This will significantly change the world we are living in and the world your child will grow into. So it is extremely important for you as a parent to understand this and help your child understand it too.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the coolest inventions from this year that every kid and parent should know about!

Student of the Month!

Before we move ahead, we are thrilled to announce Playto Labs’ “Student of the Month” - Bhumika Padhy, from Texas USA! 🎉

Bhumika built a “Robotic Arm” using the skills gained as a student at Playto Labs, which helped us earn a spot in the prestigious ISS Build Team, where she will work on a project related to ISS (International Space Station). We congratulate her on this achievement and wish her much more future success.

Congratulations, Bhumika! 🚀 Keep reaching for the stars! 🌟

SpaceX “catches” the Rocket that returned from Space

SpaceX made history with Starship Flight 5 by successfully launching its massive rocket and catching the booster using the special "chopstick" arms on the launch tower.

This is the first time a booster has been caught at the launch pad, bringing SpaceX closer to making rockets fully reusable and space travel more affordable.

Watch the incredible moment captured in the video below:

This will bring down the cost of launching satellites and the time taken to get the rocket ready for the next launch. And so we should expect super progress in Space launches going forward.

With the “catch” of the Starship booster, we are closer to the ability to send humans to the Moon and Mars by lifting data centers, space stations, and other large capacities into space.

And we’ll be able to transport humans and cargo around planet Earth in 40 minutes or less, opening up unprecedented industries and access.

2025 could be the beginning of fiction becoming reality.

Tesla’s Humanoid Robots in Action

Tesla moved very close to launching humanoid robots that can stay with you in your house and do everything you need - laundry, cooking, cleaning and serving you drinks. Imagine Robots doing everything just like a human would do and more - example they can lift far heavier weights and can work for hours without getting bored or tired.

This can has a huge impact on the world as we know it - In helathcare, they can assist in elderly people, perform precision surgeries, and provide mental health support. In factories, they can take on the jobs of working in hazardous environments and can assist during disaster responses. Humanoids could also assist people with disabilities and help them perform tasks like everyone else!

The Jobs of the Future will be in Hardware-Software -Andressen Horowitz

Andreessen Horowitz (one of the world’s best Venture Capital firms) believes that 2025 will see accelerated demand for: electrical engineers, controls engineers, mechanical and mechatronics engineers, manufacturing engineers, RF engineers, industrial engineers, test engineers, quality engineers, and high-skilled technicians/robotic teleoperators of all types.

They believe that the growth in some of these sectors may even outpace that of “traditional” software engineering over the next decade.

Atlas Robot by Boston Dynamics

The Atlas robot by Boston Dynamics can run, jump, and even do backflips—just like a human! It's super agile and can move easily through tough terrains.

Atlas uses smart AI and sensors to help it navigate tricky places, making it perfect for dangerous jobs. Imagine a robot helping in places where humans can't go!

This launch shows us how robots like Atlas could change the future, helping in rescue missions, construction, and much more. It’s an exciting peek into the world of robots.

Google Quantum computer Chip

Google made a groundbreaking leap with its new quantum chip, Willow.

This chip can perform calculations in under five minutes that would take today's fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years! That's 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years!

Willow's incredible speed and accuracy bring us closer to the dream of large-scale quantum computers.

These powerful machines could revolutionize fields like medicine, energy, and artificial intelligence.

Generative AI: Getting closer to AGI (Artificial General Intelligence)

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is rapidly becoming a reality as AI systems are now achieving human-like cognitive abilities across a wide range of tasks.

Recent advancements, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT o3 update, have sparked debates about whether we are on the brink of creating AGI.

Here is a video explaining ChatGPT o3

These systems are not only performing complex tasks but also demonstrating adaptability and reasoning skills that were once thought to be uniquely human.

While we are not there yet, the progress suggests that AGI could be within reach, promising a future where AI can assist with almost any cognitive task, revolutionizing industries and daily life.

Imagine your child having a career in a world with AGI. How does that look? How can your child prepare for that? It is time to think about it very seriously for today’s parents.

