Why I made Magical Pen
My four-year-old could spend ages arranging sequins and making things with stick-on gems. Practicing her name rarely held her attention for long. Perhaps writing needed a different way in, through something she already loved. With help from AI, I made a little web app where she could trace letters in sequins, gems, and squishy jelly ink.
Then there was the question of stopping. Before I became a mom, I worked on YouTube Kids, where our team designed a timer so parents could set limits on watching. Now I’m a mom who sometimes needs twenty minutes to herself, and those limits feel much less theoretical. But could a boundary be something my daughter understood, rather than something only I enforced?
In Magical Pen, every stroke uses a little ink. Like bubble solution running low in a bottle, it gives her something she can see getting used up. I hope that makes stopping a little more understandable, and gives her a part in recognizing the ending herself. I'm sharing it here for other families to try, too. I'd love to hear how it goes in your home.