The unit I look forward to the most every year is coding with PreK.
It is hands down the most fun I have all year.
We play. We sing. We dance. We build.
If you work with PreK children I highly recommend coding with them!
Coding is the language we use to communicate with technology. Once upon a time, it was a language to communicate with computers. But today that has expanded to tablets, smart TVs and other household appliances.
Older students can absolutely handle this definition. Younger students, like preschoolers, need it modified.
When explaining what coding is there are 2 things that preschoolers understand. Coding is commands. It’s how we tell technology what to do.
There are many benefits of teaching coding to all ages, including PreK!
Many of the skills that coding teaches are similar to 21st Century Skills. Those are the skills that employers are looking for in potential employees.
While 21st Century Skills is now an outdated term, the skills themselves are still in demand. And coding delivers.
Coding engages students in problem solving in a few different ways.
One is that students are coding to solve a particular problem. For example, in the free app Code Monkey Jr, children are coding to get the monkey fed and to the treasure the chest.
The other is that things don’t always go smoothly the first time you write the code. So there is some trial and error involved as to how to create the code that will give the desired result.
Coding invites creativity when students are engaged in writing their own code.
This can happen when students are creating a dance in code.org Dance Party.
Students are also engaged in creativity when writing their own code in an app like Scratch Jr or Elementari.
In Scratch Jr and Elementari, students are creating and coding their own animated stories. How cool is that!?
My own child loves creating his own dinosaur stories and find the dinosaur games with Scratch Jr.
Coding is a great way to get students engaged in math without them realizing it!
When coding, older students are applying math concepts like x & y axis and more algebraic math.
Preschoolers are applying math concepts such as patterns when they are coding.
Across grade levels, students are engaged in counting, estimation, geometry, and more.
PreK students are not at an age where future employment is a concern. The reality is that at some point, they will be looking for employment.
Technological advances have changed assembly lines, banking, and even public safety.
The more that technology is embedded in every profession, the more that people with coding skills will be required.
Often times, people think of PreK aged students and immediately think they are incapable. Not so.
Just because they are young, does not mean they cannot engage in high level skills.
And this includes coding!!!!
The benefits of coding listed above, also apply to PreK.
Because of that, it is even more important to teach coding to preschoolers.
When PreK is taught about and how to code, they are gaining a foundational knowledge of computational thinking. They are being introduced to skills like patterns, algorithms, decomposition, and abstraction.
Coding at a young age meets a preschoolers’ developmental needs. They are engaged in gross motor movements, pattern recognition, fine motor skills, building, and more.
One of the benefits of teaching coding to PreK is that it can be connected to every day activities like brushing their teeth, school routines, etc. Not to mention you can use familiar games to help them conceptualize coding concepts.
Most importantly. Coding is FUN!
They enjoy moving creatures across a screen.
They love creating their own content.
Coding is the one thing that students are most likely to persevere in when things get tough and tricky.
Because they are having fun creating the product they are willing to work through it. They are willing to ask for help.
Sometimes adding on yet another curriculum content or learning an entire new thing can feel daunting.
When feeling stressed for time and energy, try these tips:
