Damien Leith to release new app packed with children’s stories

Singer-songwriter Damien Leith is already an established author, and now he’s revealed his latest venture will be a storytime app for children.

The app will be calledDamien Leith Storytime andis set to feature a collection of 15 children’s stories.

Leith says the idea for the project spouted from a desire to record stories for his own kids to listen to while he was away on tour. He took that idea, ran with it, and developed the app in order to give all children a chance to unwind and let their imaginations run.

“There is a lot of research which backs up kids just listening and letting their imagination run,” says Leith. “Kids need to just close their eyes, listen and create images in their own head.

“It gives them time to relax. It also sparks ideas in other aspects of their life, including when they write their own stories. Storytelling is vital for children’s imaginations.

“So many studies have shown, especially in this age of digital devices, allowing a child to imagine something without any other visual stimulation is an essential part of growing and learning.”

The app features a range of genres, from adventure tales to super-hero stories, and each is complimented by a ‘top and tail’ of Leith’s original music that relates to the story and is designed specifically to help kids relax.

He has been road testing the app on his own kids aged between six and twelve, but has written the stories to appeal to children aged four and up.

Leith has previously written two adult fiction novels,Remember JuneandOne More Time.

“Writing was in fact, my first love before singing,” reveals Leith. “My kids absolutely love the stories and often listen to them many times over.

“They’ve even been played for their friends at sleepovers!The wonderful thing about creating a story ‘live’ in front of the kids is that I can constantly gauge if they’re enjoying where the plot is heading.

“I also love creating stories in episodes with cliff- hangers to keep children guessing what might happen next. I already have quite a large backlog of stories to work from, but since my kids still ask for a new story every night, there’s constantly new ones being developed.”

Damien Leith’s Storytime will be available on iTunes and Google Play from February 2, 2018.