What our classroom actually looks like
Let's start with the data. Across the last 5 generations of DigiKids students, girls have made up about 48% of all enrollments. Per group, the average split is 3 girls + 3 boys. Sometimes more, sometimes less.
If you follow the Serbian media picture, you might think IT/tech is "a man's world". At young ages — it isn't. That happens later, around high school. Our thesis is that it doesn't have to.
Three questions we hear from parents
1. "Will she be bored among the boys?"
Our answer: in Legići and Juniors — absolutely not. At those ages, social dynamics aren't split into "boy" and "girl" interests. A 6-year-old who loves stacking Lego will work with anyone who loves stacking Lego, regardless of gender.
After about age 10 you start seeing some divisions — not in what kids can do, but in what their friends outside class are talking about. That's where the teacher and parent come in: don't let the social picture kill the interest.
2. "Are the materials suited to her?"
The materials themselves are — Scratch, Lego, Micro:bit, Sphero — they're neutral. There's no "boy Scratch" and "girl Scratch".
What does adapt: the projects. When a kid builds their own game, they pick the theme. Girls in our groups make stories, animations, virtual dollhouses, mini-games about animals, and sometimes things the boys wouldn't have thought up. That's good — creativity shouldn't be flattened into one-size-fits-all "spaceship" projects.
3. "Will she have somewhere to apply this later?"
Short answer: yes. Belgrade already has several serious "girls in tech" initiatives (Codet Girls, Code Like a Girl Belgrade, ICT Hub's women's mentorship groups). Our role is to make sure the kid doesn't give up on coding before then.
The worst sentence a parent can say to a 9-year-old who loves to build: "well, that's more for boys". We try to make sure those sentences are never spoken in our classroom. And mostly they aren't.
What our girls build (a few examples)
From recent projects:
- 10-year-old Lena: a virtual dollhouse — interactive, click on a room and the doll walks there and says something.
- 8-year-old Mila: a Scratch game called "Fashion Designer" — you put together outfits for the character and the character spins around.
- 11-year-old Anja: a Micro:bit "mood lamp" — glows a color depending on how you feel (you pick by pressing a button).
- 12-year-old Marija (Black Belt AI): a model that recognizes whether her younger sister has hurt her finger.
- 7-year-old Sara: a Sphero that drives over cards — the colors of the cards represent choreography for a rhythm class.
What these examples show: girls' creativity goes in the direction that matters to them. Often emotionally connected, often empathetic, often beautiful. We don't push "neutral" projects — we let the kid build what they love.
Why it matters before age 12
Research is fairly clear: girls on average show equal or greater interest in STEM topics up to about ages 11–12. After that, multiple factors (peer pressure, lack of role models, absence in media) pull interest down — often not because they "don't like it", but because the environment subtly signals it's not "for them".
If a kid spends 3-5 years actively working on coding and robotics, they get two important tools:
- Technical competence. She knows it's not impossible. It's not "just for guys". She tried it herself, she succeeded herself.
- A maker identity. She sees herself as someone who builds things. Not a consumer, not an observer — a creator.
These two tools don't disappear later. A girl who built a game in Scratch at age 9 isn't going to say at 16 "I'm not the type for a CS degree because that's not for women".
What the teacher actually does
Honestly about our practice:
- We don't pick by gender. The group is the group.
- We never say "this project is for the girls, that one is for the boys".
- We listen to what the kid chooses to build and support it — without suggesting "let it be a spaceship" (unless the kid asks for one themselves).
- If limiting messages come from home (we've heard "well, that's not really for her" from a grandfather), we have an honest talk with the parent.
- We celebrate successes equally. If Lena builds something great, the same applause as for Marko.
Tips for parents of girls
- Don't bring up gender in the context of the class. Not "I'm signing you up because they want to attract girls", just "I'm signing you up because I think you'd love building things".
- Watch what your kid actually builds, not what you think she should build. If she loves stories, develop stories. If she loves animals, develop animal projects.
- Help other parents. If you hear another mom is on the fence about signing up, share your story. A network of girls learning together is the single biggest success factor.
- Set the right example. A mom who says "I have no idea how this works" passively signals that the kid doesn't have to know either. A mom who tries — different story.
- Talk to our teachers. If you spot a pattern (more reserved, afraid of mistakes, lacking confidence in technical moments), let's discuss it.
DigiKids Vračar — coding and robotics for every kid from 3.5 to 13. See our programs or book a free trial.