Amazing Apps - Nurture

 What if kids could build critical thinking, resilience, and creativity just by playing a game?

 

That’s the idea behind Nurture, a new app for ages 4 to 7 that turns essential life skills into story-driven adventures. Kids explore imaginative worlds, solve problems, and build real-world tools to help them thrive in today’s changing world.

 

Nurture is built on a fresh framework designed to help kids grow in the ways that matter most. It’s not about memorization or passive screen time. It’s about active learning that’s joyful, immersive, and meaningful.

I had a chance to learn more in this interview with Roger Egan, founder and CEO of Nurture

 

What is Nurture and why was this platform created?

Nurture is the world’s first learning game for future-proof life skills.

 

There’s a Problem
Parents want what’s best for their children. That may be the most obvious and universally true statement ever made, and yet today, more than ever, fulfilling it feels like mission impossible.

 

For the first time in history, no one knows what skills or jobs will be relevant in twenty years. So what do you teach children to prepare them for such an uncertain future?

 

This realization hit me hard in early 2020. I had just sold my last startup to Alibaba and was planning a sabbatical to travel with my family and reconnect with friends. But just as I was ready to explore the world, the world shut down.

 

I’m the dad of two wonderful young boys. Before the pandemic, like most parents, my wife and I mostly relied on school to handle their education.

 

Once we settled into lockdown, I suddenly had the time to be fully present during my sons’ shift to remote learning. What I saw in those early days of the pandemic made something painfully clear: the way our children are taught today, and how well they’re prepared for the future, especially one shaped by AI, is more disconnected than ever.

 

Skills like critical thinking, digital literacy, mindfulness, empathy, and resilience are essential to navigating our changing world. Yet they’re largely absent from traditional education.

 

We now call this the Life Preparedness Gap, and I became obsessed with solving it.

 

Seeing firsthand how education focuses on what to learn rather than how to learn, I knew I had to support my boys in other ways.

But how?

 

The available alternatives didn’t fully meet the challenge. Homeschooling was too time-consuming. Alternative schools were rare and often expensive. Educational TV was fun but lacked real learning. Most apps failed to hold kids’ attention or teach meaningful life skills.

 

So, I started digging deeper and sharing what I was learning with former colleagues, co-founders, and fellow parents. Their feedback only reinforced the scale of the problem. They also brought fresh ideas, expertise, and eventually, a talented team to build something better.

Together with my soon-to-be co-founders Danny Limanseta, Scott and Julie Stewart, and Sally Doherty, I realized our next venture would focus on solving this huge challenge: closing the Life Preparedness Gap.

 

Why is it important to nurture characteristics like creativity and resilience?
Creativity and resilience are closely connected. Creativity means applying what you’ve learned in one situation to a new one. It’s about looking at problems from different angles and trying new ideas.

Resilience is how we respond when things don’t go as planned. It’s the ability to recover, try again, and continue learning even when it’s hard.

 

The more resilient we are, the more likely we are to stay creative, because we’re not afraid of failure. And the more creative we are, the less likely we are to view setbacks as failures in the first place.

These are essential skills in a world shaped by AI. Today’s children will experience constant change throughout their lives. Encouraging creativity helps them stay open and adaptable. Building resilience gives them the persistence to keep going, even when things feel uncertain or difficult.

 

Resilience is not just about inner strength; it’s shaped by relationships. Children are more likely to bounce back when they have strong connections and supportive communities.

Creativity also thrives in collaboration. Learning to work with others, share ideas, and build together strengthens both individual skills and community bonds.

 

These aren’t fixed traits. They can be taught and learned. They involve emotional regulation, problem-solving, and understanding limits. Most of all, they require repeated practice in a safe environment where

children can fail, reflect, and try again.

 

Families hear a lot about limiting screen time. Why does the type of screen time matter?
Our digital parenting expert, Dr. Rachel Kowert, offers a helpful concept she calls the digital diet. The key takeaway is simple: not all screen time is the same.

 

Mindless scrolling is like candy, fine in small doses. But screen time that involves connecting with loved ones or exploring meaningful content can actually be nourishing.

 

This is especially true for games. Unlike passive media, games allow kids to explore, experiment, and learn through trial and error. They offer a space to take risks without real-world consequences, and to discover that failure is a normal part of growth.

 

That’s why the quality of screen time matters more than the quantity. Every family has different circumstances, like long commutes or unique caregiving needs. The goal is not perfection, it’s about making thoughtful choices that fit your family.

 

Ask yourself: Is the screen time active, creative, and engaging? Or is it passive and draining?

 

How does Nurture build important problem-solving skills?
Nurture helps children become better problem-solvers by giving them meaningful challenges they can work through independently.

We use interactive storytelling to place those challenges in rich, imaginative worlds. Whether the setting is a magical airship or something more grounded, the lessons are clear. Growth mindset, persistence, and strategic thinking all come into play.

 

One of Nurture’s core features is scaffolding. Every challenge is carefully designed to be just difficult enough to stretch a child’s thinking, without causing frustration or boredom. That balance keeps kids engaged and curious.

 

Everything in Nurture, from the games to the stories to the character choices, is built to help children think deeply and have fun. We take kids seriously as thinkers and problem-solvers.

We also include reflection prompts that encourage metacognition. In other words, we don’t just help kids solve problems, we help them think about how they think and how they grow.