AI writes complete Software. The world will not need Software Engineers anymore soon.

AI is now capable of writing entire software programs, reducing the need for traditional software engineers. These advanced AI systems can understand requirements, generate efficient code, and debug it autonomously. This shift is transforming the tech industry, allowing humans to focus on higher-level problem-solving and strategic tasks.

A recent example is the new OpenAI model, ChatGPT o3, which scores better than 99.8% of competitive coders on Codeforces with a score of 2727.

This achievement ranks it among the top 175 human competitive coders on the planet. To put this into perspective, the very top of Codeforces, such as the top 100 or 50, consists of lifelong competitive programming practitioners, many of whom have achieved IOI Gold medals and continued competing for years.

The first gene-editing treatment

The first gene-editing treatment using CRISPR has arrived and is being hailed as "life changing" by patients. This treatment cures the symptoms of sickle-cell disease, a genetic condition causing intense pain and a shorter life expectancy.

By editing DNA in bone marrow cells, scientists can turn on a different way to make hemoglobin, effectively curing the disease.

With AI and Quantum Computers like Willow, we will see many advancements in Biosciences in the next few years.

Let’s help your child prepare for this future.

Playto Labs’ courses in Robotics are designed for kids aged 8-16 to help them prepare for this future while having fun. Kids build robots in our classes using Robotics Kits and solve various real-world problems and learn valuable skills across Science, Technology, Coding, Robotics, and Design. They become innovators and creators the world needs.

You can book your free trial class for more details:

Book a Free Trial Class

A big congratulations to Playto Labs student, Vivaan Bhasin, for winning the Bronze Medal in the Juniors Category at the Indian regional finals of the UN-based Global Competition “Robotics for Good Youth Challenge” organized by ITU, a United Nations specialized agency for digital technology! 🏅

Equally thrilled to share that 4 of the top 8 teams in the Juniors Category are from Playto Labs!

All 4 are solo-team members who built their robots entirely on their own, handling both hardware and software — true 10X engineers in the making! 🚀🤖

Special appreciation to their parents for nurturing their potential and supporting them in their journey. We thank them for letting us play a small role in their success.

Another inspiring achievement comes from Eesan Pandiaraj, a 4th grader who recently accomplished not one but two impressive wins. Eesan secured First Prize 🏆 in the "Young Scientist" competition at his school with his "Smart Irrigation Project." On top of that, he earned the 2nd Prize in "Media Masters" for presenting Playto Labs and our teaching methodologies with incredible clarity and confidence.

Stories like these drive us to do more.

We believe every child deserves the opportunity to achieve their full potential — just like Vivaan, Eesan, and many other students at Playto Labs. That’s why we’re excited to introduce a special Black Friday opportunity for parents looking to unlock their child's creativity and innovation.

This could be the first step in your child’s journey toward becoming a 10X engineer or a young scientist, ready to tackle the challenges of the future.

Claim Your Spot Today

Now let’s dive into the concept of the Success Flywheel and how it drives extraordinary achievements.

What is the Success Flywheel?

The Success Flywheel is a cycle where small wins build momentum, leading to bigger successes. For children, this means:

1. The child achieves something (could be small)

2. Each achievement boosts confidence

3. Increased confidence leads to taking on new larger challenges

4. New challenges result in more achievements

5. The cycle continues, gaining momentum

It's important to note that the reverse is also true. If your child experiences failure, it can lead to a loss of confidence, further failures, and a negative bias against that domain. We all hated those subjects we failed in when we were kids!

You can either wait for one of these two flywheels to happen naturally and hope for the best or you can work actively to get your child into a successf flywheel!

To understand this better, let us dive deeper into Competence Motivation Theory by Susan Harter.

