Here's how this 14-year-old's interactive kit will help enhance your toddler's learning capabilities

A child's brain shows the most development from the time of their birth to the age of five years, and early brain development has a lasting impact on a child's capability to learn. To ensure this happens, despite the COVID-19 pandemic that's affecting children quite badly, this 14-year-old from Mumbai has come up with an interactive set of learning tools that will enhance a child's skillset and help in their holistic growth and development. Avantika Kampani, a Class VIII student from the Dhirubhai Ambani International School, launched Day One, her own venture, last year, while a complete lockdown was in place. Seekh is the first product from her venture, it is a set of learning, interactive flashcards that will help a kid learn from day one and provide parents tips on how to strengthen their child’s character.

Seekh is divided into six sections with 72 cards, each one helping a different part of your child's brain to develop and grow. These sections capture and aim to enhance different touchpoints of a child’s cognitive capability. The categories of cards are named: At First Sight, Count Up, Touch and Feel, Building Blocks, Let’s Read and Link Up. Avantika calls it a learning tool that provides children from the age of 0-3 years a base for further learning in the future.

Recalling why she was motivated to create something like Seekh, Avantika tells us, "When my cousin brother was born, he was living with us for the first six months and I realised that for their development, babies need a lot more than sleep and food. I researched and found that a child's brain develops the most from the time they're born to the age of 5 years. I began speaking to early learning experts, doctors and child psychologists and launched Seekh in 2020. I also designed the cards myself as I have always had a knack for art and design." 

Avantika is also a part of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) at her school where she received help from her mentors to turn her idea into a start-up and finally, into a full-fledged product. The Young Entrepreneurs Academy is a class that transforms students aged 11-18 years into real, confident entrepreneurs by partnering with schools across the country.

Avantika feels that children are missing out on a lot, mainly the touch and feel of things in their surroundings — being stuck at home, owing to the pandemic, has restricted more things for them. "The Seekh box will provide them with things to touch and feel and help with their holistic growth. It will also help parents keep their children engaged at home in these testing times," the 14-year-old adds. Avantika currently sells the boxes through Instagram and they are each priced at `999.

Avantika, who has a passion for theatre, art and design, wishes to introduce more products in the future under her venture Day One that will help enhance a child's learning process. She is extremely passionate about music and has already begun her research on how Hindustani classical music can help a child’s brain grow. "I would like to use music for child development in the future," she concludes.