Bizzibrains Information

Bizzibrains creates personalised story book apps that familiarise children with behaviours or situations with the aim of giving families less stress and more joy. The idea behind Bizzibrains' apps first began to take shape when my daughter asked me to substitute her name into the picture books I read her. She connected better with the stories when she was in them. I noticed that when the topic of the book was a behaviour she was still learning - such as sharing at three years old - she was more interested in applying what she learnt from the story to her play. The simple idea of reading about, watching or imagining yourself doing something to increase familiarity and confidence is behind a number of techniques used by educators, parents and even athletes. Carol Gray developed Social Stories™ which are often used by teachers and parents of children with autism, for example, as a behavioural strategy, to increase understanding of how others might behave and how they might be expected to behave or to cope with changes to routine. Some athletes use a similar technique. They visualise themself successfully running a race with the aim of improving their performance in that race. Bizzibrains story book apps are different to both these techniques. They mix creative illustrations, interactions and a story which is largely fictional to engage the child's imagination with some elements that are true and familiar to the child (such as their name, their photo face, some other characters and in I learn their age and where they go to learn). Our story book apps are designed to prompt the child to imagine that they are in the story, to familiarise them with the topic and make them confident that they can behave the way their character does in the story. I love printed picture books. They create a togetherness with my children, a dreamy magic that I can't imagine without the feel of paper. But it is clear to me that interactive story book apps are capable of engaging children in a different way. Technology allows us to do things that are not possible in printed books, such as making the character creation process fun so that the child enjoys putting themselves in the story. It also allows us to use sound, music, movement and interactions to engage and make learning fun. I imagine was released in 2014 with the aim of encouraging independent, imaginative play. It tells the story of the child at home with their grown up, eager to play and frustrated that their grown up has work to do. Unimpressed with their grown up's suggestions for play the child finds him (or her) self alone in his room. It is there that their imagination takes hold and the child discovers that he (or she) can have a wonderful time playing and using his imagination. "I absolutely loved this story and all of its awesome interactive features and games," says theiphonemom.com while AppPicker.com say it is "probably the best interactive story book in the App Store. In less than a month of being released, I imagine reached number 10 on the App Store in the US and number 3 on the App Store in the UK for free books. It receives 5 star ratings and has been featured in Best New Apps and Games in the Kids category in the US, Best New Apps in iPad Books in the US, What's Hot in iPad Books in Australia and in Best for Ages 5 and Under in the UK. It has now been played over 3 million times. I learn, produced by Bizzibrains in association with Screen Australia, is designed to help children make a successful start at the place they go to learn, whether that be school, a new class, kinder, preschool or care. The 11 story pages familiarise children with many aspects of class including their teacher, getting themselves and their things ready to go, enjoying learning and joining in at play time. I learn encourages kids to identify how they feel and to share this with their grown up. Featured in 'Best New Apps' and 'Great Kids Apps and Games' on the AU App Store within days after being released, I learn is receiving rave reviews. "Both my 7 year old daughter and I were immediately in love with this well-designed app... It's creative, interactive, fun and educational. What else could you want in an app designed for kids 3-8 years old?