Competence Motivation Theory: The Engine of the Success Flywheel

Competence Motivation Theory suggests that children are naturally motivated to engage in tasks where they feel capable. This theory aligns perfectly with the Success Flywheel concept:

1. Perceived Competence: Children are more likely to engage in activities where they feel competent.

2. Mastery Attempts: Success in these activities reinforces their sense of competence.

3. Intrinsic Motivation: This sense of competence fuels internal motivation to continue improving.

4. Feedback Loop: The cycle of competence, attempt, and success drives the Success Flywheel.

You, as a parent, can hack the 1st step here to your advantage and get your child into the Success Flywheel by making them feel competent. How? Read on..

Key Ideas to Implement the Success Flywheel:

This is how you can help your child enter and stay in the success flywheel.

1. Perceived Competence: The goal here is to make children feel they are “good” at something.

Start with activities where “success can be felt”

• Example: Building a Robot or a physical project makes your child “feel” the success in the real world when the robot works. The same success is hard to feel in something more abstract like Coding or Math. Compare these 2 - “Build a robot to save plants by watering at the right time” vs. “Write a code to print Yes if it is an Odd Number.” In both these activities, a simple If Else logic has to be used - In one case, check if the moisture level in the soil is less and turn on/ off the motor. In another case, check if the input number is Odd and print Yes/ No. However, building a robot makes your child “feel” success/ achievement as it is more real world with a real world impact while the other one is too abstract to “feel” anything.

• You should also choose areas where your child has natural interests to begin with so your child can “feel” the impact in a better/ bigger way.

Start Small

• Remember, the goal is to make your child “feel competent”. Not “teach complex things”. Once you get your child into the Success Flywheel, your child will naturally progress towards complex topics and develop expertise over time. Parents make this mistake of directly jumping to complex topics and fail to trigger the success flywheel.

• The first goal is to win. Learning will happen naturally after that.

1.5 Celebrate Big and get Social Validation

• Social Validation is one of the biggest factors in building Perceived Competence and Confidence in your child. It makes kids feel they are on the right path and they will win big if they continue on the same path.

• How can you use this in your favour? Simple - Share the success of your child with your friends and family. Let the praises from them reach your child!

• Celebrate the wins and let your child know how you value them

2. Mastery Attempts: The goal here is to help children keep winning

Gradually increase the challenge level initially

• Go slow. Increase the level when you feel your child is ready. In the initial days, always stay in the zone of high confidence and low failures.

Once your child develops enough confidence, push harder but encourage failures as learning opportunities

• At some point, your child will cross the comfort zone and attempt hard things. At this stage:

  • Offer tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult

  • Offer praise for effort and strategy, not just results

  • Try to maintain a sweet spot that maintains motivation and still allows for competence growth.

  • Use past successes to motivate future efforts

  • Use phrases like “You can't do it yet, but you're learning!”

  • Help your child see setbacks as part of the learning process, not a reflection of overall competence

• This will help build resilience in your child when your child finally succeeds after initial challenges

• Once your child realizes that success from difficult problems is much tastier and more rewarding than success that comes easily, you will be a proud parent!

• Don’t rush to this stage. There is no prize for doing it faster. Remember that it is a long journey ahead. Go at a pace that is natural for your child.

3. Intrinsic Motivation:

There is nothing much for you to do here if you do the 1st 2 steps well.

Success combined with social validation is a powerful combination that creates intrinsic motivation in your child to keep achieving more.

All you need to do is to keep the social validations and celebrations to continue.

You may also choose to reward externally, but intrinsic motivation is way more powerful than any external trigger.

4. Feedback Loop

As your child's Success Flywheel gains momentum, powered by growing competence motivation, you may notice:

- Increased overall confidence and self-worth

- Greater willingness to try new things, even in less familiar domains

- Improved performance across various areas (academic, social, physical)

- Enhanced problem-solving skills

- A more positive outlook on challenges

- Stronger intrinsic motivation for learning and growth

Remember, every child's flywheel spins at its own pace, and perceived competence may vary across different domains. Patience, consistency, and unwavering support are key to keeping it in motion.

