT tools independently to learn new programming knowledge. They need to learn to access information, take courses online, and improve their programming skills according to their needs.
This development of independent learning ability is very important for their future college studies and career development.
Many teachers in colleges and universities say that students with a high school programming foundation perform more actively and learn better when they study computer-related courses independently in college.
To summarize, children’s programming education can positively affect children’s cognitive ability, creativity, and problem-solving ability at different ages.
Through programming, children not only acquire technical skills but also develop the ability of independent thinking, teamwork, and independent learning, laying a solid foundation for their future development.