Encouraging children to be lifelong learners

What is lifelong learning?

Lifelong learning is the self-motivated pursuit of knowledge and self-development, throughout life. It's about being curious and always wanting to learn more, no matter how old you are. This love for learning helps young people to build up their skills and knowledge, adapt to different situations, connect with others and make the world a better place! Ultimately, people who have a passion for lifelong learning open up their world to more exciting opportunities and higher incomes, as they continually develop their skills and stay ahead in their careers.

Why is it important for children today?

In our new digital era, encouraging a passion for lifelong learning is more vital than ever. It’s been estimated that in ten years time, most children will be working in jobs that don’t exist today, and so demand for transferable skills is increasing.

Neuroscience research has also shown that children are more adaptable than adults, so by encouraging a passion for learning early on, kids are better equipped to tackle challenges in our rapidly evolving world.

We need to encourage kids to problem solve, think creatively and develop resilience - as this will give them more confidence in their own abilities and potential.

What can I do to encourage my kids to love learning?

Problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, resilience - life skills allowing children to adapt - are all naturally developed whilst learning how to code.

Play is also important in sparking a love of lifelong learning. Through having fun, children become absorbed in what they are learning, and playing gives them a safe space to repeatedly fail and try again. By effectively combining education and entertainment we can inspire more young people to love learning, and to adapt their skills for a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive job market.

Coding and lifelong learning

As we've uncovered the undeniable benefits of sparking a love for lifelong learning, let's delve deeper into how coding can help make this happen.

Coding is a new, unfamiliar skill that can challenge kids to problem solve, think critically, and build their own digital creations. Unlike with more traditional subjects, young learners start with no skills and can then progress all the way up to making their own ideas come to life.

One of the most obvious ways that coding helps with lifelong learning, is that it teaches kids to break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. An essential life skill for both children and adults! And the only way to improve when learning a new skill, is to keep trying and failing - another life skill which is essential for success.

Coding encourages curiosity and creativity, persistence in problem solving, collaboration, and in some cases, an entrepreneurial mindset - given that all of these qualities are closely linked with being an entrepreneur.

How does Erase All Kittens encourage lifelong learning?

Most coding tools and toys teach children visual-based programming - the concepts of coding. Erase All Kittens is a multi-award-winning adventure game that introduces kids aged 7-12 to text-based programming; coding for the real world, through fun storytelling and gameplay.

The way it works is that children can hack into the real source code of the game as they play - building and fixing levels using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Learning feels more like a side effect however, as the main focus of the game is on storytelling through interactive dialogue and gameplay - where kids can save cute, fluffy kittens, collect blip coins and earn coding badges.

Our technically innovative coding mechanics and hints system makes it possible for children as young as 7 to move on from visual-based programming tools, and learn how to code like a developer!

Lifelong learning has become more important now than ever, and by encouraging kids to code and create, we can help them to excel as the innovators, problem solvers, writers and designers of tomorrow.

Thanks for your support, and keep in touch with us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more updates!