Teaching kids to code at this early stage – in some cases, before they even learn to read – is a new educational approach, yielding early brain development and critical thinking skills that go way beyond computer programming. Playing games like Robot Turtles builds problem solving skills, giving children open minds and empowering them to make choices, experiment, be creative and have confidence in their abilities!
Here’s what the experts say:
"In the 21st century, ‘computational thinking’ is essential for everyone. ‘Computational thinking’ is problem analysis and decomposition, algorithmic thinking and expression, functions and abstraction, fault isolation and debugging. Programming is how we teach these concepts. The earlier the better! That's why Robot Turtles is so great." – Ed Lazowska, PhD, Bill & Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington; Founding Director, University of Washington eScience Institute.
"Kids who enter my computer science classes at the University of Washington have a huge advantage if they're already comfortable with core programming concepts like functions and debugging." – Oren Etzioni, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
Inventor Dan Shapiro explains that learning to code is like a gift we can give our children:
“There are two types of people in the world. People who think of computers as their masters and people who think of computers as their helpers. The future is going to be written by programmers and read by everyone else. I want to give my kids the gift of being able to express themselves through programming and the power that comes from being able to write software.
It’s not that I want them to be programmers. Being able to program will make them better at whatever they do. Having that skill is like being a great writer, having a love for learning, or having a deep foundation in mathematics. No matter what you do, programming unlocks doors for you, helps you express yourself, and helps you become more successful in anything you decide to do. It’s a gift you can give to your kid.” – Dan Shapiro.