How Illustration and Animation Elevate Kids’ Product Design
Nov 4, 2025
Beyond the pages of picture books, illustrations significantly influence children's cognitive, emotional, and social development. Research consistently shows that combining text with clear illustrations enhances children’s comprehension more than text alone. In controlled studies, children achieved higher scores when illustrations supported the narrative, and visual cues that aligned with text improved the ability to infer meaning, especially in younger readers. (source: PMC)
But what about animation? But even better, how about interactive animation? Or user-first product design (ui/ux) ?
Interactive Games and Applications
Digital platforms using illustrated games and applications have proven benefits in child education. Some of our clients like Khan Academy Kids, reported In a randomized‑controlled study at UMass, young children using Khan Academy Kids, experienced a 0.72 standard‑deviation gain in early literacy scores and 0.56 SD in phonological awareness after just 20 minutes per day over 10 weeks—gains comparable to expert tutoring sessions. These outcomes highlight how engaging characters, animated storytelling, and interactive feedback can meaningfully support early development.
See some of the work we collaborated on with Khan Academy Kids 300+ Animations were created: https://thelittlelabs.com/work/khan-academy-kids
Read more:
Similarly, MathTalk, an illustrated interactive math learning application, is built upon a research-backed approach that combines parent-child math talk, interactive illustration, and playful engagement. Kid interventions using math talk and interactive learning have reliably improved early numeracy outcomes.
Animation
The Transporters: A therapeutic animated series developed for children with autism showed that after watching 15 minutes daily for four weeks, most participants “caught up” to typically developing peers in recognizing emotions from faces. This demonstrates animation’s ability to enhance emotion recognition—a core component of empathy.
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389177909_Beyond_Entertainment_Examining_the_Role_of_Animation_in_Fostering_Emotional_Intelligence
The Transporters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Transporters
See some of the work we created for Sensory Toolbox - featuring design, illustration, ui/ux, animation all interacting together: https://thelittlelabs.com/work/sensory-toolbox
1. Animation Boosts Attention, Retention & Motivation
A comprehensive meta-analysis evaluated whether animations enhance learning compared to static visuals. The study found that animations do lead to improved learning outcomes, but the effectiveness depends heavily on how and where they’re used. Specifically, animations show a moderate positive effect (g = 0.34) when illustrating simple changes over time, and a larger effect (g = 0.65) for complex dynamic processes, such as motion, transformation, or cause-effect relationships. In contrast, static visuals performed just as well, or even better, for content focused on spatial configurations or fixed structures.
An experimental study further confirmed this distinction: students learning mechanical motion through animations outperformed others in understanding dynamic movement, while those using static visuals were better at identifying spatial layouts. These findings highlight that animations are especially powerful for teaching spatiotemporal concepts, like how systems change or move, but must be carefully aligned with the learning objective to be truly effective.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360131516301336
2. Enhances Story Comprehension & Word Learning
Animated e-books featuring dynamic visuals and sound, compared to static or non-animated versions improve children’s attention and boost comprehension and word learning.
3. Strengthens Concept Understanding
Classroom experiments demonstrate that animated instructional videos lead to higher engagement, deeper understanding, and improved learning outcomes compared to text only formats. In immersive, animated formats, learners better digest complex concepts and achieve stronger learning gains.
Source: https://journal.alt.ac.uk/index.php/rlt/article/view/2124/2514
4. Drives Metacognitive & Curious Engagement
Interactive environments that integrate animated presentation and allow student interaction—such as animated videos paired with metacognitive prompts—have been found to enhance children’s curiosity and question-asking behaviors, fostering stronger metacognitive skills
Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08397
Conclusion
Illustrations transcend aesthetic value, significantly impacting children's development across various environments and platforms. Supported by extensive data and results, these visual tools enhance learning, creativity, emotional intelligence, and overall developmental outcomes. When paired with animation, illustrations become even more powerful, amplifying storytelling, emotional engagement, and the ability to convey complex ideas in digestible ways.
Interactive animation takes this a step further, enabling children to engage with content directly, deepening understanding through exploration and feedback. Tools like Rive and Lottie allow us to create dynamic, responsive illustrations that evolve with user interaction—bringing characters, environments, and lessons to life in real time.
When grounded in thoughtful, user-focused product design, these experiences not only captivate but also empower children, by supporting both joyful learning and lasting developmental growth.
