Suitable for 4 to 6 years old

 

 

 

Augmented Reality (AR) “augments” your experience of the world around you. Augment means "to add". Virtual objects are added to our environment. AR combines our real world with the virtual world to make our reality better and more interesting!

 

Activity: Animals Come Alive!

Materials Needed

• "ABC Animals, Alphabet in Motion" book by Sarina Simon (see "Book Recommendations")
• A digital device
• The "ABC Animals AR" app by North South Studios, available free on IOS and Android

How to Play

Use the app alongside the book, and discover adorable animals with your child, while helping them learn the alphabet! Read the book aloud with your child and ask them the questions on the page related to each letter and animal. Then, point your device at the photographs in the book and watch as the still images on the page magically transform into motion videos, revealing the answers to the questions asked.

Parents Pro Tip

Read the books below with your child one time first without using the AR apps. Let them get familiar with the characters and the storyline before introducing the app to them. They might get too distracted with the app by then to focus on the story! This will also allow them to fully appreciate how the added use of AR elevates their reading experience.

 

Stories Come Alive!

Materials Needed

• Arbi and the Fire Breathing Dragon" by Iker Burguera (see "Book Recommendations")
• A digital device
• The “Arbi Augmented Reality” app by Educa Reality, available free on IOS and Android

How to Play

Read the book with your child while using the app. Not only will you be able to watch the story come alive on your device, but you will also get to answer pop quiz questions too!
Encourage your child to get curious and interact freely with the 3D elements in the book. Play around with the camera angles. Zoom in and zoom out. Fold and rotate the pages. Tilt the book back and forth. The possibilities are endless!
You can even do a fun photoshoot with your child! Take some photos of your child posing with some of the AR animations. Let them express themselves and get creative with the poses!

Click to Download: Activity Sheet for Stories Come Alive!

Parent's Pro Tip

Take some time to introduce the app to your child first and walk them through how they can use it. You can be the one using it initially for the first few pages of the book before letting them have a go later once they have observed you do so.

Let's Watch

Rainy Weather: A 4D Book
Author: Sally Lee
Publisher:North Mankato, Minnesota: Pebble, a Capstone imprint, 2018

Curious Pearl Tinkers with Simple Machines
Author:Eric Braun
Publisher:North Mankato, Minnesota: Picture Window Books, 2019

ABC Animals: Alphabet in Motion
Author:Sarina Simon
Publisher: Los Angeles, California : NorthSouth Studios LLC, 2016

Arbi and the Fire Breathing Dragon
Author:Iker Burguera
Publisher:United States : CreateSpace, 2015

Arbi and the Treasure Chest
Author: Iker Burguera
Publisher: United States: Createspace, 2016

Colours are so important. They are one of the first ways a toddler learns, understands and describes objects they see. Another method of arranging visual information is through shapes. Letting your child explore different shapes helps with their observational skills too. 

Colours Activity

How to Play

Find colourful items and place them in a basket or box. Next, place coloured paper in front of the basket and have your child sort the objects. 

Parents' Pro Tip 

This wonderful activity helps your child develop skills in making comparisons as well as their organisation. As your child plays, they will classify and sort items based on their similarities. 

Poulpe the Octopus’ Birthday Party! 

Materials Needed

• Colour Pencils
• Paint
• Crayons

How to Play

Decorate Poulpe and her home in time for her party. Practice your math by figuring out which number corresponds to which colour. Be as creative as you can with the colours. You can even draw objects in the background. 

Click to Download: Activity Sheet for Octopus Birthday Party!

Parents’ Pro Tip 

The background with no numbers is a chance for your child to draw and colour freely! If your child gets stuck on what to draw or write, have some visual references handy. Use your fingers to count with your child and have them do the same. If they run into a mistake, don't tell them if they're wrong. Encourage them to try again. 

Let's Watch

13 Toddler Activities for Learning You Can Do At Home | 1-2 year olds I butfirstcoffeeblog.com (12.33min) 

Great and colorful educational crafts and DIYs for toddlers. Learn colors and numbers with these awesome crafts for kids! 

Let's Read

That's Not My Zebra's Colours 
By: Fiona Watt, Rachel Wells & Non Figg 
Publisher: London: Usborne, 2018 

Finding Beauty 
By:Talitha Shipman 
Publisher: Minneapolis, MN: Beaming Books, 2021 

Art and Photos wih ScratchJr 
Publisher: New York: PowerKids Press, 2022 

All book covers are copyright of the respective publishing companies.

