Press Release, 10th of May 2021
Moka Mera Emotions is a new educational application that supports the emotional and social skill development of children aged 3-8. It can be used together with teachers or caregivers. The child – together with the adult – learns how to identify and discuss the emotions of the self and others.
– We are happy to offer a tool that children can use while exploring their emotions, as well as those of others. This strengthens self-knowledge, empathic abilities, and it lays the groundwork for good relations and co-operational skills, says Suzan Aledin from Moilo, the company that produced the app.
Moka Mera Emotions uses different emotional filters to guide the exploration of emotional states. The face of the child will change on the screen while using the app, thus helping the child familiarise themselves with emotions such as joy, anger, surprise, and fear.
The emotional filters describe feelings in a tangible way. The filter «joy» turns the corners of the mouth upwards, whereas the filter «anger» makes smoke that comes out of the nostrils. The filter «sorrow» animates tears pouring from the eyes, and so forth. The emotional impact is enhanced with a soundscape that is designed with each emotion in mind.
Both the child and the adult play active roles while using the app. Children are naturally curious and eager to explore and have fun, traits that allow emotions to become familiar to the child. The supportive adult asks questions, discusses specific emotions, and gives examples. In addition to the filters, there are traditional drawn emotion cards with the Moka Mera character. The app also contains written support material for the adult, as well as questions that can be used in discussion with the child.
– It is important to learn how to talk about emotions. It supports the child in self-knowledge, and how to self-regulate emotional responses, and also to understand and react to others. The overall benefits to well-being and concentration are apparent, and the acquired emotional knowledge also prevents bullying, indicates Petra Holm from Moilo.
Social and emotional skills are increasingly relevant in early childhood education. The ability to identify and reflect on emotions helps the child to regulate them and to develop social skills and empathy. These skills are developed in interaction with adults and other children. The filters display emotions in an engaging fashion, in which identification enhances the experience. The content is age-appropriate and the playfulness makes it easier for the child to acquire new knowledge.
Moka Mera Emotions has been developed in partnerships with education experts as well as children. It can be downloaded on AppStore and Google Play Store. The app also contains additional material for educators, lesson plans. They describe in detail how the app can be used in educational settings.
Moka Mera is a Finnish educational brand. The developers of the app are strong believers in the learning through play -approach. The Moka Mera family also includes Moka Mera Lingua, a popular, free language application for young children. All Moka Mera applications are safe for children to use, do not contain any commercials or in-app purchases, no data is gathered. They are developed with experts in the field. The apps are made for the age group 3-8 and can be used in early childhood education and at home.
The Moka Mera Emotions app is produced with support from Svenska kulturfonden and Stiftelsen Brita Maria Renlunds minne sr.
Additional information and interview requests:
Suzan Aledin, Co-founder, suzan.aledin@ moilo.fi Tel: +35840710483
Petra Holm, Co-founder, petra.holm@ moilo.fi Tel: +358408442622