Books, computer games and series all have one thing in common: they tell stories. However, when clicking and zapping through television programs and streaming services, it quickly becomes apparent that certain stories are repeated and others are barely shown. Through this one-sided portrayal, there is a danger of seeing discriminatory worldviews as normal from childhood.
Children have endless questions and are constantly searching for answers that explain the world around them. Media use makes a significant contribution to how your child perceives the world.
The media give us a very one-sided picture of our world by constantly repeating the same characteristics of a person such as skin color, gender, origin or religion. This leads to the fact that we no longer question the images and stories conveyed, but accept them.
That’s why children need stories that show that the world is colorful. Through access to a variety of stories, children come into contact with different realities of life, topics and perspectives.
And don’t worry: it’s okay to watch such one-sided movies and series. Rather, it is about offering different stories so that your child has the opportunity to get to know several perspectives on certain topics and representations. By dealing with diverse media content, your child can learn that people with or without disabilities, regardless of gender or skin color, can be heroes in stories.
To support this and promote an open world view, it is important to take a critical look at the content of radio plays, films, games and other media. In the best case scenario, take a look together with your child at how one-sided or varied the stories consumed so far have been told and how the characters are portrayed. Then you can search together for a series, a podcast, a game or a book with diverse characters that you and your child like.
Below you will find a list with some suggestions.
On Instagram , TikTok and co. are dominated by one-sided role models, because clichés sell well. We have compiled tips for more diversity in social media offerings for you in this article. You can find portraits of influencers who deal with criticism of racism and show gender diversity here.
Diverse and queer – what is becoming more and more visible in our society is also increasingly reflected in media offerings for children. In this article, we present children’s media that show diverse gender images and lifestyles.
Movies and series:
All new for Lina – Lina moves to Berlin with her family and has to find her way around. (3 years)
My City of Ghosts – In this animated film, four friends interview ghosts and learn about the history of their city, Los Angeles. (5 years)
Die Sendung mit der Maus – A knowledge series for children in which diversity is also emphasized in the moderation. (5 years)
A Lousy Witch – Friendship in a witch school. (6 years)
The Checker World – The Checker Team Can, Tobi, Marina and Julian present exciting knowledge programs for children. (from 6 years)
Dandelion – Fritz Fuchs and his dog Keks experience exciting adventures as the successors to Peter Lustig together with a diverse ensemble of actors and impart interesting knowledge in the process. (6 years)
Strong! – Short portraits of strong children. (7 years)
Avatar – The Lord of the Elements – An animated series featuring characters with various disabilities, but with no focus on their impairments. (7 years)
Rico, Oskar and the Deep Shadows – two friends with different quirks and fears chase a kidnapper until one of the two boys disappears himself. (7 years)
Moooment! – A series that deals with the topic of racism and discrimination. (9 years)
Strange World – a three-generation family must save a dying plant. (9 years)
Karma’s World – (animated film) Ten-year-old Karma wants to become a rapper. Until then, however, they have to cope with everyday school and family life. (9 years)
The Peppercorns – A group of five children solve crimes. All five main characters demonstrate strength, courage and solidarity. (10 years)
Echt – web series on ZDFtivi that deals with friendships. (10 years)
Trio – A detective series (10 years)
The Help – this feature film is about the lives of black maids who work for white families every day in the 1960s. (11 years)
Einstein Castle – series about the lives of boarding school students. A format with a lot of diversity (past, skin colors, sexuality, illnesses) without being portrayed as “special” or “unnatural”. (12 years)
Funk – Free media offer and network of ARD and ZDF. (14 years)
Books:
Buuu.ch is a blog that presents children’s books and comics that convey diverse role models and avoid reproducing stereotypes or clichés.
Book suggestions for diversity-appropriate books for teens are posted regularly on CBJ ‘s blog.
Stories about strong girls can be found on this list of children’s books.
