Nowa: the pet that turns routines into play

What Nowa is

A pocket-sized pet, not a screen to scroll.

No tablet, no app for the kid. The pet lives in a handheld device built for small hands. Three chunky buttons and a screen just big enough for the pet it holds.

Nowa device front view showing the screen and three colorful buttons

Nowa device angled view showing the scroll wheel and mute flip switch

Nowa device side view showing the USB-C port and headphone jack

01Built for small hands

Display+

320 × 240 color LCD

Scratch-resistant screen cover. Vivid colors built for pixel-art pet animations.

Battery+

2,000 mAh · 8–10 hours

USB-C fast charging. Lasts a full day of play on a single charge.

Audio+

Speaker + microphone + 3.5 mm jack

Clear audio up to 2 m. Push-to-talk mic for the child's voice. Plug in any kid headphones.

Connectivity+

Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz · Bluetooth 5.0 LE · full offline play

Works offline. Stories, songs, and missions download to the device so your child can play anywhere. Connects when available for updates and new content.

Controls+

3 buttons + scroll wheel + motion sensor

Physical-only input, simple enough for age 3. Power, voice (push-to-talk), select/back. Scroll wheel for menus. Shake and tilt the device to play.

Safety & privacy+

Hardware mic mute switch

Physical circuit disconnect, not software. When the switch is off, no audio can be captured. FCC, CPSIA, and ASTM F963 toy-safety certified. Lead-free, phthalate-free materials.

In the box+

Device · USB-C cable · manual

2.9 × 3.2 in (7.3 × 8.0 cm). Fits a coat pocket or backpack pouch. ABS case with rounded, child-safe edges, built for small hands. Ships with a 0.5 m USB-C charging cable, quick-start manual, and safety booklet.

What it does

All the learning runs through missions.

The pet asks your child for help in missions: small, real-world acts of care. Each one grows one of three skills that decades of research tie to how well kids do later in life.

The daily friction, minus the referee.

Brushing teeth, getting dressed, bedtime, homework start. The routine becomes something the pet needs help to finish, so the follow-through comes from your child.

3× betterKids with a consistent bedtime routine fell asleep faster, woke less, and had steadier daytime moods.Mindell et al., Sleep, 2009 · replicated across 10,000+ children

Shaped with Dr. Steven Kurtz · Parent-child interaction

"Self-regulation works like a muscle. It grows through small, repeated practice, and play is where children practice the hardest."
Dr. Megan McClelland · Executive function · HTKS, used in 31 countries SAMPLE · PENDING APPROVAL

The learnings & science

Built with the scientists who wrote the science.

Those frameworks aren't borrowed second-hand. Nowa was shaped by the researchers behind them.

Dr. Susanne DenhamEmotional competenceGeorge Mason University

Dr. Megan McClellandExecutive functionOregon State University

Dr. Steven KurtzParent-child interactionKurtz Psychology Consulting

Dr. David MouMental-health systemsBenchmark Health Group

Their full credentials+

Dr. Susanne Denham · Professor Emerita, George Mason University. 40+ years researching how children process and manage emotions; creator of CAPSEL and the Affect Knowledge Test.

Dr. Megan McClelland · Professor, Oregon State University. Co-creator of the HTKS self-regulation task, used in 31 countries; 116+ peer-reviewed publications, cited 23,000+ times.

Dr. Steven Kurtz · President, Kurtz Psychology Consulting. ABPP board-certified child psychologist; one of only 21 certified global PCIT trainers worldwide.

Dr. David Mou · CEO, Benchmark Health Group. Harvard-trained physician (MD and MBA); named "Top 10 Under 35 for Healthcare" by LinkedIn.

“Children don’t learn feelings from being told about them. They learn by reading them, naming them, and caring for someone who has them.”
Dr. Susanne Denham · Emotional competence · 40+ years of research SAMPLE · PENDING APPROVAL

See how we design each mission with our advisors · Inside the learning & science →

How it works

Three parts. One loop.

The app where you set the routines, the device where the pet lives, and the real world where your child follows through.

YOU

Set the routine

Mornings, homework, bedtime. Two minutes in the parent app.

THE PET

Asks for help

On its device, your routine becomes a mission the pet needs finished.

YOUR CHILD

Does it for real

Shoes on, teeth brushed, calm practised. The pet celebrates; nobody nags.

YOU

See the growth

Wins and progress land back in your app, day by day.

Why your child keeps choosing it: the care loop.

No chores assigned, no behaviour graded. The pet just has needs and feelings, and the loop turns on its own.

The pet feels

Hungry, sleepy, or wobbly, shown in its own sounds and motion.

