Da Vinci Kids has expanded its playground with a focus on content that supports creativity and social-emotional learning. This is all part of a comprehensive strategy focused on helping parents raise exceptional humans, says Macademia co-founder and COO, Estelle Lloyd.  

Global EdTech company Macademia’s children’s brand, Da Vinci Kids, heads into the final months of 2021 with an upsized kids slate, led by its largest investment in original production, and an expanded focus on content that supports creativity and social-emotional learning.

Macademia’s co-founder and chief operating officer, Estelle Lloyd, says the company believes “this is important after what has been going on in the world for kids and families over the past couple of years”. 

The originals content strategy is led by video series, Marvelous Makes Lab and Electricity with Smorph, co-developed with FAM, a social innovation studio creating play-led experiences, along with new maths games. 

The enlarged focus on content that supports creativity and social-emotional learning builds upon Da Vinci Kids’ existing concentration on supporting STEM and critical thinking.

The core objective is a well-rounded contemporary learning service. “It’s what we believe our service is all about,” Lloyd says.

“We have always been focused on acquiring and producing high-quality educational programming that complements the school curriculum, while engaging kids and families to learn, ask questions and be hands-on,” she adds.

The editorial rubric that guides Macademia’s acquisitions and productions revolves around four key learning areas – STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering & Math), Critical Thinking, Creativity and Social-Emotional Learning, Lloyd says.

Included in the upcoming original-content slate are seasonal specials around key IP, such as hands-on creative brand Marvelous Makes, which Lloyd says “is a favourite for parents and kids who love making things together”.

Building out its games offering, Da Vinci Kids will be launching its library of maths games evaluated for effectiveness and proven to educate by Yale University’s Play2Prevent Lab.

In addition, the company has begun producing games on financial literacy. “This is a crucial topic for parents as it helps kids build important skills, but the content for financial literacy is hard to find. Our goal is to fill this gap,” Lloyd says. 

She adds that the core mission remains helping parents to raise exceptional humans, and she highlights the importance of co-play and co-learning.
“Our content really is for the whole family. We hope kids don’t just learn on their own, but also do it with their parents. There are plenty of DIY shows, discovery and learning for the whole family,” she says. 

“By fostering the twin qualities of curiosity and creativity, we can help kids develop the problem-solving skills needed to tackle whatever challenges may lie ahead in the digital age,” Lloyd adds. 

Along with its on-demand app, a central element of Da Vinci Kids’ offering is the linear channel, where the focus is on premium education. 

The channel continues to grow its regional footprint year-on-year and is now available in over 13 million households across Asia. 

After launching with GSAT in the Philippines earlier this year, a Da Vinci-branded video-on-demand section rolled out on Korean e-commerce platform Coupang in summer, along with a daily Da Vinci Kids’ programming block on MyTV Gold, a brand new kids channel operated by Hong Kong’s MyTV SUPER. 

Meanwhile, Da Vinci Kids’ sister service, preschool streaming app Azoomee, launched globally on Huawei MatePad T Kids’ tablets earlier this year.

Combined, Macadamia’s kids brands deliver learning in multiple formats and promise a positive, safe and ad-free environment for children across the region. As Lloyd says: “Our content helps kids build life skills, whilst having fun through unique hands-on activities, interesting facts, interactive challenges and great stories.”

Published in ContentAsia October 2021 Magazine | Brought to you by Macademia