Coding is used in preschools to engage the brains and develop analytical as well as logical skills among children. In fact, even a study has proved that children improve their mental abilities when they start to code at a very young age. Recognizing this fact, we involved coding for our preschoolers since the very inception of the school.
Coding is generally referred to as the set of instructions written in a language understandable by the computer. Well, to everybody’s surprise, coding has several phases depending on the age, hence for preschoolers, is not taught on computers.
As a preschool, at Satellite School for Children, we teach coding fundamentals to our students. These fundamentals include the following topics:
- Algorithm Basics: Under algorithm basics, we teach students to create right patterns using shapes, letters, numbers as well as pictures.
- Critical thinking / Problem-Solving Skills: We show pictures and sequence to students in wrong, or misplaced sequence, where they must find out what is placed incorrectly in the sequence. Questions related to what pattern will complete a particular sequence are also asked to improve the skills among students.
- Open-ended Question Answers: In such questions, the students are given a situation in the form of a picture or elsewise, regarding which, they are asked questions. The students need to think, analyze, and answer the given questions.
- Story Building – Students are given a sequence of pictures of a story, which they need to observe and create a story of their own. This activity enhances their creative skills.
- What’s missing? – Students may be given order in the form of pictures, number, or alphabets, where students need to find the missing element to complete the sequence.
- Dice Games – We employ students in dice games using if-then-else conditions. This way, they learn counting, yet improving their math skills.
- Memory Games – We have developed games where students view the pictures, remember them, and answer the questions related to the pictures shown. These games help develop observation, concentration, memory as well as concentration among children.
- Match-the-match: We have built worksheets where students need to match using their logical skills. The matching can be to complete any picture or given in a form to recognize a changed picture.
Apart from teaching coding fundamentals at school, we also encourage students’ participation at national and international level certified exams such as LogIQids and provide worksheets for it. These exams help children have a total development of logical, analytical, and mental skills.