I am on a roll writing about apps this week. But this had to happen. There is a new app in town and it’s worth taking a look at, because it moves your child from the couch to using the device all over the house while MOVING.
You want your kids to be active and moving and your kids want to play games on screens. Here is a win win 🙂
Recently I came across a few new apps from Playing Forward that I thought Lexi would really enjoy. These apps, developed by John Attard and Victor Talbot (who together have worked on over 100 films, television shows, and digital series like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Jungle Book, and Guardians of the Galaxy 2) create visually appealing and engaging apps that connect classic stories to today’s technology. Playing Forward recently came out three-character driven apps based on best-selling children’s books, Maxi the Taxi Dog, Dex T-Rex, andIt’s Just So. Each story can be experienced either as a bedtime story that can be read along in 3D or as an augmented reality game where the child actively interacts, moves around, and experiences the story from different perspectives.
As soon as I read about these apps, I knew Lexi would love it. She loves reading but she also loves creating her own stories, and with these apps she can kind of do that! You can manipulate the characters using Augmented Reality and move the characters around and change the story line, giving kids the ability to truly be the story-teller.
Maxi the Taxi Dog features Maxi, Jim, and their friend Tupa who are headed to the Cooper Hewitt Museum to help Tupa overcome his fear of the dark. While interacting with this app, children can learn ways to overcome fears and even meet some new friends along the way. Lexi loved “reading” the story in story-mode first and then moving onto the Augmented Reality side to move the characters around and venture off into different parts of the story.
Lexi’s favorite part of the app was watching Maxi the Taxi dog through the AR version. Maxi could be driving with Jim right on our kitchen counter! Or the museum could be right in our living room! That was something super neat about the app that we haven’t seen before.
As a mom, I loved the message behind Maxi the Taxi Dog. It is much more than a story being read to them- they are interacting with the book and learning productive social and emotional cues. Lexi was even able to personalize her experience- each time she plays the game, she is able to interact with different characters and even change the way her characters look! The visual effects are amazing and I love that she isn’t just blankly staring at a screen. Maxi the Taxi Dog actually helps a child to use critical thinking skills, and learn important social and emotional development skills while they play.
All of Playing Forward’s new apps included Dex T-Rex and It’s Just So… are designed to support kids’ social and emotional development through storytelling and visual effects. Social-emotional development is one of the biggest factors in school and future successes in kids, and Playing Forward’s mission is to give each child the very best shot at a happy childhood and successful adulthood by “playing it forward.”
Playing Forward’s transformational technology studio helps to ignite a child’s imagination through digital experiences.Their app designs are based on extensive research to include beta-testing the app in real-life classrooms across the US and Canada. I’m always looking for research-based information in regards to what I allow Lexi to use (both technology and otherwise) so this was a big plus in my book as a mom.
To celebrate the launch of Maxi the Taxi Dog, Dex T-Rex, and It’s Just So… Playing Forwardis running a contest in which the Grand Prize is an amazing experience of STEAM-powered play during a weekend in Manhattan. The prize includes:
- Air Transportation, a two night hotel stay, a Visa gift card to cover meals, and various museum tickets for a family of four.
- A personalized experience at two of Manhattan’s favorite museums – The Natural History Museum and the Children’s Museum of the Arts.
- The runner-up will win an iPad.
To enter to win this Grand Prize, go to Playing Forward and download Maxi the Taxi Dog.
If you’re looking for a new app for your kids, take a look at Maxi the Taxi Dog and the other Playing Forward’s apps. They will love re-creating the story each and every time and you will love the skills they learn.
