Outside the book fair, coloring books as well as teaching materials are undergoing a high-tech revolution, as developers combine traditional kids games with cell phones and tablets to create new teaching materials.
This looks like a normal coloring book, but when a child is done coloring in one of the pictures, it can be scanned into a smart phone or tablet and the image will come to life. This technology is called Augmented Reality, and its developer says it could help kids learn more quickly.
"Children need stimulus from all perspectives to develop their intelligence. Flat things can stimulate them a little, maybe only visually. But with the Augmented Reality technology, children can touch, hear, and even talk to it. We also plan to offer products in various languages, such as Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean," said Yang Weilu, brand marketing director of Youngzone Culture Shanghai.
The company that developed the coloring book has also used the technology to create a series of flash cards to teach children about animals. The cards are now listed as teaching tools for kindergarten kids by Chinese educational authorities. More than 1.5 million sets of the cards have been sold within just three months.
Another popular teaching product from South Korea, a set of building bricks, was recently introduced into the Chinese market.
"There's a very famous high school in Korea, which use this set of building bricks as teaching tools. Educational experts from all over the world say this could help develop children's logical thinking, imagination and creative abilities," said Park Jin Woo, general manager of Magformers China.
But one educational expert says the toys only work if they are used properly in the classroom.
"These toys need to be combined with our teaching materials together. It's not those games leading the teaching, it's teaching using the tools. So we need to find a way to integrate the technology into the teaching method. It's a good technology, and doesn't need some complicated equipment," said Zeng Fanlin, East China Normal University.
Zeng says national authorities have recognized the toys as useful, but it will take at least a year for schools to figure out the best ways to use them in the classroom.