In addition, activist Raul Krauthausen collects children’s books that deal with various facets of the topic of disability.
Something completely different is the one organized by the Munich Deaf Association, where children’s books are read aloud in sign language.
In the book “My dream, my story“, eight children who became world-famous talk about their dreams and stories.
The Avalino Diversity blog and Britta’sInstagram and TikTok accountfocus a lot on the topic of diversity in the nursery. Among other things, she presents children’s books and has also written her own (children’s) book.
Zuckersüß Verlag is a publisher of children’s books with strong messages and a list of 30 books for more diversity and variety in the nursery on Jane Wayne’s blog.
Podcasts:
The Avalino children’s podcast is a knowledge podcast in which children talk about their ideas (e.g. environmental protection) or cool facts (e.g. about animals).
Die Maus is a podcast of the Sendung mit der Maus, on which a 60-minute episode for children appears daily. (4 years)
Hearooz is a podcast app that was developed especially for children and contains various child-friendly podcasts. (4 years)
The children’s podcast Kakadu discovers the world together with children and answers exciting questions. (6 years)
Games:
The Unstoppables is a puzzle game in which four friends with different disabilities rescue a dog from the clutches of its kidnapper. (Recommended by Webhelm from 8 years)
In the game Starlink: Battlefor Atlas, the prosthetic arms and legs of the strong character Chase are a matter of course. (USK 6 years)
In SIMS 4 and SIMS Freeplay, characters can freely choose any hobby and profession. When creating Sims, players can decide for themselves what skin color the characters should have and choose between two body shapes (instead of genders). Same-sex and polyamorous relationships are also possible. (USK 6 years, recommended by Spieleratgeber NRW from 10 years)
Serena Supergreen and the broken wing is a game that takes a gender-sensitive approach to technical apprenticeships in the field of renewable energies. (Recommendation from internet-abc from 12 years)
Sibel’s Journey is about dealing with the topics of sexuality, gender, body and boundaries. (Recommended by wirfuervielfalt for ages 12 and up)
In Tell me why, two siblings meet again after 10 years to sell the family estate. The game also represents trans* boys. (USK 12 years)
On long car journeys, on train journeys, or simply cozily at home on the sofa – the Tiptoi interactive learning system is popular with children and parents. We explain the many functions offered by the hearing pen.
The Tiptoi is a reading or listening pen. If you tap the stylus on a picture or text in a book provided for this purpose, suitable sounds, speech or music will sound. Stories, games and toys are thus brought to life. To do this, you need to download the corresponding audio files from the Internet in advance. For the old generation of the hearing pen (for 3 years and older), you have to connect the pen to a computer to do this. With the new version of the hearing pen (for ages 2 and up), this all works via the charging station with WLAN connection; it is completely independent of the parental computer.
The levels of experience in the books or puzzles are divided into four categories:
The reading pen can be used not only in combination with books, but also with games, a globe or puzzles. It is recommended for children from 2 years. Products for different age groups are offered.
The earlier devices (since 2018) for children over the age of three have an integrated microphone so that children can record their own sounds and speech. The newer device (from 2022) for children from the age of two has no microphone and therefore no recording function.
The multiple uses of the listening pen offer an interactive and engaging way to learn. This encourages the children to become active and to foster their curiosity. By playing with Tiptoi books and toys, children can improve their cognitive skills and develop their language, math and social skills.
Also, the listening pen allows children to discover the world around them in a new way. You can immerse yourself in a variety of topics and learn more about history, science, or geography. For example, not only is it explained what the hoot of an owl sounds like, but you can also listen to it. Even several times. The operation of the pen is simple and its use is adapted to the motor skills of a child aged from about 2 years.
The products designed specifically for children over 2 years are usually simpler. They have larger and more colorful images, as well as less text and more complex interactive features. They aim to stimulate the senses and curiosity of younger children and develop their fine motor skills.
