Maltese language kids’ games app is a winner

Francesca Mifsud has put her finger on an acute language problem on the Maltese islands.

Despite frequent polling that shows that bilingual Malta is a predominantly Maltese-speaking society – well over 85% by most data – young children are assailed by English-only entertainment online and on TV. The attention-stealing screen is not Maltese.

“Maltese digital touch points are limited. This is a comment we hear from many parents, teachers and currently even the President of Malta, who is pushing for a wider promotion of the language,” says Francesca Mifsud, the founder of IslandBebe.com, a digital parenting hub that offers content for parents in Malta. “We felt it was time to do something about it.”

Mifsud's idea is the educational app Nina U Ninu, a digital touchpoint for children in Maltese, with creative games that visually match the standards of similar games and apps they are used to.

“We want to give all children – who hear Maltese at home, who don’t hear Maltese, and expat children – a place to have fun, learn and immerse themselves in the language without realising they are. We needed to find a natural way for children to engage with the Maltese language using a platform they know and like.”

Mifsud knows that children have multiple moments in their life where they are interacting with a screen, most of it in English. “They’re tech-savvy and used to screen entertainment from Netflix and Disney Plus. But screen time can be educational too, with good content that is age appropriate.”

Mifsud saw how easy it was to get her child onto educational screen time, but only in English. “Nina U Ninu is a fun way for children to immerse themselves in the Maltese languages without necessarily realising they are learning Maltese. New games will be rolled out frequently so stay tuned to find out what else the app has in store for your child,” Mifsud says.

The digital mobile and tablet app has a library of games for children aged 2-5 years, that are fun, have a high standard in terms of visuals, and allows children to learn numbers, letters of the alphabet and animal names in a fun, colourful and interactive manner. “Your children will immerse themselves into a world of hearing Maltese, seeing Maltese and learning Maltese without having to try,” Mifsud says of the app, now available on for Apple and Google Store devices.

Since starting up Island Bébé over two years ago, Mifsud's website has grown organically from first creating articles for parents, to offering them resources such as a dynamic playground and childcare map that allows parents to find the closest childcare or playground to them. 

“We hope to make their life a little bit easy through the articles, content and resources available to our growing customer base with over 10,000 monthly views,” Mifsud says.

“Every generation has challenges, and every parent has challenges – they’re unique to each family. I would say the balance of speed of life, balancing work – in a family where both work full-time – with children extra-curriculum, spending time with kids... requires parents to have good communication, teamwork and structure. Manageable, but it can be overwhelming!”