Math Storytime App

The Challenge

While it’s common for parents to regularly read with their children, exploring math together is rare. Many adults experience math anxiety, which studies show is often transferred to their young children. Instead of viewing math as a vital skill that permeates their daily lives, these children grow up believing it’s challenging, confusing, or difficult. However, some encouraging studies have found that students whose parents engage in positive conversations about math from an early age show noticeable improvement in their math performance.

To empower parents to explore math with their children, the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE) decided to create an online resource of math-based stories that both parents and kids could enjoy. CODE wanted these stories to be easily accessible on desktop or mobile devices, so they needed a tech partner to fully realize their vision. They entrusted Iversoft with the task, and we were happy to help.

The Solution

We partnered with GAPC Entertainment to combine our ability to design and develop innovative mobile apps and games with their expertise in math learning tools and creative storytelling. Together, we created Math Storytime — a web and mobile application that brings math concepts to life through engaging stories.

Because the primary users are young children and the app must be accessible to families with varying needs, the project required us to pay special attention to user experience (UX) design. To ensure kids can navigate the app on their own and all caregivers — including those who experience a language barrier — can participate, we included multiple levels of adult engagement.

There are three ways to read:

• Adults can read the story with their kids in real-time
• Adults can pre-record reading the story for a hands-off experience
• Kids can hear the story read by a professional narrator

The stories were designed around Ontario’s Ministry of Education math curriculum, enabling kids to directly apply what they learn while reading to what they do in school. The app also met Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards at the time of launch and was made available in both English and French. Following launch, we continued to work with GAPC Entertainment, supporting early user acquisition efforts.