A US toy firm has begun development of pre-school educational software applications for Apple's new iPad e-book.
The new 'apps' from San Diego-based children's educational toy company DANO2 use the iPad's touch-screen display to make the games more interactive and rewarding.
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Their first game is Little Sky Writers, which teaches kids to write the letters of the alphabet by guiding a small aeroplane with their finger.
Guidance and amusing commentary are provided by the voice of Roger the air traffic controller, played by comedian and Nikcleodeon children's TV star Stephen Kramer Glickman.
The app was designed with the help of experienced nursery teachers and educational professionals. The developers claim that the game is so intuitive and fun that it reaches children long before a traditional school workbook can.
Design consultant for the game and California nursery teacher Diane Owen has been training teachers and teaching kids how to write the alphabet for some 30 years.
She says that she looks forward to using her "dream program for hands-on and kinaesthetic learners" this school year.
Ms Owen says that one advantage of Little Sky Writers is that it recognises and points out mistakes in pupil's writing straight away.
Ms Owen is piloting the software with a single iPad in her classes this autumn, but she has already begun applying for a grant to expand the number of the devices in her classroom.
She feels that it is a better and more affordable tool for students than traditional computers.
"My students are low income", Ms Owen says. "Many do not have the same access to technology as their higher-income counterparts.
"With this grant, not only will they learn how to write their letters properly, but they will also gain a crucial confidence with technology at an early age."
DANO2 vice president for educational development Lauren Monahan says: "Little Sky Writers gives kids who require a more active approach to learning a fair chance to develop educational success, and accompanying confidence much earlier."
Like Ms Owen, Ms Monahan, who was recently awarded a grant to attend an MIT conference on education and technology, believes that the iPad should not be viewed as an expensive toy, but rather an inexpensive computer - one who's intuitive touch screen display makes it the ideal tool for children.
DANO2 is a family owned company based in the town of Carlsbad in California. It manufactures all of its products in the USA using environmentally friendly, medical grade materials that are free from the plastics PVC, phthalate, and BPA.
The firm insists that all of its products are designed with input from education and health care professionals and are independently tested for safety.
Children Educational Toys