Last week global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced the launch of Curious World, a digital collection of games, videos and e-books for children ages 3 to 7. Initially, Curious World will be launched as an iOS app for iPads and iPhones, and will be available as a subscription service for $9.99 a month, or $79.99 a year for parents who want to save a few bucks. Parents can check it out risk-free during the free 30-day trial.Through the parent dashboard, adults can create a simple profile of their child, so Curious World can recommend appropriate learning tools based on a child’s age, developmental stage and interests. The early learning curriculum is focused in eight key areas:
- Science
- Math
- Language and literacy
- Health and wellness
- Creative expression
- Social and emotional development
- Executive function
- Family and community
Using the dashboard, parents can follow their child’s progress, track their learning, and see how much time their child has spent on the app. The value of Curious World goes beyond online, however.To complement the app, Curious World has a Tips for Parents section, makes offline activity suggestions from its Learning Activities section, and offers an online shopping portal for parents to purchase books and games.Curious World will offer videos, games and e-books featuring classic characters like Curious George and Gossie, as well as exclusive games like Math Arcade, Skyscraper Builder, and Coral Reef Explorer and acquired content from partners like National Geographic Kids, StoryBots, and PBS Digital.
“Curious World encourages children to learn through play, with content and activities that foster curiosity and imagination both online and offline,” said CJ Kettler, Chief of Consumer Brands and Strategy at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“Early learning research also shows that parental engagement is key, which is why we built a parent portal featuring practical ways to balance digital screen-time with activities that families can enjoy together, in a safe environment that parents can trust,” Kettler added.
At launch, Curious World will contain more than 500 unique titles, and HMH vows to add new content weekly to keep content fresh. For now, a limited sample of content and basic features are available in the App store.Insider Take:In her analysis of Curious World, TechCrunch writer Sarah Perez says she thinks parents will balk at the $10 a month price tag. She notes that other apps and resources like Nickelodeon’s Noggin are less expensive or even free, but we don’t think that’s a fair comparison, because there are key differentiators.For example, Nickelodeon is primarily entertainment-based, while Curious World is focused on early learning. Curious World also offers a parent portal, so parent input and guidance are part of the equation.Will Curious World be a hit with kids? We think there is sufficient content here to engage a child both on and offline. Curious World’s success then will depend on whether there is enough exclusive content and learning value for parents to shell out $9.99 a month. Considering this is a market that HMH knows well, we think the Curious World subscription service is a pretty safe bet.~ Dana E. Neuts, Subscription Insider