Your child cares

Little needs, met with a tap. Big ones become missions, out in the real world.

The pet grows

It thrives and evolves. The reward your child can see.

Your child grows

Calm and routines form on their own, out of the bond.

Pixel-art scene of a child watering a sprout — **Play beats being taught.** Across 17 studies of nearly 3,900 children, learning woven into play beat direct teaching for gains in early maths, focus, and task-switching.
Skene et al., Child Development, 2022 · meta-analysis of guided play

Why it works

Kids follow through on what they love.

Charts and reminders get ignored. A pet they love gets looked after. So we made caring the whole game.

Care for it like a real pet

A real little creature to feed, wash, play with, and tuck in. Caring for someone other than themselves is where the bond starts.

Collect a world of creatures

A whole planet of creatures to collect, each evolving with your child's care, so no two journeys are ever the same.

Games to play side by side

Mini-games and little quests your child and their pet take on together, just for the fun of it.

A world that keeps opening up

Caring unlocks more to enjoy: bedtime stories, songs, and fun-fact podcasts. The more they care, the bigger the world gets.

BRIM

NORI

OLLIE

FLORI

MIKO

PUFFIN

TARO

NORI · CRYSTAL

MIKO · SCHOLAR

TARO · PILOT

BRIM · VIKING

NORI · CORAL

Who might your child meet? Never a set to complete.

MORE REWARDS AS YOUR PET GROWS

Stories

Classics retold, plus original tales from the Nowa universe.

The Lion and the Mouse2:16

Songs

A morning anthem to start the day, a lullaby to end it.

Yellow Duck1:27

Podcasts

A curious host and a real expert, on science, nature, and life.

Why Do Planets Spin?10:57

Tap play to hear real samples. Unlocks are part of the game.

Why songs, stories, and podcasts, and why they unlock?+

The rewards aren't filler. Stories build language and empathy, songs anchor routines and calm, and podcasts feed the curiosity that drives early learning. Every piece was chosen for its developmental value and shaped with our child-development advisors. Tying them to care turns showing up into something your child looks forward to: the better they look after their pet, the more of this world opens up. And you stay in control of what's available, always.

Safety & control

The safety isn't a setting. It's the design.

Most kids' apps are built to hold attention. Nowa gives it back: short play that points to real life, and an AI that can't say anything you didn't choose.

A natural part of the day, never the center of it.

Like a real pet, Nowa fits into the day. Checked on here and there, never one long sitting.

A few short check-ins, about 10–15 minutes each
No infinite scroll, autoplay, or notifications pulling them back
Every check-in points back out: real routines, real people, real play

A day with Nowa

A few small moments. The rest of the day stays theirs.

A pet, not an AI companion.

Companion chatbots are built to be talked to, and needed. Nowa is the opposite: a pet your child looks after.

Speaks only in sound, motion, and feeling, never human words
No open internet. Nothing it can say that you didn't choose
Its walled AI has one job: bringing the pet to life. It learns from your child's care, never from conversations

♪ prrr… blip!

Nowa speaks in sound, motion, and feeling. Your child does the understanding.

“The safest AI for a child is one with nothing to say, and everything to feel.”
Dr. David Mou · Harvard-trained physician · CEO, Benchmark Health SAMPLE · PENDING APPROVAL

No open internet · COPPA · ASTM F963 · No ads, ever · How we built Nowa safe →

Safety & control

The parent app: you hold every dial.

You set the routines and the limits. The app shows you how your child is growing: a picture, never a score.

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Mission Control

Pick the routines that matter in your house: mornings, homework, bedtime. Each one becomes a mission the pet needs your child's help to finish.

See it →

Growth insights

See how the practice is adding up: feelings, focus, follow-through. Measured with frameworks shaped by our advisors, not metrics we invented.

See it →

Stay in the loop

Each mission and how it went. The pet's bedtime, matched to your child's. And whatever the game collects is yours to view or delete, anytime.

See it →

Included with every Nowa. Explore the parent app →

	Audio	Play kits	Tablets	NOWA
Responds to your child	✗	✗	~	✓
Builds a bond over time	✗	✗	✗	✓
Sends them back to real life	✓	✓	✗	✓
Built with scientists	✗	~	✗	✓
No open internet, no ads	✓	✓	✗	✓

From beta families

From the families who tested it first.

Real households, real mornings. Words from the beta program.

My son used to fight me for 20 minutes every morning about his shoes. Now he's racing to get them on because he wants to tell his Nowa pet he's ready for the School Mission.

Mark J. · Dad of a 6-year-old BETA FAMILY

She came downstairs and said 'I did turtle time so my pet could calm down.' Then she did it herself at dinner. Unprompted.

