Is coding the still the best thing to teach to kids?
I read this good article today:
I’m a Developer. I Won’t Teach My Kids to Code, and Neither Should You.
I agree halfway. I don’t think “teach kids to code” only means teaching the syntax of a particular language. Maybe it should mean teaching the ways of thinking that could be transferred to other activities.
I love his point about teaching curiosity:
You’re teaching them the world is full of interesting things to discover. You’re showing them how to be passionate and look for that ephemeral sense of quality in everything they do. The best part is that even if they don’t become coders—most shouldn’t and won’t—the same skills can be used in nearly any career, in every hobby, in every life.
With examples:
One day, my son was concerned that a chair of his was wobbly. We looked at it and he helped me isolate the problem: One of the screws was loose. I found one of our many leftover hex wrenches and showed him how to screw it back in. After that, he was curious what would happen if he screwed the other way, which he did until the screw came out. We ended up taking the chair all the way apart and putting it back together a couple of times, often mismatching pieces, before he was satisfied the job was finished. Try something. See how it works. Try again.
