VR/AR apps for kids
Highlights:
- Tell me a bedtime story with Castorama
- Bring art to life in true 4D like never before says Color Alive (and Coloring Book developed by our studio)
- Explore past civilizations and ancient history through Civilization AR
- Inject a bit of magic into painful reality with SuperKid VR
Main Story
VR/AR apps for kids are not new, but they all seem to do more or less the same things. From time to time a few come along and wow us in ways we didn’t imagine. Here we are going to take a look at 4 creative VR/AR apps for kids that not only inspire but engage the minds of children the world over.
We have seen a lot of wonderful apps created with the various game engines available out there but some bear more mention than others, plus it takes really creative minds to build an app that kids both enjoy and will repeatedly use.
So let’s explore these four that caught our eyes.
1. AR storytelling with Castorama
First on our list is Castorama, in conjunction with TBWA\Paris they have launched an interactive wallpaper that tells stories, with the intention to help create family moments at home. The innovative wallpaper features 10 characters imagined and designed by TBWA\Paris.
Each of the printed characters is a digital marker and, once they are scanned into a dedicated app, they tell stories. It’s also possible to scan two characters at a time to see them interact and discover their common history. In all, there are 55 five-minute stories available.
Castorama’s aim is to make home improvement accessible to all. To this end, the retailer offers increasingly innovative and creative ideas. This is the idea behind The Magic Wallpaper: helping to create happy family moments shared at home. Precisely in these parent-child moments, what could be more cherished than a bedtime story?
Castorama and TBWA\Paris have transformed this unique moment into a magical moment. “Magic Wallpaper,” features 10 different characters conceived and designed by the agency. Each of the printed characters is a digital marker, and when you scan it with a tablet or smartphone you can download a story about the character. To make things even more interesting, you can scan two different characters and combine them to get a whole new story.
The Magic Wallpaper app comes with two reading modes: an audio version with the voice of a storyteller, as well as a text mode with sound effects available by clicking on certain words. Each story lasts about five minutes. The app can work in airplane mode in order to limit the exposure to waves, while a night mode with fainter luminosity is also available.
Characters on a child’s wall can be scanned one at a time to create a unique story. Magic Wallpaper features 10 characters that are designed by the agency. Each character can be selected by either a tablet or a smartphone. For the production of the wallpaper, Castaroma has worked with Graham&Brown in the manufacturing and retail process.
2. Bring Art to life with “Color Alive”
Next on our list is Color Alive, This app works with Crayola Color Alive Action Coloring Pages. Free Action Coloring Pages can be found inside the app. Save and print them to start playing right away! For more pages, purchase Color Alive Action Coloring Books through the app or in stores.
Use any Crayola Crayons or markers to bring your coloring to life, and apply special effects to your creations. Pairing an innovative 4D app with exclusive Crayola Color Alive Action Coloring Books, Color Alive gives parents and kids the ability to interact with their real-world creations like never before.
Characters fly out of your coloring pages, coming to life, and interacting with you through augmented reality. Each new character and creation is reflected in a 4D Experience™ viewed through the app, staying true to the creativity at play by appearing exactly as it has been colored.
From our experience: We’ve also took challenge to bring a children’s coloring book to life with the use of AR technology, thus giving the well-known activity of coloring a new, third dimension. The goal of the project was to create an AR app for kids, thanks to which we can display ordinary coloring books as 3D models, which are additionally animated and tell a story. The results can be seen above.
It’s a great creative developmental activity, and an amazing experience to try and share. Colour fun coloring pages in the real world any way your creativity inspires you, then see them come to life in 4D exactly as you’ve colored them!
Add amazing animated effects to your coloring, including Fire-Breath™, Ice-Blast™, Pixie-Dust™, and Show-Stopper™. Save your characters and bring them out to play in 4D anytime, anywhere in the real world without the coloring page!
Take, save, and share pictures of your creations in the real world. Family and friends can even be part of the photos too. Switch to “selfie” mode to take a picture of yourself with your favorite characters. Keep the fun going: purchase and print new coloring pages from directly inside the app.
3. Adding a bit of Culture with “Civilization AR”
The next position on our list is BBC’s Civilization AR. Putting history in your hand – the BBC’s first-ever Augmented Reality app ‘Civilisations AR’ brings art and culture direct to you from across the world.
Discover the secrets of ancient Egypt, reveal hidden layers beneath Renaissance masterpieces, and learn more about the origins of these cultural treasures and the people who made them. Treasures to be found include an ancient Egyptian mummy from the Torquay Museum, Rodin’s The Kiss from the National Museum of Wales, iconic sculptures from Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, and masterpieces by Tintoretto, Bellini, and Turner.
This personal, virtual collection contains over 30 historic artifacts. It is curated by the BBC with contributions from across the UK’s heritage sector and is developed in collaboration with Nexus Studios.
This free AR App forms part of a major collaboration between the BBC, Nexus Studios, and more than 30 museums from across the UK to mark the launch of the new landmark arts and culture series, Civilisations. Please treat these cultural treasures with respect when enjoying and sharing this AR experience.
4. De-stress children visiting the doctor with SuperKid VR
Last but not least on our list of VR/AR apps for kids is SuperKid VR. The main idea behind the app is that vaccinations or other forms of injections are traumatic experiences for many children.
Why, then, could VR not become another big thing that would make such experiences bearable? Or even turn them into exciting adventures? VR vaccination app developed by us aims at reducing stress and pain in children during such a common practice as being given an injection.
The child enters a fantasy world where his or her attention is engaged through a captivating story. All activities related to giving an injection are reflected in the virtual world. They affect the avatar displayed on the screen.
The difference, however, is that these virtual activities are of a positive nature. The child is looking forward to the end of the tale. It is his or her curiosity that lets them go through injection-related activities without stress.
Want to find out more about VR/AR apps for kids?
Here are a few more examples of apps developed by our VR Studio:
- VR relaxation for kids reduces their stress and anxiety, mainly related to a therapeutic session
- This Kinect birds game let you fly like a bird by flapping your own ‘wings’
- Here is a great example of VR food game
- And here you can befriend a digital version of AR pet
