Helping Your Child Stand Out From the Academic Crowd

Education plays a crucial part in all our children’s lives. We want nothing but the best for our kids and in general, most Indian parents feel this way. As a result, Indian schools are flooded with over-achievers making it extremely difficult for any one kid to especially stand out from the crowd. Back in the day, having additional skills like advanced mathematics or an aptitude for science was more than enough for kids to have that extra edge in school. But in these modern times, children need some form of unique education that can help them stand out and also make an impact. This is important not only from the perspective of external perceptions but also personal growth and confidence. Let’s dive deeper and see what forms this unique education can take.

Teaching kids to code is one very important way you can give your children that extra edge in school. Coding inculcates some very important skills in children that can help them not only with their academics but also beyond simple education. For starters, coding gives children a tremendous boost of confidence since there is nothing more satisfying than creating your own program and software from scratch and executing it. It also shows kids the importance of trial and error and dealing with failure. Coding may be a vital skill but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Which is why the feeling of successfully executing a piece of code is all the more sweeter. But that’s enough about coding, let’s have a look at another great way you can leverage technology to engage your kids - robotics. These days, a number of robotic kits are available for younger children that helps them build simple but effective robots. Again it leverages technology to teach children practical application and helping them develop key skills. One very unique way in which a lot of parents are helping their children is by pushing them towards student entrepreneurship programmes. These programmes take children through the practical side of business by encouraging them to formulate and run a business of their own. This could even be something as simple as running a lemonade stand to creating their own product and marketing it. The biggest advantage of all these different courses is that they give your child a taste of the real world. While academic knowledge is all very good, real world application of that knowledge is what can make all the difference between success and victory.

The big question remains, however - where does one find computer coding for kids and other such classes? While most schools don’t realize the importance of this kind of education, there are a few institutes in the city that offer these sort of specialized courses. They run regular classes and provide detailed guidance for kids to excel and pursue these unique educational opportunities. So if you are on the lookout for something similar, you can always get in touch with one of these institutes and see what they have to offer.

Why Your Child’s School Education May Not Be Enough

We as parents want only the best for our kids and we often feel that we have done our due diligence by enrolling them in a good school with basic extra curricular classes like computer courses for kids. But you need to understand that simply a ‘decent’ school is no longer good enough. While we may have gotten by with a state or central education and turned out fine, our children have a lot more to contend with in this day and age. Which is why it is important to consider whether your child’s school education is sufficient, and if not, what can you as a parent do about it? Let’s have a look.

In this age of STEM for kids, schools have evolved into virtual, education playgrounds for children with a wide variety of tools and gadgets being deployed to engage young children. Learning is not restricted to four walls and a roof and the chalk and duster system of teaching too has gone out the window. In such a scenario, older schools are struggling to catch up. For instance, they still insist on placing a strong emphasis on just theoretical studies while more and more research seems to indicate the need for practical application of concepts.

Many courses like the young entrepreneurs program aim at filling this gap by giving children a real world business experience instead of just theoretical ideas. It is important for you to consider whether or not your child is getting this kind of exposure at their current school.

What can you do about it you ask? You probably don’t need to take a step as drastic as switching schools but you can supplement your child’s academics with external courses. These courses should provide your kid with those extra skills that regular schools tend to miss out on and will help your children develop into truly global citizens.

Kidpreneurs - The Next Generation of Entrepreneurs Start Early

Many considered the turn of the twentieth century to be the pinnacle of industrialization but it wasn’t until the 2000s that entrepreneurship truly became a democratic pursuit. Gone are the days when one needed strong financial backing to start a business. This is the age of the startup and all it takes is one solid idea for business endeavors to take off. The silicon valley boom has seen the rise of young entrepreneurs and these days you have some of the youngest minds making some of the biggest bucks out there.

In such a scenario it is very important that the next generation of entrepreneurs be groomed early. The concept of student entrepreneurs arose out of this insight and now you have more and more parents pushing their kids towards this pursuit. Kidpreneurs, as they are popularly known, are basically intelligent and enterprising young children who are inculcated with basic business values which can then be put to practical use. This could be something as simple as coaching a kid to start their own lemonade stand and guiding them towards profitability.

Who actually teaches such courses you ask? Currently, even STEM for kids and other education models also don’t offer such courses but thankfully there are a number of extra-school institutions that offer such courses. They specialize in recognizing entrepreneurial talent in young children and helping them nurture this to great effect. While such courses definitely prepare children for an entrepreneurial life, they also provide them with important practical experience. It gives them a hands-on glimpse of what it means to run a company, manage finances, deal with profit and loss and think about things from a long-term perspective. The benefits are endless, the key lies in getting your child enrolled in a good course with good teachers.

