Coding and maths are very closely interlinked, so children may well be put off learning to code in the first instance if they think they’re bad at maths or find it hard - but if they show a strong aptitude for languages, you might like to suggest they take a few classes and see how they fare.

New research from the University of Washington has just revealed that a natural flair for languages is in fact a stronger predictor of programming than basic maths knowledge or numeracy.

This is down to the fact that writing code also involves learning a second language, covering new vocabulary and grammar, and finding out how these combine to communicate intentions and ideas.

Coding has strong roots in human language, creating meaning by using symbols together following a set of rules… but it’s often associated with maths and engineering, and are typically taught in computer science and engineering departments, which may be offputting to some people who could be very good at writing code.

Associate professor of psychology at the university and lead author of the report CHantel Prat said: “Many barriers to programming, from prerequisite courses to stereotypes of what a good programmer looks like, are centered around the idea that programming relies heavily on math abilities, and that idea is not born out in our data.”

She went on to say that learning to code is difficult but skills such as these are becoming increasingly important where career options are concerned.

“Information about what it takes to be good at programming is critically missing in a field that has been notoriously slow in closing the gender gap,” Ms Prat added.

If your child has expressed an interest in learning to code or perhaps you’re keen to ensure they have essential skills for the future, what about sending them off to a summer coding camp in London, or your local area?

The courses are all designed to be fun, educational and empowering, allowing your children to explore technology and take advantage of an innovative approach to coding lessons, balancing learning computational skills with nurturing your child’s curiosity and sense of discovery.

There are a range of different courses available, such as Scratch and Robotics, which is well suited to those aged six and seven, covering an introduction to Scratch, which is an easy-to-understand coding language.

Or what about Lego Robotics, a really fun hands-on course for six to nine-year-olds who are really passionate about building and programming robots. If you’d like to find out any more about coding and the kinds of courses we have available, get in touch with us today.