Table of Contents
Telling stories is in our DNA, when men and women sat around the fire, inside the cave, to relate the experiences of the day. To speak of a story is to speak of the history of humanity, for it has been present in all ages, in all cultures, in all classes and human groups. For this reason, many theorists place narrative and language as the quality that most differentiates us from other animals.
Consequently, telling stories or tales to the little ones is also a very long-standing tradition, even older than the writing itself. The essential thing in a story is in the air, in the atmosphere that is being created, in the way and style of narrating, in the tension and suspense, in the emotion that is achieved, but above all, in the values that they manage to transmit.
Never before has the story had so many possibilities of expansion and scope as today, with the Internet age . Today’s tales can always be enriched, or even reinvented, thanks to the power of networks and new technologies. This is what the creators of creAPPcounts wanted to do .
CreAPPCuentos is an interactive application for tablets designed to create new stories from the elements and characters of life stories.
What is creAPPcounts?
CreAPPcounts, developed by a startup from Pontevedra and already awarded in its two years of life, goes one step further in what the new narratives in tactile supports mean, as it allows children to create their own stories, to tell the story that they want or move the characters as they please.
Designed for children from 6 to 8 years old, the application can be downloaded for free for both Android and iOS . It includes an initial pack with which to start inventing all the stories we want, without any limitation, but there is also the option of buying up to 12 extra packages for a small price of € 0.89 each.
How to make an illustrated digital story with this application is very simple. The first of all will be to choose a thematic pack . We can choose between tales of pirates, princesses, monsters, aliens, superheroes, robots, dinosaurs … and much more. The second step will be to select the background of the first sheet, and then begin to incorporate the characters and objects that we want, which we can scale, move, rotate or delete.
Once the stage is created, you can add audio and text in any language, in addition to adding background music. When we finish making the first page, we can add more elements by repeating the previous steps and, finally, we will only be left to enjoy it and share it with other users .
In the current version you can export the story in PDF format and even generate a video, with the possibility of being uploaded to the app’s own YouTube channel . In addition, in the virtual library, we can access the stories created by other users. Being able to save and share stories are very interesting features, since one of the purposes of the creators is that the application can collect the stories of boys and girls from different parts of the world and, thus, enrich themselves culturally.
Illustrations
Those responsible for the Galician app focused a good part of their efforts on obtaining a template of prestigious graphic collaborators, who are responsible for creating the characters and their objects, the fundamental ingredients of a story. Among them are Alberto García Ariza, Abraham Carreiro, Raquel López or Pirusca.
One of creAPPcounts strong points is the quality of its illustrations .
CreAPPcounts, also at school
The application is also a very interesting resource for teachers , since it can be used as a tool to promote creativity in children. The goal of its creators is that creAPPcounts stimulate the imagination, improving skills such as reading, writing, socializing or speaking, among others.
