With our dependence on programming rapidly increasing, many educators believe that children should be introduced to the art of programming and coding at an early age. In order to make programming easier and fun for children, Primo Toys, UK has created a friendly robot named Cubetto that teaches children the basics of computer programming. Sarvesh Shrivastava, Founder and Managing Director, Eupheus Learning, the company that brought Cubetto to India through an exclusive partnership, tells us more about the friendly robot. Excerpts...
1. What is Cubetto? How does it work?
Cubetto is a friendly wooden robot that teaches children the basics of computer programming through adventure and hands-on play. Montessori-approved, Logo Turtle- inspired, the Cubetto Playset consists of a friendly robot made of hard-wearing wood, a physical programming board, and a set of colorful coding blocks that make up a programming language you can touch. The basic idea is to move Cubetto along on a map mat using the accompanying activity book. The different colored coding blocks added to the control board tell Cubetto how to move and in what order. While the guide’s story tells the user what square to go to next, it doesn’t tell them how, allowing for more choice in the route.
2. What was the need you saw to create Cubetto?
Cubetto was created by Filippo Yacob of Primo Toys, UK. The inspiration came when Filippo was blessed with a son. He noticed the systems children used to engage with programming were all screen and language-based, and not suitable for pre-school children between the ages of three and six. He wanted his son to learn about computer programming and computational thinking without missing out on the physical play, social interactions and hands-on learning. He wanted to give his son age-appropriate tools to develop these 21st-century skills, all the while playing, exploring, creating, and enjoying all the things that make early years great.
Eupheus Learning brought Cubetto to India via an exclusive partnership with Primo Toys as we also felt that computer programming is a skill as important as reading or basic arithmetic and should be taught at preschool level in India. Integrating tech-friendly ideas and solutions across the curriculum can have an authentic, meaningful, and developmentally appropriate impact on children’s exploration and learning. Learning to program can begin at an early age and impart logical thinking and an analytical mindset onto a child as their minds are young and impressionable. Moreover, coding is a basic literacy in this digital age, and it's important for kids to understand and be able to innovate with the latest technology around them.
3. What are the features and how can it help students learn better?
Cubetto is developed with a Montessori philosophy in mind, where children learn best by doing, through hands-on play and independent development. Some of its features include -
● Simple, easy-to-use design.
● The ability to design your own adventure.
● There is no screen, so there is no worry about limiting screen time as a parent.
● It allows for group or independent play
● It comes with an engaging activity book with questions that could fit for younger as
well as older kids.
The Cubetto playset promises to create an equal learning environment that promotes inclusive play. It doesn’t matter if the child is a boy or a girl, has a learning disability, or is non-sighted, the Cubetto combines movement, touch, and sound to get children excited about learning and, as a result, learning to code faster than other means.