Beyond the pages of picture books, illustrations significantly influence children's cognitive, emotional, and social development. Research consistently shows that combining text with clear illustrations enhances children’s comprehension more than text alone. In controlled studies, children achieved higher scores when illustrations supported the narrative, and visual cues that aligned with text improved the ability to infer meaning, especially in younger readers. (source: PMC)
But what about animation? But even better, how about interactive animation? Or user-first product design (ui/ux) ?
Interactive Games and Applications
Digital platforms using illustrated games and applications have proven benefits in child education. Some of our clients like Khan Academy Kids, reported In a randomized‑controlled study at UMass, young children using Khan Academy Kids, experienced a 0.72 standard‑deviation gain in early literacy scores and 0.56 SD in phonological awareness after just 20 minutes per day over 10 weeks—gains comparable to expert tutoring sessions. These outcomes highlight how engaging characters, animated storytelling, and interactive feedback can meaningfully support early development.
See some of the work we collaborated on with Khan Academy Kids 300+ Animations were created: https://thelittlelabs.com/work/khan-academy-kids
Read more:
Similarly, MathTalk, an illustrated interactive math learning application, is built upon a research-backed approach that combines parent-child math talk, interactive illustration, and playful engagement. Kid interventions using math talk and interactive learning have reliably improved early numeracy outcomes.
Animation
The Transporters: A therapeutic animated series developed for children with autism showed that after watching 15 minutes daily for four weeks, most participants “caught up” to typically developing peers in recognizing emotions from faces. This demonstrates animation’s ability to enhance emotion recognition—a core component of empathy.
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389177909_Beyond_Entertainment_Examining_the_Role_of_Animation_in_Fostering_Emotional_Intelligence
The Transporters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Transporters
See some of the work we created for Sensory Toolbox - featuring design, illustration, ui/ux, animation all interacting together: https://thelittlelabs.com/work/sensory-toolbox
1. Animation Boosts Attention, Retention & Motivation
A comprehensive meta-analysis evaluated whether animations enhance learning compared to static visuals. The study found that animations do lead to improved learning outcomes, but the effectiveness depends heavily on how and where they’re used. Specifically, animations show a moderate positive effect (g = 0.34) when illustrating simple changes over time, and a larger effect (g = 0.65) for complex dynamic processes, such as motion, transformation, or cause-effect relationships. In contrast, static visuals performed just as well, or even better, for content focused on spatial configurations or fixed structures.
An experimental study further confirmed this distinction: students learning mechanical motion through animations outperformed others in understanding dynamic movement, while those using static visuals were better at identifying spatial layouts. These findings highlight that animations are especially powerful for teaching spatiotemporal concepts, like how systems change or move, but must be carefully aligned with the learning objective to be truly effective.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360131516301336
2. Enhances Story Comprehension & Word Learning
Animated e-books featuring dynamic visuals and sound, compared to static or non-animated versions improve children’s attention and boost comprehension and word learning.
3. Strengthens Concept Understanding
Classroom experiments demonstrate that animated instructional videos lead to higher engagement, deeper understanding, and improved learning outcomes compared to text only formats. In immersive, animated formats, learners better digest complex concepts and achieve stronger learning gains.
Source: https://journal.alt.ac.uk/index.php/rlt/article/view/2124/2514
4. Drives Metacognitive & Curious Engagement
Interactive environments that integrate animated presentation and allow student interaction—such as animated videos paired with metacognitive prompts—have been found to enhance children’s curiosity and question-asking behaviors, fostering stronger metacognitive skills
Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08397
Conclusion
Illustrations transcend aesthetic value, significantly impacting children's development across various environments and platforms. Supported by extensive data and results, these visual tools enhance learning, creativity, emotional intelligence, and overall developmental outcomes. When paired with animation, illustrations become even more powerful, amplifying storytelling, emotional engagement, and the ability to convey complex ideas in digestible ways.
Interactive animation takes this a step further, enabling children to engage with content directly, deepening understanding through exploration and feedback. Tools like Rive and Lottie allow us to create dynamic, responsive illustrations that evolve with user interaction—bringing characters, environments, and lessons to life in real time.
When grounded in thoughtful, user-focused product design, these experiences not only captivate but also empower children, by supporting both joyful learning and lasting developmental growth.