CodeSafari: A Customized Mobile Solution for Introducing Programming Concepts to Children

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka's economy faced significant setbacks, particularly in key sectors such as tea exports, garment manufacturing, and tourism, which experienced severe downturns. However, the IT sector showed resilience amid these challenges, highlighting its potential to drive economic growth. Despite this potential, Sri Lanka has struggled to capitalize fully on global demand for IT services due to a skills gap among Sri Lankan youth compared to their Indian counterparts. India's IT outsourcing industry has thrived partly because of the early involvement of young professionals in open-source projects such as the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), Linux Kernel and React. This trend underscores the importance of foundational programming education to develop competitive technical skills from a young age. To address this gap, authors developed a mobile learning solution CodeSafari, designed to introduce core programming concepts data types, conditional statements, and loops to young Sri Lankan learners. The platform uses Personalized Storytelling and a Customized Kids Assisting System in students' native language, making programming more accessible. Programming training with the app improved test scores for 58 percent of participants. By addressing the skills gap early, this research aims to build a strong IT foundation for Sri Lankan students, positioning them to compete more effectively in the global outsourcing market. These findings underscore the essential role of programming education in fostering economic resilience and preparing a workforce capable of thriving in an evolving technology landscape.