Sustainable evolutive musical toy for speech, language and holistic development in children, inspired by traditional nursery rhymes.
Check on Kickstarter
Petit Folks: A Sustainable Evolutive Musical Toy for Speech, Language and Holistic Development in Children
¡Welcome to the Kickstarter campaign for Petit Folks! A series of collectible music boxes that bring fun family time together through culturally-relevant free-screen playthings. Petit Folks is designed to accompany children, from 1 to 6 years old, in their first steps into their native or a foreign language using the power of music and traditional nursery rhymes and songs. With your support, we aim to launch this innovative sustainable toy and provide children with a unique and engaging learning experience.
1. The Plaything
Petit Folks offers a series of wooden collectible boxes, each featuring a different theme and available in various languages. At its launch, you’ll be able to choose between three languages, English, Spanish and Catalan, and two themes, Animal World and Play and Move.
Inside each box, you will find 16 wooden song cards with popular and folk nursery rhymes, to be sung along with parents or caregivers, creating a bonding experience while encouraging children to choose their favorite tunes and develop their independence. Additionally, the boxes can be stacked together to build a collection. Each language is identified by a shape and each theme by a color – the visual code is used to associate each card to its specific box promoting mathematical thinking in children. Altogether, these elements make Petit Folks a versatile and evolving plaything. Furthermore, each box grants you access to a mobile app with exclusive content, including, among other things, the songs to be played.
2. The Cards
Each box contains 16 wooden song cards that are classified under a specific theme and language. On one side of the card, you will find a charming drawing representing the song, while the other side includes the title and lyrics, and a reference to the visual code of its box. When all the cards are joined together, on the drawing side, they form a unique visual composition, creating a beautiful floor puzzle for children to explore and enjoy. Cards can be played in many ways, adapting and shifting the role of the adult’s involvement as the child grows.
3. The Drawings and Characters
Petit Folks features a colorful world with characters that transcend languages and themes, becoming children’s travel companions. We embrace diversity and inclusivity, representing different realities and moving away from stereotypes. Our aim is to create an appealing and relatable environment for children and adults alike.
4. The Songs
Music is at the heart of Petit Folks. We carefully select folk songs that are catchy, repetitive, and culturally relevant. These timeless melodies not only help children acquire speech abilities in different languages but also introduce them to each language’s cultural background. Teachers have long used folk songs as a tool for holistic learning, and now we bring this experience to your home too.
5. The App
To enhance the Petit Folks experience, we are developing an accompanying app that provides access to all the songs and additional content. The app will include the music with and without lyrics, downloadable drawings for coloring, and age-specific activities to further engage children. Our goal is to offer a comprehensive tool for parents, teachers, and caregivers to support language learning and holistic development, while providing a screen-free, interactive experience.
6. The Music
The music found in the Petit Folks app embodies a neo-folk style with a modern spirit, offering a fresh interpretation of traditional songs. We reimagine traditional elements, infusing an indie and cool spirit, always with a joyful and cheerful tone. Drawing influences from different musical styles, we aim to introduce children to the love of music, sparking the love for quality music in young hearts. Aligned with our values, our approach embraces an organic, raw, and approachable style. While maintaining the humor and joy integral to children’s songs, we also bring depth to the musical experience, introducing various styles, rhythms, and instruments. Our goal is to cultivate a critical appreciation for music while delighting young listeners. We believe children deserve the richness of high-quality music experiences.
PETIT FOLKS ON KICKSTARTER
/…PETIT FOLKS EN KICKSTARTER
1. A Journey of Learning and Bonding through Music.
Petit Folks is more than just a toy – it’s a holistic speech and language learning experience that fosters independence, creativity, and family bonding. With your support, we can bring this innovative and sustainable plaything to life, empowering children in their learning journey and nurturing their love for music and culture. Join us on this enchanting adventure by backing our Kickstarter campaign and becoming an important part of the Petit Folks family. Would you like to join us in this amazing journey ahead and become a part of our story?