By applying these principles, you're not just helping your child succeed today – you're equipping them with a powerful mindset for lifelong growth and achievement rooted in a strong sense of competence and intrinsic motivation.

Did you like this approach?

At Playto Labs, we use these (and many more such) concepts in designing our curriculum and teaching methodologies for kids. As a result, we see our students develop a deep interest in technology and master these domains over time. With the confidence gained in our programs, our alumni go on to win awards and scholarships, get admissions to top universities, and even build their own startups.

At Playto Labs, our students are constantly building innovative projects and products that showcase their growing skills and creativity. From designing functional robots to creating impressive tech solutions, our young innovators are applying the principles of the Success Flywheel to achieve remarkable feats. Watch these videos to see firsthand how our curriculum transforms learning into a thrilling adventure, inspiring confidence and a love for technology in every child.

Featured Projects of the Month by Playto Labs Students 🚀

You can implement such strategies at your home too. We will share more useful tips in our upcoming editions of the newsletter.

Also, don’t miss our previous newsletter - I talked to 70 parents who raised highly successful kids — discover their No. 1 parenting style.

Happy parenting!

Team Playto Labs

Everything kids need to know about Chandrayaan 3 - from a Scientist at ISRO

Mr. Shiju Thomas, a Scientist at ISRO and a father of a 9 year old, who was also part of the Chandrayaan 3 mission, explains the what, why, and how behind the Chandrayaan 3 mission. Imagine learning about Chandrayaan 3 from an ISRO scientist — your child is going to love it!

What do Scientists do in Antarctica - from an ISRO Scientist who spent months there

Mr. Radha Krishna Kavuluru, an ISRO Scientist who spent months in Antarctica, explains Antarctica to Kids. He answers questions like - What do scientists do there, how is life there, how to survive, did they interact with penguins, etc. This will take your child through an amazing journey and hidden secrets of Antarctica!

Drones simplified for Kids - from the Founder & CEO of VECROS Drones

In this session, your child will learn about Drones straight from the Innovator and Drone Builder who successfully raised funds from Shark Tank! Mr. Prem Sai, an IIT Delhi graduate, shares his experience of building an AI Drone Company, explains how Drones works, what Drones will do in the future and many other interesting facts about Drones.

Playto Labs Robotics Summer Camp

If you are enjoying these Playto Talks, you might also appreciate our Robotics Summer Program specially designed for kids. Your child can explore more in our Free Trial Session!

Read More

The physics of Orbiting Satellites and Rockets, explained for kids - from a Scientist at VSSC, ISRO!

Mr. Shiju Thomas, a Scientist at VSSC, ISRO, explains complex topics about satellites and rockets in a way that kids can understand.

Everything kids need to know about EV tractors - from the Founder & CEO of AutoNxt

Mr. Kaustubh Dhonde, the Founder and CEO of AutoNxt, a startup creating EV tractors, explains EV technology and EV tractors. He covers topics like how EV tractors work, the technology behind EV tractors, and the differences between EV tractors and regular tractors.

Spoiler - These tractors will soon complete all work in the farm autonomously while farmers sip chai under a tree nearby!

Electric Vehicles (EVs) simplified for Kids - Playto Talk by Product Line Manager at Ather Energy!

Mr. Vignesh Reviraj, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and Ather Energy, explains the science and tech behind EVs, how they work, how are they developed, challenges in EVs, and the future of EVs. He also shows some cool insider videos from Ather’s plants and testing facilities.

Future Career in Space Industry for Today's Kids - Playto Talks for Kids

Ms. Vaidehi Bhoyar, an IIT Kanpur alumus and aerodynamics engineer, talks about how the space industry is evolving and how the future careers here. She discusses how the private space industry is emerging with a lot of innovative technologies and how your child can develop a career in space.

Everything Kids Need to Know About Autonomous Vehicles - from a team that built one from IIT Gandhinagar

A team from IIT Gandhinagar that built an Autonomous Vehicle share their learnings and explain how Autonomous Vehicles work - specially for kids!

