Callum Daniel is an eight year old entrepreneur whose mother, Dionne Daniel, took his interests very seriously and this has paved the way for his success in tech and enterprise.
Every child has a special gift, something that they can develop from an early age if it is nurtured by their parents or guardians. When you look at your child, do you wonder what their education has taught them or what it has actually prepared them for? Do you wonder how their education lines up with their particular interests and talents? Wondering if you’re preparing your child the best you can – and if their school is as well – is normal.
As a parent, it is important to be in tune with the talents and questions about the world that your child has. This can set them down a path of discovery and learning that can change not only their lives, but the lives of others as well.Consider the case of an entrepreneurial, tech- savvy eight-year-old named Callum Daniel.
As more schools are slowly becoming clued in to the importance of teaching kids coding and other computer skills, many kids like Callum have taken their love of tech and understanding of the digital age beyond formal school education.
We know kids are hooked on technology, and in recent years, start-ups have cropped up around the world that are headed by CEOs that seem to get younger and younger every year. Callum Daniel, who immersed himself in the world of tech and enterprise at the age of eight years old, is no exception.
When Callum was four he saw an actor in a partly-mechanized costume called ‘Titan the Robot’, and he said, “I wanted to find out how Titan worked and if I could build something so awesome,” according to Tom Barnes of The Guardian. Callum became a robotic enthusiast after teaching himself coding from the time he was four when his mother bought him a robot he had to construct and then learn to code.
Initially, he watched YouTube videos to learn as much as he could about robotics and coding. After he built his Spin Master Meccanoid G1 K5, that his mother had purchased for him, he took it to school and showed his classmates. They were very interested, but some of them didn’t have the money to buy their own robot kit.
Callum felt that robotics and coding would be fun if his friends and other children also learnt robotics. After four years of learning to code, Callum now teaches robotics to other children. He was inspired when he found out that there were no robotics courses near him to enroll in, he decided to take matters into his own hands and start a company- iCodeRobots- that would do just that.
iCodeRobots is an organization set up by Callum and backed by Loughborough University London in Stratford and the London Design and Engineering University Technical College in Docklands. Callum’s ideas are not just a child’s dreams: his entrepreneurial spirit and desire to spread the knowledge of robotics to other children like him has received the attention of these universities – and the world.
Daniel recently taken part in Bloomberg’s UKBlackTech event, and continues to make headlines in the industry. He is making some of his classes accessible to children without the funds to pay regular prices for his instruction. Being a child himself is inspirational to his peers. When they see him teaching what he loves and starting a company to make his dream of sharing that interest a reality, they may be inspired to do something similar.
From Daniel’s example, you can see why it’s important to pay attention to what your child is telling you about their interests. Observe carefully to see what they’re good at. You just may find that your child has a gift that is waiting to be shared with the world.
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