QRF launches app to promote children’s social development

AMMAN — The Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development (QRF) on Thursday launched a free mobile application to promote the development of social skills in young children called “Karim and Jana-Our World”.

The application aims to introduce children to basic social skills and increases their readiness for school, while also raising parents’ awareness of their children’s socio-emotional development, according to a statement sent by the foundation.

The application’s launch followed the QRF’s first Karim and Jana app, which focused on developing children’s numeracy skills through the interactive adventures of characters, Karim and Jana, the statement said. Since its release in 2017, the first Karim and Jana application has reached 300,000 users and been played over 3 million times.

The new application is part of the QRF’s efforts to support early childhood education and to bridge the educational gap among Jordanian children caused by low enrolment rates in kindergartens and nurseries compared to other middle-income countries.

Through a series of stories, songs and games designed for children between the ages of three and six, the application aims to promote self-confidence, self-awareness, relationship building, emotional and behavioural management, health and an understanding of the world, the statement added.

The application also offers practical tips to parents on how to engage with children through learning activities.

“Since launching the numeracy-focused Karim and Jana application, we have grown further convinced of the urgent need to tap into the mobile learning revolution and provide more free educational resources in the Arabic language,” said QRF CEO Bassem Saad.

“Our children in Jordan suffer from an immense gap in opportunities for early childhood education, but hopefully, through technological innovations, this gap can be bridged and equal educational resources will be provided to children across the country,” he added.

In conjunction with the application’s launch, the QRF also plans to conduct awareness workshops for parents on the importance of early childhood development.