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Should kids learn a musical instrument Should kids learn to play chess Should kids learn to play soccer Yes if it interests them. No if not. I feel like we m

by weego 11y ago

Should kids learn a musical instrument Should kids learn to play chess Should kids learn to play soccer Yes if it interests them. No if not. I feel like we might have solved this problem for X a number of times in the past. I'd also warn against the notion that learning to code magically improves critical thinking/task management. They are accessory skills that good developers have or have learned.

Mikeb85 11y ago
In school (public school in Canada) I was forced to play soccer (among other sports), learn a musical instrument (participation in the school band was not optional), and code (a required course had an HTML/JS component). I also learned chess because, why the hell not? I quite enjoyed the experience of public school, and I like to think all the extra things they forced us to do made me a more rounded person. Because they were required, the cost was also subsidized, as I came from a low-income family I likely wouldn't have been able to do many of those activities outside of school. Anyhow, as far as 'coding' specifically, I do think a few basic courses in school, in an easy to learn language with a fun/easy game engine would be great. Say Ruby or Python (or even something like Scratch). I do think schools should still focus on the basics though, maths/sciences/humanities/languages, the rest is just to create well-rounded people.
baldfat 11y ago
> Yes if it interests them. No if not. If you do that with food you have a grown person eating Chicken Nuggets and Mac & Cheese for life and not know the awesome food that is around them.
- tracker1 11y ago
  Kids tend to be naturally curious and want to help... let them help, even if it slows you down. If you cook and let them help, when they are young, they will learn. And yes, some people as adults only eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese... though to be fair, I spent two years perfecting my mac and cheese skills (baking vs. stove top, bechamel route vs sodium citrate, sauce and cheese variations) making it about every other week.
  - baldfat 11y ago
    Kids are natural scientist and we always screw that up. BUT pushing them to try new things is also super important.

by weego 11y ago

Mikeb85 11y ago

In school (public school in Canada) I was forced to play soccer (among other sports), learn a musical instrument (participation in the school band was not optional), and code (a required course had an HTML/JS component). I also learned chess because, why the hell not? I quite enjoyed the experience of public school, and I like to think all the extra things they forced us to do made me a more rounded person. Because they were required, the cost was also subsidized, as I came from a low-income family I likely wouldn't have been able to do many of those activities outside of school. Anyhow, as far as 'coding' specifically, I do think a few basic courses in school, in an easy to learn language with a fun/easy game engine would be great. Say Ruby or Python (or even something like Scratch). I do think schools should still focus on the basics though, maths/sciences/humanities/languages, the rest is just to create well-rounded people.

baldfat 11y ago

> Yes if it interests them. No if not. If you do that with food you have a grown person eating Chicken Nuggets and Mac & Cheese for life and not know the awesome food that is around them.

tracker1 11y ago
Kids tend to be naturally curious and want to help... let them help, even if it slows you down. If you cook and let them help, when they are young, they will learn. And yes, some people as adults only eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese... though to be fair, I spent two years perfecting my mac and cheese skills (baking vs. stove top, bechamel route vs sodium citrate, sauce and cheese variations) making it about every other week.
- baldfat 11y ago
  Kids are natural scientist and we always screw that up. BUT pushing them to try new things is also super important.