Coding is mainly used for computers, but it can also give pure benefits to the programmer itself. How? The coding process requires thinking and logic, which relates to an individual’s mind and intellectual wellness. Therefore, as your child begins to understand programming, they are already practising their rational capacity and improving their mental health.
To give you more concrete evidence of how coding helps your kids' mental health, here are the following benefits of kids coding.
Reduces Stress with Problem Solving
Code learning for kids has the specific advantage of helping them solve little to huge problems. They are beginning to face issues that let them fix one at a time. It sounds stressful for a little kid, but actually, it even strengthens their ability to handle ongoing problems.
Programming gives your kid the technique of debugging programs. In real life, it helps your child to find a way of solving problems. Through this skill, you are already moulding their young minds into any circumstances they might face in the future.
Other than that, your child might even lessen the chances of making mistakes. It is due to the practice of observing, analysing, and finalising rational decisions rather than impulsive verdicts in any situation.
Coding for kids provides your child with a healthy way of solving big chunks of problems into more minor details of fixing things. In this way, you will not see them panicking or having a nervous breakdown under challenging conditions they own.
Enhances Creativity and Innovative Skills
Your child can expand their creativity and innovative skills through code classes for kids. How? Learning to code requires creativity to produce more practical applications and platforms. It also inspires them to think further about the things they can do. Furthermore, coding also extends their wild imaginations to innovate new things from the current resources they have.
If your kid becomes more creative, then it surely helps with their mental health. Some studies reveal that innovative therapies are effective to boost mood and prevent depression. Therefore, a child with a tremendous artistic and inventive mind owns light and more pleasant life perspectives.
Programmers are rational but are very imaginative about the things they want to build. They are exercising their artistry through logic, critical thinking, and analysis. In this case, they are far more enthusiastic in bringing out unique applications the people need.
Improves Mood and Cognitive Behaviour
Learning to code for kids involves goals and objectives. The children are driven to these specific purposes to do better and work thoroughly. Besides, if your kid aims for success, then they are most likely to perform well. It will motivate them to focus and give the best they can. So, it is evident that code learning for kids highlights an excellent and inspiring atmosphere that positively affects them.
If your child maintains this kind of attitude in any task they are working on, it will definitely bring out better cognitive behaviour. So, they will see any homework and assignments as a significant challenge to improve themselves. They will also feel satisfaction after completing the tasks.
Even programmers today, whether working in an office or at home, enjoy the idea of inducing goals in their projects. It prompts them to accomplish the task and execute the programs they built. Moreover, these professional software developers also consider the benefits of their projects to the world. So, it even boosts their drive of performing well.
Encourages Resilience
Programmers do not guarantee a hundred per cent success rate with their designed platforms or applications. It seems to lead to anxiety for some people. However, through the constant revisions and additional improvements to the projects, they are enhancing their resilience.
In code learning for kids, resilience is also a focus. Your kid will master their skill as they try to see that failing is part of life. You can make mistakes, but it is not the end. Your child will also understand how important it is to give themselves a break and return with a complete mind and soul in the project. Therefore, your child will not just give up!
Once your child realises the essence of resilience and adaptability in every task, they will increase their mental strength and emotional stability.
Increases Self-Esteem and Confidence
Once a programmer accomplished a task they have been working on patiently, it causes stronger self-esteem. They will feel self-respect from themselves and others. These successful software developers or coders could be proud of their works too.
Like them, your child who tried programming classes for kids can also gain self-confidence. The small individual tasks can lighten up their independence. Then, a completed assignment will make them feel accomplished and satisfied. In this case, your child will know their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
Coding does not teach arrogance or superiority. It teaches respect for oneself and others as it reaches a goal they have been striving for. So, a child with an outstanding full level of dignity can perform with both passion and enthusiasm.
Strengthens Social Skills and Relationships
People mistakenly believe that programmers mostly prefer to work alone. However, that idea is far from the truth. Why?
Coders, programmers, game and software developers are required to collaborate. As they throw ideas and suggestions, they are starting to plan new projects. It even improves their communication and teamwork skills. They are helping each other to come up with fresh and unique ideas, too. If there are problems with the program, they are also helping each other as an active community in programming.
Learning to code for kids is as interactive as actual coders. Your child can also listen and talk to their partner or group mates about their plans. As they start to build the project, they also need to communicate well. If there are issues, your child can express their solutions and even listen to other’s recommendations.
Through this, your child will withstand loneliness. Coding will even help them build relationships with other children like them. Moreover, they can also be open to people’s opinion as they give input to the topic.
