Google encourages kids to be problem solvers with 'Code to Learn' contest

"Love playing games on your phone? Love to video chat with your loved ones? Look around you and you'd be surprised Everything you love has some form of coding behind it"- that is how Google India describes the contest 'Code to Learn.'

Now in its third year, the contest is already popular amongst school kids in India. Students can create a project using fun and cool tools created by MIT.

For example, Scratch is a free tool that has been developed by the MIT Media Lab and it can be used to create Stories, Games and Animations. The Scratch website can be used to share your project with the world and to view the projects that other people have shared.

MIT App Inventor is another free tool which can be used to create Android Apps with your web browser and does not require knowing any programming language.

Coding has always been known to improve your problem-solving and logic skills. Technology is everywhere and it is definitely a welcome step to start early. Both Scratch and App Inventor simplify the actual coding experience by using drag and drop features. That makes developing apps a child's play.

Reva Tagare, a class 7 student from Mumbai, also one of the winners of Code to Learn 2016, developed a mobile app called "Hey" that lets students interact with each other with multimedia messages. The app combines gestures, visuals and seeks inspiration from Harry Potter. "I love that you can get the power to create whatever you want," says Reva who believes coding helps you solve problems and makes life better.

This edition of the Code to Learn program by Google India is open to all students in classes 5 to 10 enrolled at any school in India. There is no particular theme. It can be an app or just a game- but it must solve a problem or be of help to people. The students will be judged on the basis of originality of content, clarity of concepts, the complexity of project and relevance.

There will be a total of 9 winners (3 from each class group) that will be rewarded with a certificate of achievement and a Nexus tablet or Chromebook laptop or an equivalent gift.

Google has been trying to spread the cause of digital literacy amongst kids with tools like Google Classroom and projects like Be Internet Awesome. Be Internet Awesome helps students to be responsible digital citizens. It is a unique way of letting kids know about internet safety via imaginative space called the "Interland." It is definitely the right time to make the most of the Internet, kids need to be prepared to make smart decisions.

So, encourage your child to learn to code, learn to create. This might give them the confidence to explore the world with their problem solving skills.

Projects need to be submitted on their site by September 10, 2017.