Critical pre-literacy skills are developed long before elementary school — through play and interactive conversations with caregivers at home. Free early-literacy apps from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) are made for parents and caregivers to use with their children to encourage fun and rewarding interactions and promote dialogue — giving children the foundations they need to read, learn, and thrive.

Welcome to Animal Antics — a fun and creative way to get families talking! Just by talking with your little one — and helping them talk with you — you can get them ready to read and ready to learn about the world. This app is specially designed for you and your child to use together, talking and laughing about everyday objects and interactions as you play. In Animal Antics, caregivers and children take on the personalities of lovable animal characters in a happy variety of story settings. In each scenario, you’ll take turns choosing facial expressions and recording dialogue; you can then play back the entire story! The app can also help you build your child's language skills even when you've left the screen, during everyday activities like going shopping, running errands, or walking to the playground. Animal Antics will give you plenty to talk about all day!

Animal Antics is a product of the Reach Every Reader initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, in collaboration with FableVision Studios. Check out HGSE’s related apps, Photo Play and Small Wonders — equally fun, and equally ready to spark conversation and lay the foundations for reading!

To learn more, and for information about privacy and updates, visit http://hgse.me/apps.