We’ve seen a couple of apps this year that connected children with family members elsewhere through video-chat and stories. Drawing Together! takes a different approach.

Yes, the title makes it fairly clear: this is about drawing. “Children don’t like talking on the phone. But they do LOVE to draw and color. With this collaborative drawing app, you can DO something together and really connect,” explains developer Tipitap in the App Store listing.

“Paint, colour and draw on a shared page during a live voice call. Play hangman, tic-tac-toe or practice writing skills in real-time! Create indelible experiences for you and that special little someone.”

As with the story apps, this can be about parents who are travelling for work, or it can be about connecting kids with their grandparents if they don’t live nearby – this relies on the grandparents having an iPhone or iPad, obviously.

There’s something powerful about both of you being able to draw on the same picture together, even if you’re hundreds of miles apart. The ability to save and share your joint creations is a sensible addition too.

Drawing Together! costs £1.99 for iPhone and iPad on Apple’s App Store. It also uses in-app purchases for specific sets of colouring pictures: £0.69 each for Christmas, Fairies, Dinosaurs, Sports and other subjects.