I must admit, when I first watched my daughter perform the signature side-swipe to unlock my wife’s iPhone, I had a strange feeling that she was somehow unlocking Pandora’s box. Undoubtedly, the current world is becoming more and more digitized and informationally-driven, making it important for children to learn the emerging technologies (and leave us parents to hold on tight!). In this article by Shane Richmond, he profiles a company developing children’s apps to unlock creativity. The key seems to be in piquing curiosity and nudging children toward unexpected outcomes instead of frustrating them with fixed goals they may or may not achieve. Check it out:
Toca Boca doesn’t make apps, it makes “digital toys,” says Emil Ovemar, one of the producers at the Swedish company behind such titles as Robot Lab, Hair Salon and Toca House. Whatever you want to call them, Toca Boca produces things that will enchant and enthrall young children. Hair Salon allows you to pick a visitor and then cut, style, wash or blow dry their hair. Children learn to read the reactions on the faces of their cartoon-character customers and to stick with a task. “In the beginning we thought the characters should ask for a certain haircut,” says Ovemar. “We came to the conclusion that we should just give children the tools to create whatever they want instead of giving them a specific goal. By giving them the tools and nudging them we awakened their own desire to be creative instead of setting goals and awakening possible frustration with their skills. This is the difference between games and toys.” Toca House lets children join in with a range of household chores, such as putting away groceries or cleaning the floor. Robot Lab is a mix-and-match robot builder; create your robot and then fly it through a maze, collecting stars as you go.”
Go here for Shane Richmond’s full article, “Toca Boca: children’s apps that unlock creativity”