The products for ages 4 and up are usually more complex and sophisticated in terms of interactive features and learning materials. They are often designed with more text and more challenging content to give children a deeper understanding of topics such as history, science, or math.
According to Ravensburger, Tiptoi inspires and motivates to play and learn! It is an innovative learning and creative system with which children discover the world through play. Its child-friendly design and high-quality content, as well as the wide range of possible uses, are particularly highlighted here.
With the Create recording function, the provider promises to promote your child’s language skills and self-confidence.
The listening pen is only compatible with the corresponding Ravensburger products. The cost of the pen and matching books should therefore not be underestimated. The pen alone already costs about 39 euros. However, you can choose from a variety of products in different price ranges, which are also always a nice gift idea.
With the older version of the pen (for ages 3 and up), audio content can only be loaded onto the device using Tiptoi Manager, a computer program from Ravensburger. Computers and Internet access are therefore a prerequisite. The recording function cannot be used with all Tiptoi products, but only with Create products.
For more on what to consider when using family read aloud pens, check out our general post on this.
Imagine if Jack from “Titanic” had survived the disaster and arrived in America with Rose? Or what would Harry Potter’s life have been like if his parents had survived? That’s what fanfictions are all about.
Fanfictions, fanfiction, fan stories or abbreviated fanfics are stories written by fans about a book, a series, a music band or a computer game. These stories use the characters and universe of the original work and rewrite it. They add events to it and let characters live even though they died in the original work.
Most often, these stories take up the usual themes of friendship and love or drama. In connection with fanfictions, own words were invented over time, such as the term “shipping“. This is about a fan’s desire for a relationship to exist between two or more people. The word comes from the English term relationship or friendship. There are countless other original abbreviations fans use to describe their fanfictions. Fans can use these abbreviations and terms to briefly share what content appears in their story. Whether it’s a crossover – an overlap of plot – between two worlds, or whether it’s just about one character. For example, Anakin Skywalker, a main character from the Star Wars universe, suddenly goes to school at Hogwarts and his experiences at the wizarding boarding school are recounted.
If you want to read more about the topic, you can find information on the fanfiction sites on the Internet, e.g. on
fanfiction.com
and
Wattpad.com
. Interested young people can discuss their favorite parts of books and movies with other fans, give free rein to their creative streak in fanfiction contests, and find friends who are interested in the same things as they are.
Fanfiction can develop the writing talent of children and young people and stimulates the imagination. For anyone who would like to write their own books or can imagine a career as a writer, fanfiction is a good exercise.
Fanfiction has been around for a long time. Even the ancient Greeks liked to pass on stories. The Internet now provides a portal for all these stories. Nevertheless, it should be noted that fanfiction is in a gray area. This is because copyright and personal rights are violated here, for example by using protected terms from the original works. Using and rewriting the thought of authors can be considered illegal. However, most authors have no problem with this and see it as something positive, as long as the fan stories are not sold.
You should also note that many fanfictions on the Internet have been written in an adult manner. This is usually indicated by an age rating or a warning against drastic content, since some stories also involve sexual acts.
Fanfiction websites offer a wide range of stories and it’s worth checking out. Maybe you and your child have a favorite movie in common and want to dive deeper into his or her world this way.
This digital listening pen – the successor to the TING pen – wants to do more than just read aloud, but offers a recording function so children can get creative themselves and also functions as an MP3 player.
The digital audio pen BOOKii is designed to help children discover books with all their senses. The principle that when illustrations and texts in media designed for the pen are tapped with the tip of the pen, dialogues, sounds and information are heard is common to all listening pens. Texts can be read aloud or you can get active yourself with interactive search and knowledge games.
The range of compatible books and games is constantly being expanded. So far, there are around 50 titles from various publishers. The popular WAS IST WAS? series is available for the BOOKii, as are language learning books from Langenscheidt.
