A kid’s guide to computational thinking

There’s a lot that computers are capable of. All they need is simple instruction. However, the instructions need to be broken down into easy-to-follow steps for a computer to efficiently execute it. A lot of in-between steps that may seem obvious to people need to be precisely detailed out for the computer to follow the programme smoothly. Developing this thinking pattern of breaking down problems into easy-to-follow steps is called computational thinking. This is the prelude to computer programming. 

Computational thinking is the prerequisite for a clear understanding of future technologies. Learning it involves developing a thought process or pattern rather than acquiring a specific body of knowledge about a device or language.  

Benefits of computational thinking 
Computational thinking allows students to build the right mindset for developing skills in STEM and coding, two top fields in the job market. The skills developed through learning computational thinking are not only limited to careers related to these domains. It also helps kids develop cognitive skills that yield long-term benefits: Logical thinking and problem solving.  

Pillars of computational thinking 
The cornerstones of computational thinking are decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithm. These four pillars go a long way in flexing your child’s brain muscles.  

Decomposition: It involves breaking down complex problems into smaller, simpler, easier ones. Decomposition comes handy not only in STEM-related streams, it also helps children pick up a new language, tackling social issues and even understand far-reaching impacts of historical events. It allows students to assess the problem at hand and figure out all of the steps needed to complete the task. 

Have your child explain simple tasks in a step-by-step format with as much detail they can. This will boost her decomposition skill.  

Pattern Recognition: This skill guides children to make connections between similar problems and figure out if any solution used previously can work for the situation at present. Finding patterns simplifies tasks because you can use what you already know. If students are taught to recognize patterns, their awareness of the world around expands and enhances the skill of predictive analysis.  

Help your child imbibe this skill through music, building blocks and observational learning. Teachers could give students an object to build that has several patterns and give instructions for the first part only. 

Abstraction: This skill helps students identify important information while ignoring unrelated or irrelevant details. Whether in perfecting a line of code or editing a written masterpiece, abstraction comes in handy when kids need to focus without getting lost in the details of the process. This skill proves to be invaluable for higher studies when students are requifed to process larger and more complex set of information.  

 A block building game helps in the inculcation of abstraction skill where the students are provided with more pieces than required in the design. They have to figure out which pieces are essential to the structure and which need to be discarded.  

Algorithm: It is used while designing simple steps to solve problems. Algorithms are about finding the fastest and most streamlined means of achieving the desired result through sequential rules.  

Ask your child to create a flow chart of the various steps involved in an easy task like sandwich making. The steps should be written in sequential order. You can also encourage her to map out the path from classroom to playground on a piece of paper.