An interest in science, math and technology will serve any child well as they grow up and enter high school or post-secondary education. Demand for science and technology skills in the workplace is constant. Even if your child grows up to decide they want to pursue something different, skills like programming are useful in a broad spectrum of industries and the arts.

While there are always careers in video game design, robotics, computer science, and more, coding is also a valuable skill to have for artists, designers, engineers, business analysts, and many other professionals.

So how do you get your kid interest in coding without forcing it? Fostering their interest in an organic way is the best way to get them interested in developed tech skills.

Show Them How Technology Is Creative

There are all kinds of ways that a knowledge of science and technology can be expressed through creativity. One of the most obvious for children is video games. Video games are the perfect door through which you can introduce kids to technology.

Did you know that there are coding courses for kids where you can sign up students as young as 7? After-school coding courses and summer coding camps are an easy, accessible way to start learning about coding.

As you look for course options, keep an eye out for programs that offer a lot of 1-on-1 time with instructors. For example, coding courses by Real Programming 4 Kids have a 4-student maximum class size. More 1-on-1 time gives students more opportunities to ask questions, learn, and gain confidence with what they're learning.

Tell Kids It's Okay Not to Love Science and Math

In school, children often quickly fall into two distinct camps: those who love a subject and those who hate it. Plenty of students with good grades in a subject like math can still hate the subject. It may seem harmless, but once they get a choice in high school, they might quickly cut themselves off from learning more.

Make sure they know that it's okay not to love science and math, but that doesn't mean they should leave it behind. Learning is not an all-or-nothing proposition. If they see the value of persisting in something even if it's not their favorite subject, they may be more likely to stick with it.

Create an Environment for Teens to Get Interested in STEM

If you thought it was a challenge getting younger kids interested in some kind of extracurricular, teens are even harder. What you can do, though, is help them find out what opportunities are available.

Video games are a perfect example. It's a growing industry with a demand for a wide range of skills. The industry needs more than coders; it also depends on artists, designers, musicians, writers, testers, and more. A solid background in coding or other STEM skills will always be an asset in the industry, though.

Let teens know that there are more places to learn than just the classroom. School can be great, but when teens have a chance to follow their own interests, they're more likely to be engaged. Let them pursue their own curiosity and let them know that it's okay to fail. When you're working with science and technology, you don't always get the outcome you were hoping for, but you always learn from the experience.