Kids And Coding, The New Love Affair
While most of us were learning how to tie our shoelaces, comb our hair, and even how to dress properly, kids of this generation have taken a huge leap forward and have started to learn to code. WhiteHat Jr., an EduTech start-up is teaching coding to the children between age 6 to 14. They teach children in a live online 1:1 platform which is working effectively for the children.
Although coding might hear to be a complex process, Karan Bajaj, Founder & CEO, WhiteHat Jr believes, “Coding is rather a creative process as you channelize fundaments logically to create games, animation, and applications. So, it’s a more enjoyable process than a complex process.” On the selection of coding language according to the needs of the child, Bajaj said, " Our main focus is on computational thinking and logic rather than syntax. Also, we introduce languages like JavaScript and Python to the kids in our 3rd module.”
Improvement in kids by learning to code at an early age has been backed by scientific reports. Bajaj said, “There’s a lot of research done by premier institutes like MIT and kids who have gone through early standard coding have shown an improved logic by 75 per cent logic and concentration by 300 per cent, etc.”
Learning to code is known for increasing creativity as well as it helps in making child job-ready as by 2020 AI & Robotics will touch 800 Million jobs and the world will split into creators and consumers. Karan argues, “For kids learning coding to improve language and making them job-ready are mutually exclusive, coding makes you a creator, you learn to create things, building games, apps, and animations. And then a psychological shift happens when they see other coded things and start to believe that they can also build such apps, games, and animations.” He further added, “After that whether you choose to create in writing a novel or you choose to create in making a software company or you choose to create some other invention, the most important thing is the shift that happens in your kid.”
Most parents might feel that adding another coaching will burden their already overwhelmed child. But Bajaj disagrees to this fact and said, “The students have the freedom of setting up their own time for the classes. There are 2 classes a week and they have enough time on either weekdays or weekends to attend them. Also, I think the classes are enjoyable and there is always time to enjoy.”
WhiteHat Junior is a 9-month old start-up, and according to Karan, their business is growing at a rate of 100 per cent per month. Also, their monthly revenue has already hit the million-dollar mark. Since its beta launch in January in India, the company has conducted more than 50,000 trials and currently conducts 500 online classes per day.
