DIGITAL SKILLS KIDS CAN LEARN IN SUMMER 2021

With no signs of the Covid-19 crisis abating, students and parents are bracing up for another summer spent in the confines of their homes. When, during the previous summer we were still hoping for things to get normal in another month or so, this time around we are better prepared. While vaccines might be circulating in the market, they still cannot be administered to kids. Naturally, with going outdoors being out of the picture, the question that most parents have is how to engage their kids in the upcoming summer.The importance of being digitally sound, need not be reiterated. Virtual summer tech camps are an excellent medium to encourage kids to pick up valuable skills that are sure to come in handy in the future. Here are a few courses that you can consider to get your kid interested in:

  • Coding/Programming

    Coding is, without a doubt, the most in-demand skill that is going to be highly coveted in the upcoming years. With conventionally non-technical sectors joining the digital revolution, coding is not going to be a skill merely desired in IT professionals.

    Today, there are many tools out there designed explicitly for kids to easily grasp the basics of coding. Depending on their ages and knowledge level, kids can take their skills and learn programming with various languages such as BASIC, Blockly, Scratch, HTML, Java, Python, and a lot more. They can apply their knowledge and take another step ahead and pick up web development if that is where their passion lies. The possibilities are endless enough to keep them busy all through the summer.


  • App development

    Apps are popular and much loved. If you want to get something done – anything at all – chances are that there is an app out there waiting to help you. They are yet another way to get kids excited and started with coding and programming in a fun and interactive environment.

    With an app development course, kids learn to design, build, and develop their own unique app. This activity, experts have shown, develop their confidence, procedural thinking, and communication skills.


  • Ethical hacking, machine learning and AI

    While these terms sound intimidating and absolutely nothing like something kids can master, in reality, that is far from it. With issues like digital security and cyber safety being serious concerns, especially for kids, getting kids interested in ethical hacking might be a good idea.

    With numerous tools such as the ‘Microsoft Explanimators’ video series, ‘Experiments with Google’, and Scratch to name a few, kids can learn machine learning models which they can apply to play games or complete interactive projects. These activities are designed to instil in kids the basic principles and nuances of machine learning and artificial intelligence in a completely easy and non-intimidating way.


  • Robotics

    This one is a no-brainer. Kids love toys and things that move and can be controlled. Just like with hacking, machine learning and AI, if presented in an engaging and entertaining way, this is a perfect course for kids to get started with and interested in electronics and mechanics.

    A robotics course boosts your kids’ programming, design thinking, logical and analytical skills as they learn, experiment and play. And at the end of the day, they get their very own robot created and controlled by them.


  • Digital illustration, animation and game design

    Digital does not mean being limited to coding and programming. If your kids are creatively inclined, it might be worth considering giving their artistic side a new edge by supplementing it with technology. The scope of digital art is endless – especially in a world that values quality customer experience and good visuals.

    With tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, your kids can expand their horizons drastically. To make drawing more fun, you can encourage them to learn to animate their art and create small snips or short stories if that is where they are inclined towards. Older kids can spend the summer learning to create their very own video game avatar and even the entire game itself. The possibilities are limited only by their imagination.


  • Graphic design and digital photography

    With most of our digital communication occurring via eye-catching banners and graphics across social media and screens, the importance of a good post goes without explaining.

    Encourage your kids to use that smartphone creatively. Encourage them to learn the art of photography, editing them digitally and turning them into a great poster or merging two pictures to create a piece of digital art.


  • Digital marketing

    This is a fairly easy skill to pick up out of all the ones mentioned above. However, it is not a skill to be underestimated. Your kids stand to learn the basics of social media visibility using SEO and SEM.

    With a digital marketing course, they will learn the importance of good writing and communication, eye-catching creative photos and illustrations, user experience and expectations, handling a blog or a webpage and much more.

    Article Published on ‘Education Times’. Click here to read.