2. Support Petit Folks Launch!
We have invested our time, resources, and care into creating the Petit Folks world, and we need your support to make it a reality. By participating in our crowdfunding campaign, you become an early adopter while helping us to move forward with the production of the first units, to continue producing our lovely take on the songs and to enhance the accompanying app. Join us in making our petit dream come true and bring joy, learning, and quality family time to children around the world.
3. Reward Tiers
As a token of our gratitude, we have prepared exciting stretch goals and rewards for our backers. These include exclusive access to our posters, early bird access to our boxes and to the coloring files and a special add on: the possibility to include the children’s name in some of the songs that will live in the app.
When it comes to acquiring the boxes, we’ve created different exciting Reward Tiers! Choose from 1 box, 2 boxes (same language), 4 boxes (bilingual pack – two languages), or all 6 boxes (trilingual pack). The more boxes in the pack, the lower the unit price per box! Don’t miss out on these incredible deals! You can save up to 30% off the retail launch price.
*IMPORTANT NOTICE: ONLY THE FIRST 500 BOXES WILL SHIP BEFORE XMAS*
Want to get your rewards before Christmas? We aim at delivering Petit Folks boxes during December 2023. But we can only guarantee that the first 500 boxes will meet this schedule. So make sure to be one of the first to back us by requesting your box if you want to get it before Xmas!
Please, also note that the songs that you’ll find in the Petit Folks app, which will include the songs with and without lyrics, will be released gradually. In December, when you receive the first units of Petit Folks, only 4 songs per box will be available in the app. The additional songs, up to a total of 16 songs per box, will be gradually released until June 2024.
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT…
…how it all started
The first prototype of Petit Folks was a special box created by the founder for her daughter when she was just 18 months old. This box contained over 80 songs in two different languages, and her daughter absolutely loved it. Within a few weeks, she had memorized all the visuals and could sing or hum most of the songs. Even now, at 3 years old, she continues to play with the box every day. Her younger brother, who is 1 year old, has also started to grab and play with the cards. But a lot has happened since then and what started with a simple box and a lot of love has evolved into a multi-layer evolutive game that grows with every child.
The creative mind behind Petit Folks is a mother, a worker, and an entrepreneur who found in this venture a way to combine all three aspects of her life without having to give up anything. Her experience in technological, product, and brand innovation, team management, and branding and advertising is what gave her the push to start this project, but she is not alone on this journey. She is accompanied by early childhood educators, music educators, musicians, toy industry professionals, marketing and communication experts, and many other wonderful individuals who share the same passion for creating meaningful and engaging experiences for children.
This is how she describes Petit Folks in her own words:
“Petit Folks is a game that parents can start playing during pregnancy to establish a bond through singing. As the child grows, they will respond differently to the songs, showing innate musicality. Over time, they will actively choose and engage with the songs, creating intimate memories and gaining independence and autonomy. You’ll be surprised of how much they achieve! By age 5-6, they will start reading while singing the songs themselves, leading the adult on a continuous learning journey that evolves according to their needs. Learning without realizing it—isn’t that what life is about?”
…how to play
Toys are essential for children’s growth and development, and as the world changes, so should the toys we provide. We believe in the importance of the evolving nature of Petit Folks and its relevance as an immersive game that engages children on multiple levels.
Petit Folks embraces the concept of evolving toys by offering opportunities for imagination, independence, autonomy, cognitive development, and meaningful connections. It sparks curiosity and exploration through the allure of its box and portable nature, allowing children to take it anywhere and engage at their own pace. The game cultivates autonomy through song selection, provides visual support for early recognition, and introduces characters for emotional attachment. Visual codes and colors stimulate cognitive abilities and mathematical thinking, and a companion app offers resources for parents and caregivers. The music in the Petit Folks app brings comfort and familiarity, stimulating memory and emotional connection.
Petit Folks promotes long-term engagement, targets developmental milestones, encourages social interaction, and contributes to sustainability by lasting longer. By embracing evolving toys, we empower children to learn, grow, and develop a sense of responsibility towards the environment.
…the collections
Each language collection in Petit Folks consists of multiple boxes, each under a unique theme. For the initial release, we are thrilled to offer three language collections, with two boxes/themes per language. The following boxes will be available in English, Spanish and Catalan.
