Early Academy is a tablet-first story reader that turns screen time into shared story time: calm illustrated stories, gentle page turns, subtle motion, and research-backed activities that keep kids engaged without the endless-video dopamine drip.
Our primary reader is a tablet app: big enough for shared reading, tapping, pointing, and parent-guided discovery. It also works on iPhone for on-the-go moments.
Early Academy stories read like illustrated picture books on a tablet: narration, gentle page turns, discoverable details, and room for a caregiver to talk along. Most scenes stay calm and still, with small meaningful motion instead of rapid cuts.
Tablets are the best fit for shared reading. Phones work for travel, but the larger screen makes it easier to read, point, and explore together.
The moon is rising over the quiet house...
Read this together with your child and turn the page when you are ready.
Let their interests lead the way. Early Academy organizes stories by the skills families want to practice: words, sounds, calm focus, and shared routines.
Slow, cozy choices that help families wind down together.
Explore pathPointing, naming, repeating, and first conversations.
Explore pathSimple story moments that turn screen time into together time.
Explore pathGentle pacing without autoplay, ads, or frantic cuts.
Explore pathStory moments built around useful early words.
Explore pathPicture-book routines that invite listening and prediction.
Explore pathA tablet gives families enough space to read, listen, and talk together — with calm page turns instead of an endless video feed. That is the experience Early Academy is building.
Learn about tablet storybooksAlongside our tablet story reader, Early Academy offers three calm, ad-free apps for drawing, music, and animals — each designed for shared time with a caregiver.
Access is free today. A small monthly fee may apply in the future — so if your child is in the toddler years, now is a great time to explore everything while it is still free.
Draw, hear colors, and fill calm coloring pages
Early Canvas is a drawing app that helps children learn how to draw and explore color. When they touch to draw, the app pronounces the color they are using. Tap-to-fill coloring books make it easy to stay inside the lines while still feeling creative.
Offline playlists parents control — no ads in the audio
Early Music lets children listen to a catalog of hundreds of songs that are helpful, spirit-lifting, and semi-educational. Sleep is the most commonly used category. Parents can build playlists, loop them, and play offline — without Apple Music, YouTube Premium, or ads interrupting playback.
Meet nearly 100 animals through sight, sound, and speech
Early Animals helps children learn about animals with photorealistic, subtly looped videos at different educational levels. As they swipe, they hear each animal's name and see it in motion. Children can also say an animal's name to jump straight to that creature — a natural way to build familiarity and vocabulary.
Early Canvas, Early Music, and Early Animals join our story reader as the first three companion apps in the Early Academy family. Enroll for updates — and get in while access is still free for toddler-age families.
A lot of children’s video is engineered to keep attention with rapid cuts, bright novelty, and autoplay momentum. Early Academy is intentionally different: a tablet-first reader for short story sessions, warm guidance, subtle motion, and learning moments that invite a caregiver in.
The main experience is built for a tablet screen, where children can tap, point, notice details, and share the story with an adult beside them.
Every story is built for shared reading so adults and children can talk, point, and wonder together.
Children make small choices and tap meaningful story objects; the page waits instead of dragging them through constant novelty.
When we use motion, it behaves like a living picture book: small, slow, and story-relevant rather than a dopamine-style drip of cuts and flashes.
We are not claiming a magic app. The evidence points to a practical distinction: passive, fast-moving solo viewing can be associated with weaker attention and language contexts, while co-viewed, intentional, language-rich media can support learning.
View study pagesBrief exposure to fast-paced fantastical television impaired executive function in 4-year-olds compared to slower-paced or non-screen activities.
Across 100 studies, program viewing and background television were negatively associated with cognitive outcomes, while co-use with caregivers was positively associated with cognitive outcomes.
Background and entertainment television were negatively associated with language and literacy in children ages 3–7; the background television link was mediated by self-regulation.
Young children learn less from video than from face-to-face presentations on average; the video deficit is strongest in younger children and decreases with age.
Joint media engagement helped 2-year-olds learn more from 2D media than passive viewing without parent support, though live 3D interaction still outperformed 2D media.
Screen quantity is negatively associated with language; educational content and co-viewing are positively associated with language skills.
Each Early Academy session is scripted like a thoughtful early-childhood educator is beside you: what to say, when to pause, and how to turn a tap into a conversation. The goal is engaged attention, not switched-off watching.
We are opening the library in small batches. Enroll for email updates about new releases, reading ideas, and study-backed activities.
Early access is limited while we grow the library.