Felt Board app for storytelling and learning: Let your imagination soar

Felt Board app for storytelling and learning:  Let your imagination soar!]

Felt Board is our latest app for children which will hopefully be released for iPad in the next few weeks, followed by the Kindle Fire.   It is our first app to be developed using Ansca’s Corona SDK, which will allow us offer it on several different devices.

Felt Board app by Software Smoothie brings all of the fun and learning of a traditional felt board right to your iPad.

The app is designed very much like an actual felt board, similar to ones our children have used over the years.   While an app can’t replace the tactile experience of manipulating actual felt, the iPad offers several advantages of its own.  First, the pieces will never get lost.  This is a huge plus for us, as most if not all of our felt board pieces have been lost over the years and the boards are left naked and hiding in the closet.   Second, the iPad allows for more versatility and customization.  The hair and eye color of the figures can be changed, as well as the backgrounds.   Far more pieces are included in the app version, which allows for much more creative freedom.   And finally, our kids LOVE the iPad.   Felt Board is an app that offers our children quiet, imaginative and creative play while using the magical iPad.   Our children have been testing the app for a few weeks now and I love watching how focused and involved they are in creating their Felt Board masterpieces.

Boy makes a Felt Board app picture

In addition to imaginary play, we have included elements in the app for storytelling.  This makes felt board app additionally  useful in an educational setting.   I made sure to include pieces for some  popular rhymes and songs from when I taught preschool and from when my children were little, such as Itsy Bitsy Spider, Five Little Speckled Frogs,  and the 5 Monkeys in the tree (teasing Mr. Alligator, can’t catch me…).   In addition to storytelling, Felt Board can serve as an educational resource.  A variety of backgrounds were added so teachers can create lessons or centers using shapes, colors, letters, numbers, seasons, etc.   We tried to make it versatile, with an intuitive user interface so that children can use the app with very little instruction.   Felt Board does not include any ads, external links, in app purchase or anything else that will direct a child outside of the app.

Learning about seasons with Felt Board app

We are excited about the app and have thoroughly enjoyed watching our children (ages 3-17) use it.  It is our hope that others will enjoy it as well.