The Wee You-Things App is Here
It's a big day here at Wee Society. Today we released Wee You-Things, our newest iOS interactive book app designed to encourage kids (ages 3-7) to understand and value differences.
In it, a quirky crew of characters celebrates "you-things" – those little and big things that, together, make you special and like no one else in the world. Ruth has a purple tooth. Little Dot gets scared a lot. Brad has two dads. Ling pretends that she's a king. After meeting 22 new friends, kids are asked, "What's your you-thing?" and get to become part of the story.
"No other app takes on this important topic in such a fun way," says Carolina Nugent, Education Director, KinderTown, which helps parents find quality educational apps for kids. "It opens up so many possibilities for conversations between kids and adults. And by calling them 'you-things,' Wee Society has created a new vocabulary for talking about differences."
In developing the app, we consulted with early childhood education specialists and learned that teaching these lessons early is key. As parents, we know that our preschoolers notice differences, and (often loudly) ask about them.
We want to send the message that what makes you different is also what makes you awesome. And we hope this helps prevent prejudicial and bullying behavior down the road. A 2011 study from the Anti-Defamation League found that when kids as early as 3 were encouraged to respect differences, they showed less biased attitudes and behaviors.
Wee You-Things is available for $2.99 in the App Store, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPad Mini.
