Coding for Kids: Beyond the Buzzword
Ever since AI became more and more powerful, I keep asking myself this question: if I were born in the age of AI, would I still have had the same motivation and grit to learn English?
Probably not.
AI is just too tempting. Speaking from my own experience, once I started using AI tools, I found myself needing ChatGPT to double-check or polish everything I wrote in English. Thanks to technology, life has become more convenient. Even if you don’t speak a foreign language, you can now travel anywhere and have AI translate for you in real time.
But I’m honestly grateful I wasn’t born in the AI era. I’m thankful I went through the struggle of learning English the hard way. Because now, I can read freely, feel the depth of what writers are trying to say, and communicate with people from different cultures without relying on a translator. More importantly, after spending years learning the language and obsessing over all those nuances, English isn’t just a tool to me — it’s become a big part of my life. It’s my joy (movies, shows, music, dubbing app, interpersonal relationships), my source of pride (exams, interviews, studying and working abroad), my bridge to understand different people and worldviews, and a window that opened up my mind.
From English to Coding
What does this have to do with learning to code?
Well, now that AI can write code, do I still need to learn programming?
Let me go back to my experience with AI and English. When I was job hunting, I used to paste the job descriptions and my CV into ChatGPT and get a pretty fancy cover letter out. Click submit, done. But it always felt a bit off.
Once, I attended a meetup where a recruiter shared that they’d received a bunch of identical cover letters. That moment hit me — I wasn’t the only one being “smart.” From then on, I started using ChatGPT more critically. I realised a few things:
- What it generates is only as good as what I feed it. If all it gets is my CV and the JD, then that’s all it can draw from. It can’t include the personal connections or hidden experiences that don’t show up on my CV.
- It often sounds too robotic. The grammar and word choice might be correct, but it lacks warmth and personality. Recruiters say they can tell when something’s AI-generated. Honestly, after reading a bunch of AI-written posts on LinkedIn, I can tell too. They’re perfect, but they don’t feel human.
- If I don’t tell it clearly what structure or tone to use, it just picks one. That doesn’t always work in my favor.
Eventually, I learned how to use AI in a more balanced way — let it help me, but also make sure I keep my voice. Some words it suggests just aren’t the kind of words I’d normally use, so I change them. I once shared in another article that the AI era will push us to express our humanity better. Writing cover letters with a human voice is my way of responding to that idea. After all, recruiters want to see a real person.
And why was I able to use AI this way? Because I already had a solid foundation in English. I knew what sounded like me and what didn’t.
If I didn’t know what “good” looked like, how could I tell when the AI’s version wasn’t good enough?
It’s like back when I was preparing for IELTS writing. I used to mimic all these so-called band 9 model essays packed with big words. But they didn’t help. I got better only after I started reading Simon’s essays — a real British teacher who wrote in such simple, clear, and natural English.
So, back to the big question: if AI can write code now, do I still need to learn to code?
Yes. Because if I don’t understand even the basics of code, I won’t be able to tell if what the AI wrote is any good. I won’t know how to use it effectively.
To use AI for coding in a meaningful way, I need to have some coding skills myself.
So yes, if you want to use AI for coding, it’s still worth learning how to code.
What About Kids Coding?
What if I don’t want my kid to become a programmer? Is coding still worth learning?
I think it’s time we stop seeing coding as some mysterious or elite thing.
Back when I was a kid, “programmers” were these genius types who could build whole systems and become rich overnight. Think Bill Gates and Microsoft, or the guy who wrote The Millionaire Fastlane — he made a fortune building a website. Back then, it felt like knowing how to code could change life.
But now? That dream’s a lot harder to chase.
Big platforms dominate the internet. AI can already handle a lot of basic programming tasks. Coding isn’t a golden ticket anymore. It’s more like English, Excel, or writing — a basic skill, a kind of literacy.
That doesn’t make it useless. Actually, it makes it more relevant than ever.
We teach kids to code not so they can get rich, but so they can learn how to think: how to set goals, break things down, solve problems, stick with it through bugs and frustration, and feel proud when something finally works.
