Coding for Kids
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It All Adds Up—Coding Helps Kids In Math!
This spring has seen parents scrambling to find ways to maintain some kind of normalcy in their kids’ education. And now, just as kids have grown accustomed to an online/remote learning environment, the school year is coming to an end. So how do parents motivate their kids to keep learning from home over summer break and perhaps even into the fall? And what will kids get from all this screen time in the long run?
So what exactly is computer coding?
Simply, it’s the instructions your computer needs to function, making it possible to create software, apps, games, and websites—even art and music!
Tynker makes coding more than just fun
The good news is that Tynker’s online coding courses and activities are a blast! The great news is that our interest-based learning platform helps kids develop essential critical thinking and problem-solving skills, giving them a head start in math when they go back to school.
Plus, the ability to code hands kids the keys to future job opportunities in science, engineering, and tech, even design and animation, making their current screen time not just positive but productive.
How coding improves math performance
In the past, it was generally believed that kids who are good at math should learn to code. However, it turns out the reverse may also be true: coding can help kids do better in math by making math more engaging.
How is math used in coding?
The different ways of breaking down and analyzing problems in coding are particularly helpful when it comes to math.
For example, when kids program a game on Tynker where they need to keep score and health—they’re using variables and arithmetic.
When they’re making shapes with our pen drawing—they’re using geometry while working with angles and numbers.
When they’re building the logic of a program they’re using expressions and testing inequalities.
When they’re animating and moving things on the screen, they’re using coordinate geometry.
What do teachers and parents think about coding with Tynker?
Michelle Lagos, a computer science teacher at the American school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, said, “One of the most common cross-curricular benefits of computer programming is that the kids have an easier time learning math skills.” She used Tynker in elementary classes and noted, “When they have to work on long division, it’s easier for them to visualize the numbers now instead of counting with their fingers. They visualize the equation and think of the best way to solve it.” Lagos added that as a result of using Tynker, “kids in many grades improved their math skills.”
The Casita Center, a magnet elementary school in California, saw considerable improvements in their student math scores, outperforming almost all other state schools with similar demographics. Jenny Anderson, the school’s STEM specialist, believed this improvement was due to practicing algorithmic and computational thinking when coding with Tynker. Plus, she said students were having fun at the same time, which meant they were more likely to stay engaged with the material.
Jesse Thorstad, the Technology Coordinator for the Fergus Falls Public Schools district in Minnesota, had a similar experience. “Tynker provides kids with a concrete example of the power of decimal places,” he said. “When studying decimals in math, the students experience a heartwarming ‘Ah-ha!’ moment when they see how moving a decimal block of code can affect the objects on the screen tenfold.”
Parents have also noticed improvements in their kids’ math abilities. Thomas, father of 11-year-old Benji, said that coding with Tynker had a significant effect on his son, even though Benji felt like he was just making and playing games: “One of the things [Benji] was having a problem with was math, so having to do the math involved in making a game and adding a score, multiplying for points, and different things like that, I think it helped him a lot.”
What makes Tynker’s coding curriculum the best?
Over 60 million kids and 90,000 schools around the world are already learning with Tynker’s interactive coding, featuring self-paced platforms designed to empower individual creativity.
At Tynker, we offer over 3,700 courses and activities for all experience levels, starting with kids ages 4 and up. Using picture blocks, kids start by mastering coding basics and making simple apps, which sets up a seamless transition to developing games, exploring STEM subjects, designing Minecraft mods, and controlling robots and drones.
As they progress through Tynker, kids learn real-world coding like JavaScript and Python, as well as data structures and web development with HTML and CSS. We even offer preps for AP Computer Science.
Learning to code is like learning the rules to an intricate game that will play out for years to come. It’s a skill worth investing in; the difference between dictating your destiny or watching helplessly from the sidelines.
The precision and persistence that go into coding will open up opportunities for your kids to create; perhaps one day leading to technological advances in medicine, alternative energy, water conservation, or maybe even the next cool video game.
And parents can monitor their kid’s progress from the program dashboard as they acquire specific skills, complete coding activities, and earn awards and certificates.
Plus, we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if Tynker isn’t a good fit for your kid. Great. But isn’t there such a thing as too much computer time?
Of course! At Tynker, we believe in moderation. In fact, most of what we offer involves time-sensitive modules.
Tynker is positive screen time, so consider it an investment in your kid’s future and give them the gift of coding today before summer slips away. Don’t let them miss out!