Since most of the startups these days are in the technology space, writing code too has gained a lot of traction with younger children. Parents want their children to learn to code for a number of reasons, the most important one being to prepare them for a career in the software development field. But one cannot deny how well coding for children goes with the concept of student entrepreneurship. In fact, coding as a skill is helpful in a number of ways since it also teaches children to be disciplined and follow set rules. It mixes the dedication and discipline of technology with the bright spark of creativity, thereby stimulating both the spheres of the brain. Coding as a pursuit is in fact recommended for everyone these days.

While entrepreneurship for children and coding classes are all excellent concepts, better implementation in mainstream education is the need of the hour here. Educators need to understand the importance of these ideas and slowly incorporate them in a subtle way into the syllabus. The demand for such skills is evident, it makes sense for schools to accommodate them in their courses. In any case, the next generation of entrepreneurs may be young but they are definitely ready!

Why Your Children Need an Early Start in Their Career

As a diligent parent, you have no doubt enrolled your little one in a good early learning centre and are on the lookout for a good school for them. But simple academics is no longer enough. You cannot wait for your child to complete 14 years of education before they are exposed to the work that they will eventually do. It is estimated that forty percent of children today will go into jobs that haven't been invented yet. With so much at stake, it's important for you as a parent to help your child and give them that extra edge.

For instance, if your child loves apps and games, you could try and get them interested in coding for children. These coding classes are specially designed to appeal to kids while teaching them the basics of programming. Many advanced courses even let them actually write code from scratch and execute them. Besides immensely boosting their self-confidence, these courses, in fact, help children get a head start in a software programming career.

Another innovative way to give your child a taste of the practical aspect of work is to introduce them to the concept of student entrepreneurs. These basically consist of workshops and classes that help students pursue an entrepreneurial career from a young age. They not only teach children theory but also encourage practical application. These children are usually broken down into groups and given various entrepreneurial projects. Students have to learn to manage their finances, market their product or service and deal with losses in a productive way.

No matter what course you choose, it's important that it should be fun for your kids in addition to educating them. Since it's an extra-school activity, you don't want to put excessive pressure on your kid and let them find something that they truly love. Try out a few options and talk to your child to see what works best for them.

How to Give Your Kids That Extra Edge over the Competition

No matter how much we may want our children to have a healthy balance of work and play, the bitter reality is that a simple school education is not enough for a person to succeed in today's competitive age. But that does not mean that we need to force our kids to apply themselves till they read a breaking point. What you can simply do is channel their energies into more productive areas. Earlier, parents would enrol their children in drawing, painting and music classes to give them an extra edge and to hone their creative self-expression. In the modern age, these pursuits have become redundant in the same way that board games and classic outdoor games have gone out of vogue. It is important to attract kids with an activity that would interest them and add value to their education at the same time. For example, if your child has an aptitude for painting or drawing, push them towards computer courses for kids that focus on these skills. They could take up animation and graphic design and still stay true to their passion while in fact training for a possible and lucrative future career. Most kids these days can effectively work a computer better than an adult so it should come as no surprise to you if your child picks up these skills rapidly.

Coding classes for kids is another fantastic way to leverage your child's creative skills and technical talent. A number of future jobs will require a functional knowledge of coding and this is assuming your child doesn't want to directly pursue programming as a career. Why is this relevant for kids? They naturally have an aptitude for computer and mobile software and games and this gives them a way of looking under the hood and creating something for themselves. But that's not all, it also teaches children to practically apply their knowledge and deal with the hiring process of trial and error. At the same time, it can also prove to be extremely motivating to the growing mind, the sheer joy of perfectly executing a piece of well-written code is unmatched. A number of institutes offer coding classes for students with the express purpose of giving children a head-start in the field and more and more parents are turning towards it as a great way for their children to learn and grow.

If you feel your child has a more entrepreneurial bent of mind, you could always get them to participate in a young entrepreneurs program. This is something that more and more schools are adding to their curriculum every day simply because the world is discovering that innovation and industry can literally begin at any age. These entrepreneurship programs not only teach children the tenets of business but also pushes them to practically apply it in their lives. This could be something as simple as having your own lemonade stand to something as advanced as building a business from scratch and running it over a period of time.

The bottom line is that you need to arm your kid with skills beyond pure academics. Find something that fits your child's interests and encourage them to pursue it.