Osmo - a hero for children during the pandemic. How to ensure interesting learning and meaningful screen time?

One of the things that all parents worry about is their children's education and development. But how to get the child to learn when he is not interested in it ? The answer is , kids need educational games that aren't as scary as math lessons. Meaningful screen time can be a painful topic for many families, as we often see our children so engrossed in screens that they become completely alienated from the world around them. This phenomenon is especially exacerbated during the pandemic, when families prefer to stay at home and parents have to independently come up with new ways to keep their children occupied, entertained and provide them with healthy screen time . 

Meet Osmo! It is an innovative and ground-breaking gaming system that will change the way your child uses the iPad. Osmo turns the iPad into an educational tool that entertains children while they learn, encouraging creative thinking and social interaction. Osmo games involve physical activity, whether it's sorting, writing or drawing, combining Frobel and M. Montessori techniques with hands-on play and artificial intelligence for an exciting experience. Children will not even notice that they are learning and acquiring new knowledge through games!

What makes Osmo unique?

Osmo believes in the science and research that shows children learn best through hands-on activities. Osmo games are based on the embodied learning technique , which means that the games connect learning with objects and activities in the physical world. For example, in a coding game, children learn to write lines of code by connecting and arranging physical coding blocks. Play Pizza Co. calculations with coins and slices of pizza have to be done to deliver the product and balance of money to the customers. This children's learning involves a lot of movement and play, for example, instead of learning math concepts through textbooks and worksheets, children can learn through various manipulatives such as counting cubes and even candy.

Osmo is based on revolutionary technology that connects the real world with the digital world. With the help of a camera and a patented reflector, the Osmo software, involving artificial intelligence, recognizes and determines whether the child has chosen the right objects. The reflector adjusts the camera's optics so that the camera reads the table area in front of the device, which allows Osmo apps to "see" objects placed there and create an interactive learning environment. Activities with objects help children learn more effectively compared to memorizing formulas.

What skills do Osmo games encourage?

In addition to STEAM competencies (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math), Osmo teaches children skills such as literacy, numeracy, hand-eye motor coordination, and the basics of geography, physics, and math.

Osmo prides itself on creating games designed to build sharp young minds, offering games for a wide range of academic subjects:

• coding (Coding Jam game);
• math (Numbers games, Pizza Co.);
• drawing (games Monster, Super Studio, Masterpiece);
• spelling (Words game);
• the basics of physics (Newton game);
• spatial relational skills (Tanagramm game);
• world geography (Detective Agency game).

In addition to teaching traditional subjects, Osmo games promote social-emotional skills such as problem solving, creativity and perseverance. Each Osmo game requires the player to use reasoning to arrive at the correct answer.

For example, in the game Monster, children draw pictures to create a story told on their screen by the friendly Mo the Monster. When kids play Monster together, they learn to communicate and work together to succeed as a team. In this way, Mo the Monster is a useful tool for early childhood development of communication skills.

What age is Osmo intended for?

Most Osmo games are aimed at 5-12 year olds. For younger kids, we recommend the new Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit, which includes four games specifically designed for 3-5 year olds.

So far, Osmo has won the title of Time Magazine's Best Invention, is the winner of the Parents Choice Award, the winner of the prestigious Oppenheim Award and a 2016 Toy of The Year finalist. Osmo games are represented in more than 42 countries and are used in more than 30,000 schools.

Get to know the Osmo games in the Brain Games assortment! 

Osmo Genius Kit - Perfect for kids ages 5-12, offering a wide collection of Osmo games that will introduce kids to science, math, art, stimulate visual thinking and more. All five games are an irresistible challenge to invent, explore and play.

• Tangram - Learn to think with shapes and improve spatial awareness.
• Words - learn new words and expand your vocabulary.
• Numbers - lose your fear of numbers and learn the diverse world of mathematics.
• Materpiece - Encourage drawing skills.
• Newton - learn the basics of physics.

Osmo Creative Starter Kit - let your creativity flow! Spark children's imaginations with Monster, Masterpiece and Newton , three undeniably brilliant opportunities to create, invent, explore and play. Osmo technology "sees" the real world - drawings and works created by children in front of the screen react with immediate feedback and appear on the screen.

Osmo Pizza Co. Game - What if your child owned a famous pizzeria? Osmo Pizza Co. provides just that! A kid runs his own pizzeria and takes care of customer orders by making pizza for customers, collecting payment and issuing balance. The game not only improves business skills, but also teaches basic math and money management skills while stimulating imagination and motivation to learn!

Osmo Super Studios Mickey - a unique and magical self-learning game featuring children's favorite characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy Duck, Goofy & Pluto) and their stories, while developing children's listening, drawing skills, hand-eye motor skills and drawing confidence .

Osmo Detective Agency - Solve mysteries around the world with a detective agency. Put on your detective hat and get ready to solve the case! Travel to six famous cities, check hundreds of landmarks with a magnifying glass, and learn about geography and landmarks around the world!

Osmo Super Studios Disney Princess - a unique and magical self-learning game featuring children's favorite Disney princess characters (Ariel, Belle & Rapunzel) and stories about them, while developing children's listening, drawing skills, hand-eye motor skills and drawing confidence. Explore over 100 designs and 6 characters as you design princess dresses, draw an enchanted rose, castles, sea creatures and more.