All of these ways of thinking apply to everything — school, work, life decisions. It’s lifelong value.
Is Coding Right for Every Kid?
Not necessarily.
The skills I mentioned — resilience, goal setting, problem solving — aren’t only found in coding. Kids can develop them through music, sports, writing, and other hobbies. The key is helping your child find something that suits their personality and sparks their interest.
Some kids can’t sit still or might find coding boring. That’s okay. Maybe they’re into soccer or swimming. Through sports, they can build the same persistence, confidence, and ability to set and reach goals.
I once taught Mandarin to kids. Some were calm and focused, others couldn’t sit still — but those restless ones were amazing athletes. Eventually, they paused Mandarin lessons, and that was fine. I don’t think that means they’ll never come back to it. If they’re confident and curious, they’ll have the skills to pick it up again later in life. That’s the power of transferable skills.
Children grow in their own ways. Learning isn’t one-size-fits-all or a straight line. I often tell anxious parents: “Every child is different. They all learn at their own paces.”
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And I get where the anxiety comes from. Some parents only have one child, maybe two or three. But as someone who’s worked in early childhood education and taught hundreds of kids, I’ve seen all kinds of learning patterns. It really helps you zoom out and stop comparing so much.
If you’re curious about learning styles, you can do a bit more of the research. There are basically four big categories: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. There are other detailed ways to break it down too. But the point is: understanding how your child learns can make the whole process smoother — for both of you.
So What Are the Real Benefits of Coding?
Let’s talk about specifics.
Coding helps with brain development
Coding is more than a skill — it’s an experience. It’s a way to help build a child’s brain.
We often hear that the brain develops fastest before age 3. That’s true, but brain development doesn’t just stop at 3. It continues throughout life, just at a different pace.
Early on, the brain is like a construction site — neurons are forming tons of synapses. After that, it enters an “optimisation phase.” The brain strengthens connections that are used often, and slowly lets go of the ones that aren’t. This is called synaptic pruning.
Every experience — every challenge, every problem solved — shapes the way the brain is wired.
Coding stimulates that process in powerful ways. It’s not just memorising or solving one kind of problem. It’s:
- setting a goal
- breaking it down
- using logic
- thinking critically
- expressing ideas
- debugging and trying again
This kind of deep, active learning strengthens multiple brain pathways at once. And because kids are learning by doing, those neural connections are real, alive, and ready to grow.
In short, coding supports neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt and keep learning.
Coding teaches skills that last a lifetime
Here’s a poster I made before. Every word came from my real teaching experience:
Coding helps kids build these transferable skills:
- Logical thinking: Understanding cause and effect, thinking through steps.
- Reading: Instructions, code comments, and task explanations all require good reading habits.
- Attention to detail: One missing comma or wrong case, and the code won’t run. I had a student who was great at logic, but every time he came to me when things didn’t work, it turns out to be small mistakes, like a typo. After a while, I’d gently remind him to double-check small mistakes first. Eventually, he got way better at spotting them.
- Asking for support: We don’t expect kids to know everything. But have to courage to ask for support is a skill too — and an important one in life.
- Critical thinking & interpretation: Not just “what to do,” but “why it works” and “can I do it differently?”
- Problem solving: If it doesn’t work, don’t give up — try again, test things out, find another way.
- Independence: Some kids need help at first, especially if they’re used to being told what to do. I encourage them to read instructions and ask open-ended questions. Over time, they become much more confident and independent.
- Resilience: You try, it fails, you try again. That’s a life skill.
- Focus: Coding takes concentration — reading carefully, typing precisely, debugging patiently.
- Confidence: When they get something to work, they light up. It’s the best kind of reward.
Final Thought
I’ve always believed that as parents and educators, our job is to give kids a variety of experiences. It’s through these experiences that they grow, develop their minds, and learn new skills.
And coding — well, it’s one of those great experiences that helps them learn to think, solve problems, and grow.
Whether they grow up to be programmers or not, the way of thinking they build through coding will stay with them, for life.
