My friend showed me how he 'vibe coded' a simple app in 20 minutes — just describing what he wanted and letting AI write the code. My first thought: wait, then why do we teach kids programming?

If AI can generate code from natural language descriptions, what's the point of teaching a 6-year-old to drag and drop blocks in LEGO programming?

This question bothered me for days. Here's where I landed.

The real value of teaching kids coding

I asked myself: what do kids actually learn from programming — not the language, but the practice?

They learn logical thinking: if this, then that. Break down big problems into small steps. Debug: when something doesn't work, figure out why. Persistence: try, fail, adjust, try again.

These are not coding skills. They're thinking skills. And AI doesn't change their value.

What changes with AI

The balance shifts from execution to design. In the past, half the struggle of creating a program was syntax — knowing the exact right word and punctuation to make the computer understand. AI eliminates that barrier.

But the other half — deciding what to build, breaking it down into steps, knowing whether the output makes sense — that's still intensely human.

So should kids still learn LEGO programming?

Yes — but not for the reasons we thought before.

Not to become programmers. To learn that you can create things with technology, not just consume it. To understand that behind every app is a series of decisions, not magic. To build the confidence that when you see a problem, you can figure out a solution.

LEGO programming, Scratch, Python — these are now like learning to read music. Most kids won't become professional musicians. But understanding how music works makes you a richer human being. Same with coding.

AI will write the code. But someone still needs to decide what code to write, and why. That someone needs the foundational understanding that coding teaches.

So yes, I still want my son to learn programming. Not because he'll be a developer. Because I want him to be a creator, not just a user. And that distinction is more important now than ever.