Dana · Mom of a 5-year-old BETA FAMILY

It's the first screen I don't feel guilty about. Ten minutes, then he's off building a fort because his pet 'needed' one.

Priya · Mom of a 6-year-old BETA FAMILY

I expected another abandoned gadget. Six weeks in, the pet is still fed and my mornings are still quiet.

Alex M. · Dad of an 8-year-old BETA FAMILY

Pre-order · 500 reservations

$99 today. Save $195.

The Day-One Bundle: the device, six months of Nowa+, the Handbooks, and pre-order extras you only get now.

The Day-One Bundle

Nowa device (retail) $149
6 months of Nowa+ $120
- Advanced missions tuned to your child's growth phase
- Full growth insights: emotions, focus, follow-through
- Expert-shaped guidance from our PCIT, EQ, and EF advisors
The Nowa Handbooks three parent guides, advisor-shaped ★ Day 1
- Big Feelings · when the feeling is bigger than the kid
- Routine · stop being the narrator of every morning
- Raising a Kid Who Can Stop · third guide, lands before your device ships
Adventure Kit silicone cover + lanyard $25
- Silicone case in swappable colors, soft and drop-protective
- Lanyard for hands-free carry: walks, school, the car
Pre-order extras ★ Exclusive
- An exclusive starter pet, found in no other Nowa
- An exclusive badge in your parent app
- Your Nowa+ price locked for 2 years
EXCLUSIVE STARTER PET

What you pay

Total value

$294

You pay today

$99

Save $195

Cancel anytime before ship · full refund
Refunded automatically if not shipped by Oct 31
Price locked. Only goes up from here

This isn't a countdown. We won't pretend there's a timer. But these terms hold for 500 reservations only. When those are taken, they're taken. The price becomes $149 and the extras are gone for good.

Reserve your Nowa for $99 →

Ships September 2026·500 reservations only·Fully refundable

Before you ask

The questions every parent asks.

What age is Nowa designed for?+

Kids ages 3–10, the stage when routines, independence, and emotional habits develop fastest. The experience is age-scaffolded so it grows with your child.

How does Nowa build habits without nagging?+

Instead of you repeating instructions, daily routines become missions your child does to help their pet grow. The pet celebrates wins and encourages them through struggles, so habit-building feels like play, not punishment.

Is there AI in Nowa? Is it safe for young children?+

Yes. A closed, walled AI shapes how the pet feels, remembers care, and chooses missions. It never speaks to your child in human language, has no access to the open internet, and collects nothing beyond what personalizes the experience. It was built with our child-development researchers to support growth, not maximize engagement.

Is my child's experience safe and private?+

The pet doesn't converse, so there's nothing to monitor and nothing to leak. No open internet, content age-scaffolded for 3–10, built to meet COPPA and ASTM F963 standards. You stay in control through topic boundaries, bedtime modes, and usage limits in the parent app.

How much screen time does Nowa involve?+

Nowa is built to be put down. Check-ins run about 10–15 minutes each, a few times through the day. Short and active, with no infinite scroll, no autoplay, no engagement mechanics. The goal is always to send your child back into the real world.

What happens if my child misses a day?+

Real life happens. Missing a day doesn't erase progress or create punishment, and the pet never dies. Left alone for a long time it may get sad or gently return to its home world, but it can always come back.

How does the parent app work?+

Set routines, see progress, and get warm, narrative insights without more mental load. Basic setup and routine tracking come with the device; full insights, advanced missions, and expert guidance are part of the optional Nowa+ subscription.

When will Nowa be available?+

Pre-orders are open now at $99, shipping September 2026. You can cancel your reservation anytime before it ships.

The pet that turns routines into play.

A pocket-sized pet, not a screen to scroll.

All the learning runs through missions.

The daily friction, minus the referee.

Built with the scientists who wrote the science.

Three parts. One loop.

Set the routine

Asks for help

Does it for real

See the growth

Why your child keeps choosing it: the care loop.

The pet feels

Your child cares

The pet grows

Your child grows

Kids follow through on what they love.

Care for it like a real pet

Collect a world of creatures

Games to play side by side

A world that keeps opening up

Stories

Songs

Podcasts

Reserve their first Nowa today.

The safety isn't a setting. It's the design.

A natural part of the day, never the center of it.

A pet, not an AI companion.

The parent app: you hold every dial.

Mission Control

Growth insights

Stay in the loop

Calm like Yoto. Developmental like Lovevery. But alive.

$99 reserves the whole Day-One Bundle.

From the families who tested it first.

$99 today. Save $195.

The questions every parent asks.

Questions answered? Your spot is still open.