The Contes amb Batec session at Els Colobrers Nursery School in Castellar del Vallès, held this past December, was a great success, both in terms of the number of families who attended and the children’s response during the story “La Selva”.
This initiative by the Social Digital Lab at Suara Cooperativa offers a shared, hands-on immersive reality experience that transforms the space into a safe environment for learning, exploration, and emotional development, supported by professionals who facilitate the session.
An innovative educational tool for early childhood
Immersive storytelling has proven to be a particularly suitable educational tool for children aged 0 to 3, as it can simultaneously stimulate attention, emotion, communication, social interaction, and cognitive development. Its implementation in the classroom complements traditional reading and storytelling methods in an innovative way, offering memorable and enriching experiences from the earliest years of life.
In line with the school’s approach, the session avoids the use of personal screens and focuses on a collective, guided immersive experience with a clear educational purpose—where the story is lived through the body, play, and relationships, with professional support throughout.
Interest and motivation: a jungle that sparks curiosity
During the session, a high level of attention and curiosity was observed among the children. The combination of images, sound, and immersive visual stimuli captured their interest from the very beginning and sustained their focus throughout the activity. Many children showed spontaneous reactions of surprise and joy, pointing and commenting on what they saw—evidence of active, motivated participation.
One particularly meaningful detail was that, upon entering the room, some adults sat down as if it were a cinema screening. The children, however, quickly felt comfortable moving around—walking or crawling through the jungle-like space—making it their own and exploring naturally.
Emotional development: feeling, expressing, and connecting
Immersive storytelling also supported emotional expression among the youngest participants. Reactions such as laughter, puzzled expressions, or moving closer to the walls suggest that the experience encouraged empathy and connection with the characters. These early experiences can help children recognise their own emotions and those of others, fostering emotional intelligence from an early age.
Sensory and cognitive stimulation: learning through all the senses
The immersive experience engages multiple senses at once—sight and hearing, and at times touch—supporting sensory integration. Children were observed linking sounds and words with images and actions, which contributes to language development. In addition, the visual and audio narrative reinforces basic story comprehension, sequencing, and short-term memory—especially relevant at this stage (with a notable impact in I3, while also sparking curiosity and interaction among younger children).
Social and communication development: a shared experience
Throughout the session, spontaneous interactions were observed among the children: they shared glances, pointed out elements of the story to one another, and in some cases verbalised parts of what was happening together. This suggests that immersive storytelling can also foster early socialisation and communication—key skills in the first years of life.
Thank you to the Els Colobrers educational team and to all the families who took part and made it possible.
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