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Coronavirus crisis: Telethon Kids Institute’s Bright Tomorrows app supports little learners’ brain development during COVID-19 pandemic

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Kate EmeryThe West Australian
Three-year-old Auriel Curranagasawa can continue to keep his mind active with the new Telethon Kids Institute app.
Camera IconThree-year-old Auriel Curranagasawa can continue to keep his mind active with the new Telethon Kids Institute app. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian

For Wellard father Michael Curranagasawa, tuning into the Telethon Kids Institute’s Bright Tomorrows app with his three-year-old son Auriel is “like walking on to the set of Sesame Street”.

“You know how nowadays on Sesame Street they say you’re growing smarter, stronger and kinder?” he said. “Well it (the app) helps with physical and mental and emotional growth, and there’s little ‘brainy bits’ that tell you why we’re doing something and how it helps them.”

As father to three boys — Gabriel, 9, Rafael, 7, and Auriel — Mr Curranagasawa said since the coronavirus pandemic had left the children at home it had been relatively easy to find resources for his older sons but he had struggled with how to support his youngest.

The app aims to convert the latest scientific research about brain development in children under five into short and fun activities. Launched last year, it has since been rejigged specifically to help families who are stuck at home and children who may be missing out on early childhood education.

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To Auriel the games he plays with his father, such as virtual hide and seek using photos of items around the house, are just for fun. But the app provides Mr Curranagasawa with an explanation about how they are helping his son’s brain develop.

“This app helps us kind of see how simple it is to make activities for him and he just seems to eat it all up,” he said.

CoLab director Professor Donna Cross said the

the aim was to offer activities that could be done during an ordinary day and make the most of mundane tasks, such as doing the laundry or mealtimes.

“So while I’m feeding them breakfast I might cut the toast up into soldiers and ask how many soldiers they have and then when they eat two I ask how many they have left,” she said.

Jay Weatherill, chief executive of the Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five initiative, said: “The feedback that we get from parents is that they really value this trusted source of advice.“

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