- Animal World
- Play And Move
As we continue to develop Petit Folks, we are already working on exciting themes for future releases. While we can’t confirm the exact order, we are exploring the following themes:
- Tales and characters
- Celebrating nature
- Feeling and doing
- Numbers and letters
The beauty of Petit Folks is that each box is designed to work independently, yet they also come together to form a precious collection that transcends children’s ages within the early childhood stage (specifically ages 1 to 6).
The songs within each box have been thoughtfully selected to cater to infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged kids. Children’s interests and learning stages differ, even among those of the same age. This is why within each box, there will be songs that are currently more appealing but may become less so in the future, and vice versa. This adaptability is what makes Petit Folks a timeless treasure, capable of engaging and enchanting children as they grow and develop.
…the song list
Each Petit Folks’ box contains 16 wooden song cards. These are the song cards included in the first boxes:
- Animal World: There Was a Little Turtle, Little Poll Parrot, Three Little Kittens, Oh Where, Oh Where Has my Little Dog Gone?, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Little Bunny Foo Foo, Little Robin Redbreast, The Caterpillar, A Wise Old Owl, The Animal Fair, Pop! Goes the Weasel, The Bear Went Over the Mountain, To Market, To Market, I Had a Little Rooster, Old Macdonald Had a Farm, Incy Wincy Spider.
- Play And Move: Wind the Bobbin Up, Two Little Blackbirds , Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow, Here We Go Looby Loo, A Sailor Went to Sea, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Peas Porridge Hot, Do Your Ears Hang Low?, A-Tisket, a-Tasket, Pat-a-Cake, The Wheels on the Bus, The Muffin Man, This Little Piggy, Hey, My Kitten, Who Took the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?, Ring-a-Ring o’ Roses.
- Mundo animal: Los pollitos dicen, Mi gallito, La cucaracha, El ciervo, Era un gato grande, Los gatitos, Caracol, col, col, A mi mono le gusta la lechuga, Estaba la rana cantando, Cucú cantaba la rana, Que viene mamá pata, Los pajaritos, Debajo de un botón, A mi burro, Dicen que, En la granja de mi tío.
- Jugar y moverse: A la zapatilla por detrás, Soy una taza, En la selva me encontré, Chuchuwa, Si tú tienes muchas ganas de aplaudir, Antón pirulero, Al corro de la patata, En un caballo gris, ¿Cómo planta usted las flores?, Bugui, bugui, Al pavo, pavito, pavo, El patio de mi casa, Juguemos en el bosque, La ronda de los conejos, Pulgarcito, Así van, van, van.
- Món animal: Tenia un gall, Cargol treu banya, La tortuga ballaruga, El cervató, Mireu allà dalt, Marieta, vola, vola, L’esquirol, El lleó, Mireu els meus ànecs, El pop i la petxina i la sardina van, Un peixet en el fons de l’estany, Quan les granotes fan festa major, Ploreu ninetes, Les oques van descalces, El pica-soques, El gall quiquiriquic.
- Jugar i moure’s: Els titelles, Campaneta la ning, ning, Els cavallers, Arri, arri tatanet, Iupi ia!, En Joan petit, Olles de vi blanc, La coqueta amb sucre, Hei bugui bugui, Escarabat bum-bum, L’alosa, Jo tinc una cabreta, El ball de la civada, Conillets a amagar, Pedra, pedreta, Al carrer més alt.
…the music talents
We would also like to introduce you to the talented individuals behind the captivating sounds of Petit Folks and their dedication to creating a magical musical experience for children. Violeta Tello Grau, a poet, singer, composer, and music educator, brings her expertise in musicology and composition, exploring women composers and reviving Italian-Catalan musical heritage. Víctor Valiente Hernández, a producer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer, showcases his versatility across genres and his expertise thanks to its collaboration with renowned bands. From Petit Folks, we believe in the importance of incorporating diverse voices, celebrating different cultures and ensuring proper pronunciation in songs. The collaboration between Violeta and Víctor, enriched by their extensive experience, artistic vision, and passion, sets the foundation for a joyful and inclusive musical journey with Petit Folks.
