{"id":3535,"date":"2025-08-11T19:03:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T19:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/?p=3535"},"modified":"2025-08-11T19:22:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T19:22:02","slug":"can-kids-really-think-better-by-learning-to-code","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/2025\/08\/11\/can-kids-really-think-better-by-learning-to-code\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Kids Really Think Better by Learning to Code?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A 2019 study using Code.org activities shows how coding helps children plan, focus, and control their actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Story Behind the Question<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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It starts in a bright classroom. A group of 6-year-olds are sitting in front of tablets. On the screen, a friendly character is waiting for instructions to find its way through a maze.
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The children can\u2019t simply swipe or tap randomly. They have to think: First turn left, then move forward twice, then jump. If the plan is wrong, the character will get stuck. So they stop, think again, and change the sequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It looks like play\u2014but every click is training their brain to plan ahead, notice mistakes, and fix them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 2019, a team of researchers in Europe wanted to know: Can these playful coding activities actually make children think better in real life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How the Study Was Designed<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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The researchers worked with two age groups:
– 5\u20136 years old (kindergarten)
– 7\u20138 years old (early primary school)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They chose visual, block-based coding activities from Code.org. This design was important:
– No typing skills needed
– No tricky commands to memorise
– Focus fully on logic, sequence, and problem-solving<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Step-by-Step Process<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Over about one month (8 regular sessions):
1. Introduction to Blocks \u2013 Children learned to drag and drop blocks of instructions to control on-screen characters.
2. Simple Paths \u2013 Early puzzles with just a few moves to reach a goal.
3. Challenging Mazes \u2013 More complex routes that needed planning multiple steps ahead.
4. Debugging \u2013 Fixing mistakes when the plan didn\u2019t work.
5. Logic Challenges \u2013 Using loops and conditions in a visual way (no text coding).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Each session was short enough to keep attention, but long enough to build a new mental skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What They Measured<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Before and after the program, the children took simple but powerful tests for two Executive Functions:
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– Planning \u2013 Organising steps in the best order to reach a goal.
– Inhibition \u2013 Pausing before reacting and thinking through the best choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These skills are like the brain\u2019s \u201ccontrol panel\u201d\u2014they help in school, sports, teamwork, and daily decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What They Found<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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1. Planning Skills Jumped
After just one month, children in the coding group were noticeably better at planning. In some cases, the progress was equal to seven months of regular school learning.
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2. Better Self-Control
They made fewer impulse mistakes, especially in activities that required thinking before acting.
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3. The Change Lasted
When tested again about a month later, their planning skills stayed stronger\u2014showing the benefits didn\u2019t disappear right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why This Matters for Every Child<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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These gains go beyond the computer screen. The same thinking skills help children:
– Break homework into smaller steps
– Work as part of a team without rushing ahead
– Make better decisions in daily life<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Whether or not they become programmers, they learn how to think in a clear, organised way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How CodyNick Brings Science Into Play<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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At CodyNick, we design every project around these principles. Like the study, our coding classes, gadget projects, and digital camps:
– Start simple and build complexity step by step
– Encourage planning before action
– Give space to test ideas and fix mistakes
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Children might be building a Smart Parking Sensor or designing a Magic Music Box, but what\u2019s really happening is bigger: They\u2019re training their brain to think ahead, focus, and solve problems creatively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Bottom Line<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Coding is not just about computers\u2014it\u2019s about thinking. And as this research shows, starting young can help children build thinking skills that last far beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Study Reference:
Piccolo, L. R., et al. (2019). Coding in primary school improves children\u2019s executive functions. Available at: https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC6917597\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 2019 study using Code.org activities shows how coding helps children plan, focus, and control their actions. The Story Behind the Question It starts in a bright classroom. A group of 6-year-olds are sitting in front of tablets. On the screen, a friendly character is waiting for instructions to find its way through a maze. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_glsr_average":0,"_glsr_ranking":0,"_glsr_reviews":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-experiance","category-text_posts"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3535"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3543,"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3535\/revisions\/3543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/codynick.com\/blogs\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}