Once your child nails teamwork skills, then they work with everyone. Your child can also have the mental stability of being a tough and competent leader.
Kids Mental Health Awareness
Parents and teachers need to sharpen these young minds as it is prone to several mental issues and challenges. Before determining how you can proceed with coding to help children’s mental health, let’s first have a glimpse of reports about this problem.
Some children face emotional and mental problems due to several reasons. However, any of these causes can still lead to severe cases of mental health. The roller coasters of emotions can now affect their physical, social, and even academic performances at schools.
Here are some of the issues kids encounter as they suffer from mental health challenges.
Causes of Mental Health Problems on Kids
Bullying. Kids suffer from different mental problems because they are getting bullied. These bullies pull the victims down, preventing them from feeling safe or secured. The victim tends to get scared, anxious, and even feel tired and lonely as the bullies keep harassing them. It could range from physical bullying, verbal or also cyberbullying.
Abuse. Kids who faced abusive acts from other people, strangers, or even close them could significantly impact their mental health. These situations might lead to paranoia, disturbing feelings, and anxiousness to people. It might also result in further harm to their mindset as they witnessed unethical behaviours.
Family issues. The family has the most significant factor in a child's mental health. These problems may be due to financial difficulties, infidelity, lack of respect for one another, and miscommunications. As parents and children undergo these problems, all of their emotional and mental health could get affected. Most importantly, these circumstances could weaken their mindset, causing heavier breakdowns.
Several factors still cover mental health problems. It could be relating to the people around them and the situations they are facing every day. But one thing is for sure, your child's mental health does not deserve any of these challenges.
Mental Health Challenges of Children
Stress and Anxiety. Kids suffer from stress and anxiety as they face different struggles in life. This emotional tension could make them feel sad, angry, nervous, and frustrated most of the time. Their positivity will vanish, as the stress and anxiety could turn their behaviours less motivated in life.
School dropouts. Children with mental health issues feel dull, lazy, and unmotivated, preventing them from excelling at schools. Most of them cannot even attend classes regularly and do their school works. Their mental challenges affect their enthusiasm, resulting in them just drop out and leave school. As a result, the number of dropout students increases as the issues of mental health escalate.
Drug and alcohol abuse. Kids, primarily teenagers, prefer to come along with other people the same as their age. Instead of focusing on school, they want to divert their loneliness through vices like drug and alcohol abuse. They thought that their problems would go away as they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Suicide cases on kids. Another major impact of mental issues on children is suicidal thoughts and attempts. Kids and teenagers try to get away from their lives due to feeling incomplete and rejected. They prefer to end up their lives to stop the heartaches and various loneliness they feel. These suicidal thoughts could even lead to actual suicidal acts.
You see, kids, even at a very young age, can experience these mental challenges. These things might also drag them down instead of helping them overcome their mental issues. So, people around these children must act before they began any self-harm.
Who can help in saving children's mental health?
Parents. They have a massive impact on their child’s mindset and feelings. As these parents mould their children, they should ensure the stability of their mental and emotional health. If these issues already popped out, then parents must seek professional help to guide their child. Besides that, they could invest time bonding with them and putting them to schools safe to hone their skills and personality.
Peers. Your child’s friend also has a factor in their mental state. So, they should motivate them and help them overcome issues. Instead of influencing them to do unethical things, these friends can guide them to make brilliant decisions in life.
Teachers. Schools can help their students improve their mental health. Their 21st Century approaches can provide excellent intellectual and cognitive development to students. In this case, they would guide learners on the more positive side of mindset, allowing them to become motivated on learning.
Government. Authorities can also make a move to help alleviate mental health issues as they start to do programs and community events about mental health awareness.
Self. Kids can help themselves take the edge off the mental challenges. They could start doing things they love instead of focusing on issues around them. They could also make goals for themselves to guide them through their personal decisions and development.
These things might not work as fast as you wanted, but parents like you start now.
Improve your Kid’s Mental Health Now
There are kids coding schools in Sydney, Australia, capable of teaching both coding and life skills. You may check out Skill Samurai. It is an afterschool care program and extracurricular activity for kids that offers coding classes for kids, computer classes for kids, programming classes for kids, and robotics classes for kids. There are also qualified instructors to teach them the basics of computer science while shaping their mental capabilities.
If you want to make your child smarter in STEM subjects or even mould them into intellectually stronger individual, then sign them up with Skill Samurai Australia.
How to begin? Get started here and see how Skill Samurai can help your child divert their attention to code learning for kids.