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'Children of Type' is an educational innovation for the pre-primary and early-primary years. It is currently integrated into school curriculums and homes across 10 Indian cities. It consists of two parts: A delightful 6-minute animation film, followed by stimulating flashcards.

︎ 90 second 
 peek into the film.


The animation imagines a playful, relatable parent-child relationship between the big and small letters of the Roman alphabet. As it stimulates a child’s imagination and emotions, it creates a loving foundational relationship between the child and the alphabet. 

The questions on the flashcards, designed on the principles of SEL (socio-emotional learning), enable educators and parents to help children express those emotions and engage in richer conversations.

For ages 3+ to 6+



















We have witnessed the instant impact that this innovation has had on children, parents, educators and schools across multiple cities. It is transforming the relationship of children not just with the alphabet but also with their own inner thoughts and emotions.









Children often wonder, “Why are there big and small letters?”

The Roman alphabet is the only writing system with separate capital and small letters. Educators often say it poses an initial learning challenge for children. Children of Type humanises the alphabet to create a loving parent-child relationship between big and small letters. This helps reduce the stress a child associates with learning language. It makes learning fun, exciting and memorable for kids.



Children often have unexpressed emotions and a rich imagination waiting to be tapped.

Watching the bond between the letters can stimulate these emotions and creative ideas. All they need, then, is a nudge from a parent or educator (like you!) to help them express the thoughts brimming in their minds. A set of flashcards is a tool for you to facilitate and guide conversations about the alphabet, relationships, feelings and possibilities.















Schools are integrating it into their pre-primary and early primary programmes in two ways:
1. The Educator's Kit - used in classrooms / for 3+ to 6+ years
2. The Parents' Kit - given to parents as part of their Annual School Kit at the beginning of the academic year.
Also available as individual kits. 


While using their kits, parents sometimes match their ‘Children of Type’ play sessions to the corresponding letters their children are learning at school at any given time. This reinforces their learning and helps parents understand the mental-emotional landscape of their child especially for the time they are away from them at school.









While facilitating playful curiosity-induced learning, the kit simultaneously works across various themes.















It’s lovely to see how it complements other programs in classrooms.
-Kumudini Mali, Academic Co-ordinator
Credo Joy Pre-School, Panvel, India



Often, when children come home from school, we ask them questions like “How was your day?”, “Did you eat your lunch?” and “What did you learn today?” But with the parents’ kit, we can go deeper. It is play therapy, really.
- Anesa Noorani, Educator for special needs kids
Co-Founder, Sameep Foundation, Gujarat, India







‘Children of Type’ really helped me see letters through a different perspective. Through play, they learnt about observing people’s emotions, how to react, how to care for others.
-Ms. Lisa, Senior Teacher, Safari Kid Preschools, India.



For example, one child shared that his father was away most of the time. I had not known this about his family, and it explained some aspects of his behaviour to me.
-Divya Rizvi, Level-in-charge-PrePrimary,
Delhi Public School, India






‘Children of Type’ stimulates the interrelated areas of cognitive, creative, social and emotional development in a child. It helps develop competencies in storytelling, concentration and observation.

Also, people with learning disabilities can find learning the alphabet traumatic. English is an ad hoc, phonetics-based language. If someone finds it difficult to learn – a person with dyslexia, for instance – that doesn't mean they are stupid. It just means they are wired differently. The trauma of an alphabet is deeply felt by a dyslexic.
-Shubhangi Swarup, Educator, Author, Journalist




Once there is a better bond between the teacher and child, receptivity towards learning almost anything transforms!-Shabnam Mullick, Kindergarten Teacher
Delhi Public School, Kolkata, India






But the way this animation and the flashcard questions have been designed, children come up to us themselves and share all this in a very playful manner.
-Divya Rizvi, Level-in-charge-PrePrimary,
Delhi Public School, India




because the conversations are designed to be very different at home and in school, so parents and classrooms should use Children of Type simultaneously.
-Divya Rizvi, Level-in-charge-PrePrimary,
Delhi Public School, India





Children of Type is also particularly helpful for special needs kids!
-Alafia Zaveri, Head Classroom Teacher, Experimental Education Unit, Seattle, Washington, USA



Its visual design is minimalist, focusing on the shape, form and texture of each letter. This allows for the magic of self-discovery – of the endless possibilities of a child’s imagination. 
-Pallavi Bhat, Early Childhood Specialist, India








Watch this quick video to get started with your new 'Children of Type' kit. We wish you a wonderful journey!



Parent’s Introduction video : 5min






Teachers’ Induction video : 4min


Tips and Tricks for Teachers : 2min











Concept, Stories, Design : Shirin Johari
2D Cell-animation partner : Venkatram Viswanathan
Sound Design : Shirin Johari, Venkatram Viswanathan
Curriculum Development : Shirin Johari, Aarefa Johari, Thomas Johari
Validated and furthered by : Pallavi Bhat, Alafia Zaveri, Shalini Mukherjee Soni, Shubhangi Swarup

The creators are experts and award winners in the fields of innovation, design, animation, curriculum development, education, early childhood, storytelling, child psychology, communication, research, and anthropology.









We’d love to hear from you!
For purchase inquiries, questions or feedback write to us on
childrenoftype@gmail.com

︎︎︎ shirinjohari.com