Since the pen has a recording function, other books can also be expanded with read-aloud elements. The BOOKii comes with stickers that can be reloaded over and over again with your own recordings. For selected products for older readers, BOOKii – via a Bluetooth connection with a cell phone, tablet or PC – leads to videos or further links on the topic. The function as an MP3 player and the possibility to connect headphones also make the BOOKii attractive as a multifunctional digital listening pen.
It is exciting for children to experience the information they find in a book in different ways. If, for example, it is not only explained how the call of an owl sounds, but an audio example can also be played, this is an exciting reading experience for children.
The recording function and the associated stickers make the pen special. Children can record things themselves, sing or make sounds and add stickers with their recordings. These stickers can be stuck almost anywhere: in the favorite book, on the family calendar or in the school notebook of the sister.
With the successor model to its TING pen, Tessloff Verlag is focusing entirely on interactivity and openness. In addition, during the production process attention was paid to health and the environment: The BOOKii case is made of food-safe material and can be used even by small children. The packaging of the hearing pen and the case are produced in Germany and are recyclable.
Already in its first years, BOOKii received several nominations for prestigious game awards. The justifications emphasize that the pen promotes children’s auditory skills and that small guessing games train concentration.
Tessloff itself highlights the many possible applications for different ages, the possible promotion of language development and children’s cognitive abilities. Thus, according to the manufacturer, the hearing pen is also suitable for use in kindergartens, schools and other educational institutions.
Even if the operation seems child’s play, discover the listening pen and what can be done with it together with your child. There are a number of BOOKii starter packages for different age groups. They usually include a book, the pen with case and recording stickers.
If you want to discover a children’s book with the BOOKii, the associated files must be installed on the pen. To do this, it is best to connect the hearing pen to a PC or laptop. Connection and charging cables are included.
Find out what else is important about using listening pens in the family in our article “Using listening pens for an interactive reading experience“.
Read-aloud pens bring a whole new reading experience to your child as they enhance classic books with audio. We have already explained here how these work exactly and which ones are available on the market. But you can not only be read to, you can even play audio pens yourself and bring your very own stories to life with audios.
To create your own audio content and integrate it into the desired book, there are special recording stickers. These stickers store the content that you have recorded using the stylus. They can be individually recorded with sounds, stories or even music. Playback works with the listening pen by swiping the tip of the pen across the corresponding sticker. The stickers can be stuck on objects or paper and can be erased and revisited at any time. Either the sounds are recorded directly via the pen or they are loaded onto the pen via USB. For this purpose, e.g. the AnyBook or the Bookii can be used.
You can use the recording function to set picture books to music together with your child, for example. Does your daughter or son have a favorite picture book? Then come up with dialogues and sounds together and record them with the listening pen. If you stick the associated stickers to the corresponding places in the book, the next read-aloud will be a special experience. Or record questions that play at certain points, such as “Where is the dog?”.
Bring old familiar games like memory to life with the stickers and the pens. The duck receives a sticker on a card that can be used to play the quack with the listening pen. For example, your child can learn animal sounds.
The special stickers can also be used in language learning as concept stickers by sticking them on objects for vocabulary learning.
I’m sure you can think of more creative ideas on how to use the listening pen!
In addition to the well-known tiptoi, there are other interactive listening pens such as the TING listening pen. Find out here whether it can be an alternative for you.
TING works just like other read-aloud pens: if you tap on a symbol, specific image or text, the pen plays additional information – in the form of sounds, languages or music. This is how books, games and toys come to life. TING recognizes the code when tapped and plays the matching file through the integrated speaker (or through the headphone output).
TING can be used across all publishers. Examples of publishers are: Langenscheidt, Cornelsen, Duden, Klett, Haba, Coppenrath or also Finken. Language learning is also possible with the TING through various language learning programs and games.
So far, there are two TING versions: TINGclassic and TINGsmart. Both versions offer up to 4GB of storage. The TING program can be used to manage the data on the pen.
