The conventional belief has always been that kids interested in programming should develop strong math skills. But it might actually be the other way around. Educators and parents are talking about how computer programming can help children build math skills and make math learning more fun.

Michelle Lagos, a computer science teacher at the American school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, observes, “One of the most common cross curricular benefits of computer programming is that the kids have an easier time learning math skills.” She uses Tynker in elementary classes and adds, “When they have to work on long division, it is 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 reports that, as a result of using Tynker, she has “seen kids in many grades improve their math skills.”

Programming helps kids visualize abstract concepts

Abstract math concepts can be a challenge to many kids and put them off the subject entirely. Parents, teachers, and technology specialists are using Tynker to help children visualize abstract math concepts.

Jesse Thorstad, Technology coordinator for the Fergus Falls Public Schools district in Minnesota, says, “Tynker provides kids with a concrete example of the power of decimal places. 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.”

Kids explore the real-world applications of math concepts

Creating spaceships or saving puppies with Tynker is a great way for a child to see the application of math strategies. Sri Ramakrishnan of Tynker points out that kids develop stronger math skills when applying concepts in a real-world context: “The computational thinking involved in computer programming involves logic, organizing and analyzing data, and breaking a problem into smaller and more manageable parts. Much of this is also required when solving math problems!”

Math can be used in creative coding projects

Tynkering kids see how math is inherently creative. Here is an example of math art that kids can create with Tynker:

10-year-old Jacob Myers, a big math buff who regularly competes in math contests, uses Tynker to make math art with spirals and triangles.

Coding teaches problem-solving skills

Programming is a real-world way to teach mathematical thinking. When students create or debug a program, they practice solving problems. Math teachers find that Tynker’s beginning lessons are a great way to teach pattern identification as well.