Every parent understands the world is becoming much more technological. Robotics, for instance, is a fast-rising industry that holds a lot of potential for anyone prepared with the right background and imbued with the right personality.
Additionally, as a parent, you want the very best for your child, so you understand that your child can prepare in school, online, and by eventually pursuing an advanced degree. However, the question you probably worry about the most is how to instill within your child from an early age the love for such technical fields.
Fortunately, technical resources abound to help introduce your child to robotics at an early age and then maintain that interest all the way to young adulthood. One thing to remember is that the key is to provide three things: resources, parental interaction, and collaboration.
1. Blocks
Lego toys are renown fun for any child, and you can help instill a love for robotics early on by helping your child build with robot-themed blocks. For instance, the Mindstorm kit is an educational kit designed to introduce robotics to children in an engaging way. Designed as a “cross-curriculum” STEM solution, it includes a variety of working parts:
- servo motors
- sensors
- connecting cables
- programmable computer
- lots of Lego blocks
In general, the kit is designed to prime your child’s interest in four areas: science, technology, electronics, and math (STEM). More specifically, it is designed to help children build and code working robotic prototypes.
To add a little fun to the learning experience, various competitions exist that raise the stakes and give your child experience in fun, real-world play environments. What makes these kits especially valuable is that they are modular, allowing children to gradually build larger and more complicated robots.
2. Creator Spaces
The maker generation is upon us, and as a parent, you understand the thrill your child gets when he or she creates something new. You also understand the fun of sharing such creative time with your child and helping your little one learn. To assist you, Labspace Robotics offers a premier creator space designed to introduce the joy and challenge of robotics to children and students of varying ages.
Home projects are available for download, allowing children and parents to work together. Online courses are available for the serious prodigy, allowing your child to learn this challenging field according to his or her unique schedule.
On-site parties are also available for parents wanting to throw a very unique birthday party for their technologically adept child. At these parties, each child in attendance is in charge of building his or her own remote-control robot.
3. Weekend Kits
It actually does not take a lot of planning, money, or experience to become involved in robotics. All it actually takes is the willingness to help your child get involved in robotics by engaging them with such things as Makeblock starter kits.
Makeblock kits are a lot like Mindstorm kits in that they are designed to spur interest in robotics by allowing any interested child to make remote-control robots that walk or roll. The kits are quite advanced, but they come with all the necessary components:
- computer motherboard
- blocks
- cables
- chassis
- wheels
- tracks
Other kits include STEM robotic kits and solar robot kits. With so many kits available, all it takes is some time.
4. Code camps
Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn, yet it is also one of the premier languages used in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics. For your child, code camps are available to introduce programming in a fun, social environment that offers context to otherwise abstract concepts.
To make it even easier, many of these camps are available online. For instance, Techventure Kids offers online classes specifically designed to teach robotics. Online camps are available to help spur interest in game design, and they have STEM school clubs that help explore just how robots work. The company’s focus is on “choice and guidance,” helping to provide kids with a variety of options along with supervision to help them make the best choices to reach their goals.
Finally, the code camps are geared toward helping children learn to work collaboratively, making it possible for them to get experience working on a team toward the development of some fairly complicated goals. The result is a lot of fun and a lot more confidence in the field of robotics.