It is exciting for children to experience the information they find in a book in different ways. If, for example, it is not only explained how the call of an owl sounds, but an audio example can also be played, this is an exciting reading experience for children.
The TING hearing pen is easy to operate with just two buttons. Thanks to the various partner publishers, there is a large and diverse range of products.
This provider advertises the features of its product: “The device is characterized by a short response time and excellent sound quality”. In addition, the reading pen offers a headphone output.
The Ting is available from €39.99. The pen does not offer a recording function. File management via the TING program is possible from Windows and Mac computers using the supplied USB cable.
They want to help children learn to read or enhance the classic book with audio files: read-aloud pens. The digital listening pens bring a new reading experience for children and promise great learning effects. But how do the interactive pens work?
You can’t write with them, even though they look like a big pen. Such read-aloud, listening, or digital pens expand content from specially made books, puzzles, or games by tapping the pen tip on the symbols or codes they contain. The pen then plays the audio behind it – this can be animal sounds, music, sentences read aloud or prompts. Usually it is additional information and not the content that is already in the book anyway. The sound files can be downloaded from the Internet and loaded onto the pen.
It is exciting for children to experience information from a book in different ways. For example, not only explaining what an owl’s hoot sounds like, but also providing an audio example of it, enhances their learning experience. Children are better able to connect information through different sensory channels. In addition, it is a good feeling for children when they can trigger things themselves – even if you just don’t have time to read together with him. Such a pen can increase reading motivation through a playful approach and help with language development. Listening pens are suitable for children from about 3 to 10 years, depending on the model.
Despite these advantages, such pens are not a full substitute for reading aloud. Although a listening pen can help with understanding and learning a book, that should be your job as a parent, not any pen’s. Because with you, your child can ask questions and learn more than what is stored on a listening pen. In addition to the positive effects for learning, moments like reading together are also an important emotional experience for you and your child. A listening pen can be a good addition.
There are a number of different listening pens on the market. We present some of them in individual articles:
You can also find out here how to use listening pens to set your child’s favorite book to music.
Shortly before bedtime – the three-year-old daughter sits on your lap, directs her gaze to the colorful pictures and listens intently to the story. In many families, reading aloud in the evening is a ritual. Often there is the favorite book to be read over and over again. But in times of freely accessible videos, radio plays and songs via digital media, are books actually still up to date?
Reading aloud in general is enormously important for children’s language development. When you read stories to your child and you look at and talk about the pictures together, your child’s vocabulary also expands. In the process, it also learns words it doesn’t necessarily hear otherwise, e.g. in books that tell about sea creatures or about life on a farm. When reading aloud, your child develops a sense of the structure of language.
Reading aloud also has a positive effect on your child’s imagination. Telling stories and sharing them encourages your child to think up and imagine their own worlds.
The decisive factor in reading aloud is above all the exchange and the closeness to you. This can also be made when using a tablet instead of a book to read aloud. You can use your fascination with digital media to make reading appealing, especially to older children. Digital reading worlds often work with interactive elements that can arouse children’s interest and stimulate their imagination. So there is a lot of potential in them that you can use as parents.
Picture book apps such as “Fiete” or “Milli and her friends” also expand the reading experience in a special way. A list of recommended apps can be found at Stiftung Lesen. In addition to apps, there are also special children’s websites that specialize in read-aloud stories,such as Amira. There are also books that digitally extend their stories (e.g. B. What happened here?). This can be a great way to combine offline and online worlds in a meaningful way.
It’s important to consciously choose which digital adventure your child might enjoy. The timing of use should also be considered. So an interactive read-aloud adventure before bedtime might be too exciting for your child. The bright screen and flickering elements may prevent your child from sleeping peacefully afterwards. Instead, reach for an (analog) book that your child already knows and finds reassuring.
For more tips on digital read-aloud formats, visit Stiftung Lesen.
Always remember: both classic and digital reading worlds have their advantages and disadvantages – it’s all in the mix!