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is like having a smart robot friend that can learn and think like a person. It can help us do many things, like playing games, finding pictures, and answering questions. AI learns by looking at lots of pictures, listening to sounds, or reading words, just like we learn by reading books or listening to your teacher. Below are some examples of how AI already works in our everyday life to make things easier and more fun!

When we watch a video on YouTube or a show on Netflix, they will suggest other videos or shows we might like. AI looks at what we have watched before to guess what you would enjoy next.

Alexa or Siri are two common examples of talking robots in our phone or smart speaker. We can ask them questions like "What's the weather today?" or "Play my favorite song," and they understand us and do what we ask. 

Heard of self-driving cars? Some cars are currently being built and tested to drive themselves without a person steering them. AI helps these cars to see the road, avoid obstacles, and follow traffic rules so they can take us places safely. 

Rox’s Secret Code 

By: Mara Lecocq 
Publisher: Brooklyn, NY: Pow! [2018] 
Section: Early Literacy Picture Books 

Call No.: English LEC

Super Surprising Trivia About Artificial Intelligence  

By: Lisa M. Bolt Simons 
Publisher: North Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, a Capstone imprint, [2024] 
Section: Early Literacy Picture Books/Non-Fiction

Call No.: English 006.3 SIM

Daisy and her AI Friends  

By: AI Singapore and Tan Jia En
Publisher: Singapore: AI Singapore, [2022]
Section: Junior Singapore

Call No.: 006.3 DAI

Artificial Intelligence   

By: Betsy Rathburn
Publisher: Bellwether Media
NLB Overdrive Link: https://nlb.overdrive.com/library/kids/media/5592054

Unplugged AI activities are great for helping young children understand the concepts behind artificial intelligence without needing a computer or internet. By introducing AI concepts before actual coding, children gain a more comprehensive understanding and develop critical thinking skills which are essential for mastering more complex AI and coding topics.

Here are some age-appropriate screen-free acitivities that requires minimal preparation and help introduce AI concepts to preschoolers in an engaging way: 

Sorting Games

Sort various objects found around the house such as colourful buttons or cards with pictures of animals based on specific criteria (color, size, type).

This activity simulates how AI algorithms classify data. Young children learn how to group and categorise information, similar to how AI is able to organise data.

Pattern Recognition

Create a sequence of shapes or colors using the children’s toys such as blocks and ask the children to continue the pattern or find what comes next.

AI uses pattern recognition to identify trends and make predictions. This activity helps kids understand how patterns work.

Decision Trees

Make a simple decision tree together with questions and answers to reach a final decision. For example, "Is it raining? Yes/No" leading to "Take an umbrella" or "No need for an umbrella." 

Decision trees are a simple form of AI that make decisions based on a series of questions. This activity demonstrates logical decision-making processes. 

Introducing AI to young children can be quite challenging as we need to simplify abstract concepts for the younger minds. Here are a few suggestions to create a positive environment that makes learning about AI fun and accessible for young children.

Use simple stories and examples from everyday life to explain AI concepts. For instance, explain how a smart assistant like Siri or Alexa works, or how Netflix or Youtube Kids recommends shows for them to watch based on what they like previously. Relatable stories make abstract concepts more concrete and easier for young children to understand.

Use analogies that children can easily relate to, like comparing an AI's learning process to how they learn new things at school. Simplified terms and familiar analogies make complex ideas more accessible and understandable. 

Ask open-ended questions like, "How do you think a robot knows where to go?" Encourage children to ask their own questions about AI. Encouraging curiosity helps children become active learners, promoting deeper understanding and retention of concepts. 

Additional Activities using Artificial Intelligence 

Using AI during bedtime with children can be a fun and soothing experience by enhancing the bedtime routine with interactive and educational elements. Here are some creative ways to incorporate AI into bedtime: 

Personalised Bedtime Stories using AI

AI like ChatGPT can create stories of just about anything and can include child’s name and interests. Use bedtime as an opportunity to test it out by asking your child to share what kind of story they want such as a particular character that they like. Simply input the prompt into ChatGPT to get your story for something new every night.

Bedtime Questions and Answers

For children who are curious and may have a lot of questions before they go to bed, AI can be used to satisfy their curiosity. Put ten minutes aside so that you can your child can ask AI those burning questions to help settle their mind and learn about their world.