Coding & Chess for kids: Interesting facts you need to know.

Victor Tubotamuno
5 min readFeb 2, 2022

Hey, welcome to my first piece of the year. Perhaps you’re asking why I began this year with a new mission: Education for kids… haha, quite interesting. This is because excellent education gained during childhood teaches and molds a child to think differently, which in turn makes a better society. I’ve never been this motivated to pursue this mission.

This year, I’m centered on driving a mission about the need for government to make learning to code and playing chess necessary for all students in primary and secondary school.

So why this campaign?

Well, besides the fact that coding or chess is a skill set that could apply in some life scenarios, they also help students in their academic exercises, report suggests. They improve soft skills like perseverance and problem-solving that educators often emphasize.

Currently, the approach at which they introduce subjects and concepts to children, be it difficult or easy, boring or interesting, has a significant impact on the acceptance, liking, and new thinking on that subject.

For kids to master new knowledge, they need hands-on experiences to construct their learning. Coding and chess help in making that conceivable; it is the fundamental language of the new age.

What is Coding & Chess?

Coding is creating instructions for computers using programming languages. Programmers use computer codes to program websites, apps, video games, and other technologies we interact with every day.

Chess is a board game of strategic skill for two players, played on a checkerboard on which players move each playing piece according to precise rules.

Schools all over the world are now discovering the ancient game of chess and coding as a pedagogical tool for kids.

The Importance of Chess and Coding for Kids

1. Builds Problem Solving Technique

Understanding computers and learning the fundamentals of coding assists kids in fostering an enthusiasm for how things work. Also, it shows them how programmers use math to tackle issues in a coherent and inventive manner.

The capacity to tackle issues is an attribute that is helpful in life. We need our youngsters to become phenomenal problem solvers so they can conquer any difficulty they face.

Figuring out how to code or play chess gives kids the opportunity to realize this sort of expertise while they are youthful and it can help them en route throughout everyday life.

2. Builds Patience

A single game of chess can endure past few minutes or even hours and that requires a great deal of tolerance.

In programming, sometimes you have to stay with one problem for a long time and keep on trying different approaches to solving it. This requires the mindset, logical deduction, and patience found in chess or coding.

3. Builds Analytical Thinking, Cognitive Skills, and Pattern Recognition

Figuring out how to code or play chess shows youngsters how to think. Computer programing isn’t just regarding teaching how to type lines of code. It is more in regard to teaching kids how to be innovative. To code successfully, a software engineer needs to utilize coherent reasoning.

They should be able to see a large problem and break it down into smaller pieces to solve it effectively. This is called decomposition and is one of the key features of computational thinking.

4. Expands Creativity and Imagination

Coding is important to learn because computer programming teaches children to experiment and gives them the confidence to be creative. It provides them with a medium to bring their creativity and ideas to life.

Children thrive off of the feedback they get from creating something they love. Just like learning a language, or playing a musical instrument, children need motivation. Usually, seeing results along the way is enough to cultivate this, and this happens when children learn to code.

5. Builds Resilience

At the point when kids play chess or figure out how to code, they foster the capacity to bob back after disappointment. They discover that disappointment isn’t really something terrible, and indeed, it can regularly be something positive since it fills in as a learning opportunity.

This is one of the main justifications for why children should code, as they will realize rapidly that ‘debugging’ your code is a large portion of the good times.

At the point when you fail and attempt again, you can gain from your errors. Chess or coding empowers kids to try until they succeed and deliver the outcome they are searching for.

6. Helps achieve laser-like focus

In today’s blip culture, it’s easy to get distracted by a myriad of micro-tasks, social media, play, and chats. It takes 5–25 minutes for a chess player or programmer to get back into productivity mode after a distraction. Playing chess trains the focus one needs for a match game that can last for hours and see it through.

The best time is now

Investing in kids’ knowledge early is the most ideal choice because it will eventually pay off. Eight of every 10 parents with kids who partake in extracurricular exercises like coding or chess figure those pursuits could someday lead to income for their child, as per a report from CompareCards.com, and the more parents spend on their children’s extracurricular activities, the more likely they are to think it will pay off.

Assuming that kids figure out how to write code at a young age, their experience begins young, and they are bound to grow up with an interest in the product business, subsequently contributing to the future.

Experienced software engineers are sought after and with the advancement of technology, increasing careers opportunities are arising every day. Employees who can code are the future and are profoundly pursued in any industry. Software engineering is one of the most lucrative occupations as of now across the globe.

Since qualified software engineers are difficult to find, their salaries can be at a high level.

How to introduce chess or coding to kids

Some platforms teach kids how to code or play chess through live interactive class, which is considered the most engaging way of all. Earlybrite offers such classes.

At Earlybrite, they offer chess and coding classes with over 50 other extracurricular activities for kids, including animation, game development, etc.

Earlybrite courses are certified. They provide kids with a specific curriculum based on STEAM activities. It’s better late than never, join the new revolution of people learning how to code or play chess.

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