Every third Saturday of the month between 2pm and 4pm, Monkey Park CIC run a free technology club open to children between 7 to 13 years of age.

Run by volunteers with technical backgrounds (including Kakou engineers), the club was started to help children learn about coding and basic electronics.

So why is learning about coding and electronics important to learn so early on in life?

Here are 10 reasons why we think coding and electronics are useful skills to learn:

Coding Improves Academic Performance
1. Maths: Coding helps children visualise abstract concepts, lets them apply math to real-world situations, and makes math fun and creative!

2. Writing: Children who code understand the value of concision and planning, which results in better writing skills. Many children even use coding as a medium for storytelling!

3.Creativity: Children learn through experimentation and strengthen their brains when they code, allowing them to embrace their creativity.

4. Confidence: Parents enthusiastically report that they’ve noticed their childrens’ confidence building as they learn to problem-solve!

Coding Builds Soft Skills
5. Focus and Organisation: As they write more complicated code, children naturally develop better focus and organisation.

6. Resilience: With coding and electronics comes debugging – and there’s no better way to build perseverance and resilience than working through challenges!

7. Communication: Coding teaches logical communication, strengthening both verbal and written skills. Think about it: learning code means learning a new language!

Coding Paves a Path to the Future
8. Empowerment: Children are empowered to make a difference when they see they can accomplish a task or solve a problem.
9. Life Skills: Coding is a basic literacy in the digital age, and it’s important for children to understand – and be able to innovate with – the technology around them.
10. Career Preparation: There’s a high demand for workers in the tech industry; mastering coding and electronics at a young age allows children to excel in any field they choose!

Monkey Park CIC can be found at 128a Chester St, Chesterfield S40 1DN
email: info@monkeypark.org.uk