Sisters Julie Boucon and Stéphanie Bourgeois share more than family ties. They’re also passionate about education and the founders of Holy Owly—an English language-learning app for children aged 3 to 12.

The idea for Holy Owly was born when Bourgeois returned to France after living in Shanghai with her family and was keen to ensure her children maintained the level of English they had acquired while abroad. That’s when the siblings decided to create the Holy Owly method, which is inspired by how we learn our mother tongue: immersion and repetition rather than translation.

We spoke to them about making language learning fun and accessible for every child, and how they’re ensuring their app is more inclusive.

“Speaking English is essential for a child’s future, to give them an international dimension from an early age,” explains Bourgeois. One of the best ways to teach children a new language is to make it as entertaining as possible, so that they look forward to learning and retain more information when they’re engaged with it.

When it came to developing Holy Owly, the sisters were determined to make the learning method simple, playful, and fun. The app therefore focuses on teaching three new themed words or sentences each day, in just five minutes. “This approach allows you to learn while playing and it facilitates memory anchoring,” Boucon says.

From the beginning of their app journey, Bourgeois and Boucon have worked closely with teachers and linguists at the University of Franche-Comté, which is close to their home town. This has helped them to understand exactly what’s needed when it comes to learning for different age groups. That includes looking at whether the topics and words being taught are meaningful and useful, if the duration of the lessons is suitable, and if the difficulty level matches age and ability.

“The voice you hear in the app is that of Sarah Bure, a British–born teacher who helped us refine the learning method,” Boucon says. In the development stage, they asked kids for their feedback at the end of every session, which further helped Bourgeois and Boucon to adjust and perfect the method.

To better understand the ever-changing needs and challenges of their young users, Bourgeois and Boucon frequently speak to parents. “We’re close to a whole community of mothers to whom we make the app available,” says Bourgeois. In doing so, they often hear positive stories about what kids are getting from the app. “One mum recently sent us her daughter’s school report card that said ‘Well done, best in class in English’. This kind of feedback is a great source of pride for us!”

Bourgeois and Boucon are also keen to integrate important values, including gender equality and environmental protection, into Holy Owly.

“We’re in the process of removing the notion of gender from the app’s character choices,” explains Bourgeois. “You won’t choose to play with a boy or a girl anymore, but you’ll choose the shape of their eyes, for example.”

Safeguarding the planet is another important theme that they’re hoping they can teach kids about through their English learning. “We’ve created a little character that eats waste every time the child logs on or finishes their exercises,” says Boucon. “It’s an easy way of instilling good habits from an early age.”

If you’re looking for a fresh approach to learning English for your child, Holy Owly makes it easy, accessible, and very fun!

Holy Owly English for kids

English and Spanish for kids

View