How Coding for Kids Increases Motivation

The following blog is written by a Guest CodeMonkey blogger.

With technology becoming an integral part of virtually every field, it’s no secret that coding and computer science skills are more relevant now than ever.

If the ever-increasing relevance of coding skills isn’t reason enough for your child to get into coding, perhaps the great deal of potential it has on increasing their motivation is.

Here is how coding can help your child develop the motivational skills they need to better tackle their responsibilities, both now and in the future.

Internal Locus of Control

When trying to understand motivation at a biological level, it is important to first know the concept of the Locus of Control (LoC), or the degree to which a person believes they have control over something.

External LoC refers to the belief that the outcome of an event is out of the individual’s reach and that it is only determined by external forces. An example would be a student believing their teachers control their destiny with the grades and results they give to them.

Internal LoC refers to the belief that the outcome of an event is in the control of the individual rather than the external forces that may be at play. This would be like the same student believing they have control over their own destiny via the grades they themselves earn and achieve.

Falling more into the belief that external forces control your destiny is shown to hinder your motivational levels.

If you don’t believe that you are in control of the outcome, why should you put more effort into the equation?

Tapping into a child’s Internal LoC is critical to boosting their motivational levels in all fields, particularly since students are constantly told that they are not in control of their lives by the way assignments are structured and assigned.

Project-Based Tasks

Teaching through project-based tasks gives students a way to learn in an active and engaging manner that inspires them to reach for a deeper understanding of their subjects.

The general idea behind this teaching method is that giving students a long-term project to dive into and learn from will promote their organizational skills and self-discipline in a way that smaller or more tedious assignments may not.

Project-based tasks give students the ability to develop their knowledge independently as they have to hunt down all of the smaller answers to a larger question on their own, leaving more room for creativity, communication and analysis.

This also encourages students to better organize and motivate themselves since they are on their own schedule with their project.

They now have a reason to figure out what works best for them in terms of self-discipline and motivation since they have to complete work that stretches for the duration of a lengthy project.

Coding and Internal LOC

Coding is an excellent way to tap into students’ LoC because it is a fun, exciting and beneficial area in which to exercise project-based learning.

Since a coding project is a long-term investment, students will have to be able to organize themselves and communicate with any teammates to make sure they fully accomplish all that they had planned.

If a student doesn’t develop their motivational skills and understand the scheduling required of a coding project, it will not reach its fully realized form since dedication and work is required from start to finish.

David Dodge, CEO of CodaKid, explains how Coding is a particularly efficient way to motivate young kids and help prepare them for the future.

“Coding is not only becoming an essential skill in the modern age, it is also a great way to teach kids other necessary abilities that will help them throughout their lives. Coding promotes creativity, communication, self-discipline and so many other necessary traits. It is also such an individually motivated activity, making it a fun and effective way to teach children early on how to keep themselves on task and on schedule with larger scale assignments.”

Here you can find a list of some of the top Coding Games for Kids!

In Summary

Yes, coding is in and of itself a vital skill for your child to learn. It will help develop their academic and professional life and is undoubtedly a desirable skill in the modern age.

However, it is interesting to note the other benefits that coding can provide. It can help boost your child’s motivation through promoting their Internal LoC and also serving as a fun and beneficial project-based learning assignment.

To learn more about coding or how CodeMonkey can help with your child’s learning process and introduction to the skill, make sure to check out our other blog posts and follow us on Facebook and if you haven’t already…

Written by:
Tori Lutz, Author

Tori is freelance writer, editor, and social media manager based in Brooklyn, New York. She got her Bachelor’s Degree in English at Florida State University where she worked at her student publication and published over 150 articles while editing many others. She also is a lover of literature and poetry, allowing her passions in life to be completely enveloped by the English language.