Processed Food and Kids - from the Founder and CEO of Gudgum, a startup building healthy chewing gum

Mayank Nagori, the Founder of GudGum and a Shark Tank fame, explains important aspects related to processed food. What are processed foods, how are they made, how to read labels, health effects of consuming too much processed food, and about chewing gums. It is a super insightful session, and we recommend you watch it too along with your child.

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Picture this - A student from rural India who has never seen a drone sees one in his 2nd year of college, decides to attend a training program to learn more, develops a passion for Drones, goes deep, builds expertise, ignores Campus Placements to start his own company, builds India’s first AI Drone, presents on Shark Tank, and Raises funds!

If you think this story is unique, you are wrong!

Every story of every innovator the world has ever seen went like this - Some kid with a lot of potential goes about doing his classes like everyone else. One day, the person discovers their passion accidentally as they come across something, and they pursue that, and the rest is history.

In 2024 and beyond though, it doesn’t have to be accidental. One can engineer such experiences into the life of kids in a playful manner and let them truly discover their interests. Once that spark is lit, nothing can contain their relentless pursuit. They'll forge their own path, leaving a trail of innovation.

Below is the story of one such student of Playto - Besta Prem Sai. Watch it with your child!

First private Moon Lander touches down on lunar surface to make history - why does this matter for you as a parent?

When you were a child, remember how many kids around you said something like “Astronaut” or “Rocket Scientist” when asked “What do you want to become in the future?”. Well, the last decade was an exception. Kids said “Youtubers” instead. We are now going back to the future though!

With private companies now landing on the Moon, the 2020 which we (today’s parents) dreamt of as kids in the 1980 and 1990s is finally here. And our kids are going to live in it!

Witness history as the Odysseus spacecraft, developed by Intuitive Machines, becomes the first US spacecraft to successfully land on the lunar surface since 1972.

🧑‍🎓 🏆 Playto Student of the Month!

What runs in the minds of kids when they visit a Water Park? They dream of zooming down the huge, twisting waterslides, jumping and making huge splashes in the big pools, and eating delicious ice cream during their breaks.

But 9 Year-Old Playto Student Malcolm from UK did not stop at that. He tried to understand how those water machines work and ended up building a prototype of “Wave Pool” when he got back home.

Like someone said - Innovators don’t go through different experiences. They experience things differently.

No wonder our jury picked Malcolm for the “Student of the Month” award.

Watch his amazing project here.

Hugging Face is launching an open source robotics project led by former Tesla scientist

Hugging Face, known for AI breakthroughs, is now venturing into Robotics! Led by a former Tesla scientist, they're making robots open source and affordable. Click here to know More

I talked to 70 parents who raised highly successful kids—here’s their No. 1 parenting style. 

Margot Bisnow interviewed 70 parents who raised highly successful adults about how they helped their kids achieve their dreams. Here’s the No. 1 parenting style they used. Read More

Chatgpt-4o just changed the way kids learn

Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, recently showcased a groundbreaking demonstration with his son using OpenAI's newly launched language model. In this video, ChatGPT-4o explains a math concept to his son with the help of its new voice and vision capabilities in real-time. No teacher can do this better!

Sundar Pichai’s Advice for Engineers, applicable even for Kids

Here is what Sundar Pichai suggested engineers to do while launching their new AI. Must watch for parents and engineers.

Video Credit: Varun Mayya - Watch the full video here.

For those of you who want to dig deeper..

Parenting Psychology: 12 Studies Every Parent Should Know  

Parenting advice is an impenetrable maze of dos and don’ts, but these studies provide tips from psychology on the best way to raise children and be a parent. (Read More). 

Please help us help you better!

Our mission with Playto Pulse is to help parents like you in your goal of bringing the best out of your kids. We know you have demanding jobs and it is hard to keep up with the pace at which the world is evolving and figuring out how that impacts your child’s future. Our goal with Playto Pulse is to give you everything forward thinking parents needs to know in your inbox, so you can keep yourself updated with as little effort as possible.

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