As well as being educational, they also help to develop children’s communication, creative and interpersonal skills, interacting with teachers, parents and guardians as they learn through fun. Key features include personalised screens, interactive animation, and a feature to record your own narration. The launch of the mobile apps not only revolutionises the possibilities when reading a book, but also demonstrates how technological advances can assist in children’s learning development.
Creator of Aku & Kamu and Director of Asian-e Asif Bashir tells us more:
The applications help to address literacy rates through the built in audio narration feature. This provides the ability for parents, teachers and readers to record their own voice whilst reading each page and then listening to the book in their own or familiar voice. Soon children all over the world will be reading and learning about Malaysia and indeed Malaysia's first Polar Bear and Koala Bear!”
The development of the applications demonstrates the company’s commitment and drive to using innovative tools and technologies to help children learn and the concept behind the technology is never far from the news. Recently, a BBC report suggested that parents should read and interact with their children for 15 minutes a day to enable them to reach their full potential, and the launch of the mobile apps to compliment the hardcover books is Asian-e’s way to ensure that the next generation are getting the best possible start in life.
As well as the mobile apps, Asian-e are also staying ahead of the trends by launching a ‘Being Healthy’ book next month to promote good eating habits and educate youngsters on food. As the concerns about child obesity and Type 2 Diabetes grow, Asif has enlisted the help of Senior Registered Dietician Tahira Bashir to launch the series, as she explains:
“Parents have the most important and enduring relationship with their children and are key partners in their child’s learning. With Aku and Kamu, we have blended learning with creativity to create two unique, lovable characters which we hope children will learn to love, whilst reinforcing key messages such as meals of the day, portion size, five a day, fat and sugar consumption and the importance of an active lifestyle.”
Born in Birmingham, Asif has always had a strong appetite for enterprise and launched Asian-e as a global brand back in 2001 with one clear goal – to make learning more fun, exciting and appealing to children, engaging and captivating their minds.
