O Dinos: A Transmedia Product for School Readiness

O Dinos is a transmedia product that aims to support families in kindergarten preparation and scaffold children’s social and cognitive development through accompanying activities. It is designed to be equally engaging for both parents and children ages 3-5. O Dinos comprises storybooks and a web app companion. The stories twist storylines from popular and classic movies such as Titanic and Harry Potter and replace their characters with dinosaurs. While children find the dinosaurs enticing, the familiar movie elements captivate parents. Each story introduces school-readiness themes to children. Additionally, the stories are interwoven with tasks for children to do with their parents. While the tasks make the stories more engaging, they also assist the children in picking up essential school-readiness skills in the process. O Dinos aims to facilitate guided participation and joint media engagement between parents and children, leading to deeper family relationships and children's development.
The O Dinos mobile app serves as a companion for parents to learn about the essential school readiness skills required for their children. Each storybook has a corresponding story listing in the mobile app. Through the app, parents can learn about the prompts they can use to effectively read the story with their children. In addition, the app also provides tips to parents on how they can support their children in gaining different school-readiness skills even outside the book. Overall, the O Dinos product serves as a fun companion for children in the process of getting school ready.