TaleTykes is time on a screen, and we have tried to make it the kind worth having: a book, with nothing built to pull your child back once it is finished. This article covers what we have left out, what is there, and the controls you have.
What we have left out
- No notifications. Nothing we do can make a device buzz, and your child's screens never ask for permission to send them.
- No emails to bring anyone back. We never email your child, and every email we send you is about your account or a book. See The emails we send.
- No countdowns or scores on your child's screen. A daily limit never counts down where your child can see it, nothing tells your child how fast they read, and outside the weekly board nothing compares them with another child.
- Nothing plays on its own, unless you allow it. When your child is listening, one book plays and then Pip asks whether to carry on. You can allow more books in a row; see below.
Stickers and days in a row
Your child can earn stickers for things they have done, and we count the days they have read in a row. When a run of days breaks, it starts again at one rather than going to zero, and we keep the longest run your child has had. We never send anything about either, and no other child appears beside them.
The controls that help
Each reader has their own controls. On Readers, choose your child, then:
| Where | Control | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Safety > "Time and bedtime" | "Daily limit in minutes" | Between 5 and 240 minutes, or empty for no limit. Once your child has read that long in a day, Home shows Pip saying it is time for a rest, and they cannot make a new book. Your child cannot raise the limit. It counts reading, not listening, and it does not close a book that is already open. |
| Safety > "Time and bedtime" | "Bedtime", "From" and "Until" | Between those times the pages of a book turn warm and dim and the pictures soften. It does not stop your child reading, it follows the clock on their own device, and your child can switch the night light off inside the book. |
| Safety > "Time and bedtime" | "Stop reading aloud after, in minutes" | Between 5 and 120 minutes. A story still being read aloud pauses, and Pip says it is enough for tonight; your child can press "One more bit" to carry on. Leave it empty and the story keeps going. |
| Settings > "Listening and Pip" | "Books that can play in a row" | "Just the one, then ask" unless you change it, up to "Five more". After that many books, the story stops and Pip asks whether to carry on. |
| Settings > "Listening and Pip" | "Let Pip speak" | Off unless you turn it on. Pip's words are always on the screen either way. |
When your child reaches the daily limit, they see "Time for a rest. Your books will be here later." Time limits and bedtime and Books in a row explain these in more detail.
Emails that can help
Two optional emails can help with the rhythm of the day, and both are off until you turn them on:
- "A nudge before bedtime" sends you one email a day, an hour before the earliest bedtime you have set.
- "A summary on Mondays" tells you what your readers read that week.
Both are in Settings > Emails and reminders.
Reading together
If you can, read with your child and talk about the story as you go. Questions at the end explains the questions that come with each book. There is more about our approach, and about the guidance behind it, on our screen time page.
If you have a question about any of this, write to support@taletykes.com or see Contact.