{Review} The Nativity Story app

Hey, kids, want to play with my phone?

With The Nativity Story app, you’ll be wanting to invite them to play with your iPhone. Or iPad. They’ll be thrilled, obviously. And as a parent, you’ll be thrilled they’re hearing/reading the story of Jesus’ birth. Win-win, I tell you.

Ben (who turns 4 in two days!) just saw these pictures of them using the app and he volunteered: “Mom, you know I love that Christmas book on your phone. It’s my favorite.”

Aimed at a generation that doesn’t know life without technology, this app is like a vintage pop-up book, with classic woodcut-style illustrations. Yet it’s interactive. Kids can tap the screen to help Joseph and Mary find a place to stay, create sound effects, add character dialogue. The story from the gospel according to Luke can be read aloud, that to a narrator, or read individually. Plus there are donkeys, children, and angels to hear!

And those things things are what my kids mentioned liking about this app after going through the story six times one recent morning. Cate liked that she could read it herself or have the narrator read it. They liked making the characters speak and Ben especially liked hearing the animal noises. In unison, they also said they liked the baby.

As a momma, I’m really glad to hear they like Baby Jesus. Hopefully they’ll continue to like him and, more importantly, love him as the son of God. The fact Jesus was born as a baby, just like they were, makes the Christmas story so real to kids. The way they embrace it melts my sometimes-cynical grown-up heart.

About the app :: Aimed for kids ages 2-10, The Nativity Story app brings the Christmas story alive. Where will baby Jesus be born? At the market? At a restaurant? At the inn? Readers of this book app can follow Joseph and Mary on their search for a place to stay in Bethlehem. Along the way they encounter a variety of colourful local people and animals. This is a fun and engaging way to share the original story of Christmas with the young generation and remind them what Christmas is all about.

Download here :: The Nativity Story – Popup Deluxe Edition for the iPad ($3.99) or The Nativity Story – Popup Mini Edition for the iPhone ($1.99)