Oakville residents Sara Furlong and Chris Noon (along with CEO Lance Slack from Burlington) have created a new project to help promote literary learning for kids and promotes the love of reading.
They are calling the project Storyay, described as "a new custom-made reading experience that distributes beautifully illustrated custom story letters to those ages 7-12 directly into their mailboxes."
The project has been in the works for some time according to co-founder Sara Furlong.
"Storyay was started over a decade ago when Lance came up with the idea," says Furlong. "It was based on a simple concept: create stories in letter form, written and personalized for each child, to engage them and get them excited about reading."
"The idea then sat dormant for quite a while before being resurrected, retooled, and launched as the Storyay we have today."
The project just recently launched on Kickstarter for National Storytelling Week, this new initiative is made to be a fun present which also serves as a literacy-boosting adventure that will engage kids in reading.
Storyay alters reading into an adventure that kids look forward to when it is time for their mail to arrive. Each child receives:
- A unique invitation to choose their story and personalize their adventure.
- A number of beautifully illustrated, personalized story letters, put in their mailbox every few weeks.
- Fun games, puzzles, and surprises made to keep them engaged and spark creativity.
"Kids love getting mail, and Storyay makes reading feel like a personal adventure," said Sara Furlong. "By delivering stories tailored to each child’s name, interests, and even a custom avatar in some tiers, we’re making books feel special, just for them."
A project like Storyay will be helpful and resinate with their target audience.
Recent studies have shown that personalized stories can greatly increase reading engagement, especially among those who do not enjoy reading.
Research from the University of Cambridge shows that early reading for pleasure will lead to better cognitive achievement and mental well-being in adolescence—yet only 1 in 3 kids say they enjoy reading today.
Storyay's goal is to promote reading in a fun way to young children because they know reading will help them as they grow older.
If you wish to back this project and learn more about their vision, visit their Kickstarter website in the link below: