Apps in full swing

Engaging activities

M other of a three-year-old, Guneet Kaur has been a part of “mommy groups” on
Facebook for the last two years. That is how, she came across mycity4kids, a local resource platform for children which also hosts parenting blogs, in July last year. Ever since, she has been using the portal and to keep herself abreast of “interesting events” to take her son to. Now, as her son’s summer break has started, she has zeroed in on certain summer camps through the app.

“My son is excited about sports and likes being outdoors. At his age, I prefer something which saves him from the scorching heat, and also gives him a space to mingle with other kids of his age,” the Punjabi Bagh resident tells Metrolife. “As the app mentions each and every detail, it makes it easy and convenient to filter activities and decide accordingly,” she adds.

Similarly, a month back, Meena Soni started using Kleverkid.in, a portal and app which has a curated list of workshops, hobby classes and activities for kids. Through the app, she has got her 12-year-old daughter enrolled in a gymnastic class near her house. “I was looking for an option to enrol her in some form of exercise and this seemed like a good option. She has now started enjoying it,” says the Gurgaon resident.

Now with the summer heat raging on, many parents like Kaur and Soni are using such portals and applications to stay in tune with summer activities, camps and events to engage their children in constructive activities. And, according to industry players, it is the options for at-home and outdoor activities, reasonable fees, new experiences, safety of the kid, that make parents opt for such apps.

“I believe that children need to play. They need to be active, creative and innovative. And parents are becoming mindful of their child’s interest which has made the space open and dynamic. They are looking for as many options as possible under one roof or at the click of a button,” Shabnam Aggarwal, chief executive officer (CEO) and chief technology officer, Kleverkid.in, tells Metrolife.

“Whether it is the activities in our box, or the videos that we publish, learning is complete and holistic only with parental involvement. Parents need to spend quality time with their kids while engaging with our activities. Especially for younger kids, the learning experience, focus, and attention improves with parental guidance,” points out Arunprasad Durairaj, co-founder of FlintoBox, which provides subscription activity kits for children between one and a half years to eight years.

The portal recently ran a ‘Summer Fun With Flinto’ campaign where they published one video of do-it-yourself art and craft activities for kids to try out every day with their parents on their Flintobox App (available for download on Google Play Store). “These were 30 seconds to one minute creative activity ideas. From matchbox art to coconut leaf whistles, we ensured that all the activities could be easily created using readily available materials,” explains Durairaj.

In addition, the activities also assist in developing “creativity, exploratory and coordination skills” in kids, he says, “Today, children are a lot more engaged. They understand concepts easily with hands-on learning. We see a huge potential in this field. In addition to this, every home is packed with electronic devices and kids easily fall prey to screen addiction. If parents are looking for a solution to this, we have it ready.”

Divided into categories as diverse as music, theatre, sports and culinary workshops, these portals cater to tech savvy parents. “I remember, five years ago, parents used to struggle with activities for their kids and would choose only the ones which were in close proximity. They would drop the idea altogether if the classes were too far or high priced. But with apps, parents are free to choose from multiple options that suit their budget and are in their vicinity, know the exact date or schedule (of the event), read reviews and even book online,” says Vishal Gupta, co-founder and CEO, mycity4kids, which has 75,000 kids-related service providers and over 12,000 events across nine cities.

So what activities and classes are trending currently? “There has been an increase in science and technology workshops, robotics-based programs and even technical coding besides fitness activities,” says Gupta.

Varun Khaitan, co-founder, UrbanClap, a household services provider which also has listings for hobby activities says, “At home, people are going for not only guitar, keyboard, drum lessons but are also showing a keen interest in French and German lessons. Alongside, dance forms like Hip Hop and Salsa are gaining momentum.”