Kids Iphone App Review
Our kids test them, we review them!

JumpStart Preschool(r) By Magic of Learning is a great educational app for kids. It teaches numbers, letters, and spacial recognition. It is a fun app for kids to learn with.

I like how targeted JumpStart Preschool(r) By Magic of Learningis as a learning app. It teaches kids a few essential skills in a small app that is very focused. The are some in-app purchases available that can extend the usefulness of the app, but we didn’t get the chance to download and test any add-ons.

Is the app fun? Yes it is. Is it a good way to teach your young child numbers, letters, and spacial learning? Yes it is.

The basic idea of the app is to learn while playing games. the execution is outstanding. The idea is to capture the attention of your child and get them to have some fun while learning. The variety of the activities in this app are what set it apart.

Fun – 4
Attention -. 4
Learning – 5
Total – 13

Learning your ABC’s is a fundamental task most children master before they enter school. It is as simple as memorizing a song right? Sometimes just the song isn’t enough. Can your child pick out each letter? Does your child know the sound each letter makes? Can they pick a work that starts with each letter?

I bet they can do some of that, but where they might need some help AlphaTots by SpinLight Studio can help.

AlphaTots by SpinLight Studio is a simple app that allows your child to explore the alphabet. Pick a letter and hear the sound and see a picture of an object that starts with that letter. You can work in upper and lower case.

Simple, fun, and educational.

Attention – 4
Fun – 4
Learning – 5
Total – 13

While the app we reviewed was for the iPad, there is a “pocket” edition for the iPhone

Doggie Go Go by GroundHum.com is a very engaging app for young kids. It is a “side scroller” type application instead of a “page flipper” or level based application. You move from left to right in the app to see the rest of the game.

Can your child learn something from Doggie Go Go by GroundHum.com? Sure. If you help. The game is very engaging, as I said earlier, but it does not guide the child through any learning activities per se. I suppose the ice cream scoops do sort of have some learning potential, but really the parent needs to be there to assist in the learning process or it will not take place.

Is this app worth the download? Sure. It grabs the attention of my four year old and keeps it for a very long time. The game is very multidimensional with the dog as the main character and a backdrop of many activities. It is a fun app for kids and my four year old likes to explore it–even a month or more after downloading the app.

Fun – 5
Learning – 2
Attention – 5
Total – 12

This app is available for the iPhone and iPad.

I was pretty interested to see what Lola’s Magic Cube by Beiz meant for a game. The title could mean just about anything and we have seen another great game from Beiz. We certainly were not disappointed. In fact, I think this game is better than the last!

Lola’s Magic Cube by Beiz is a puzzle game. Simple as that. You have three levels each containing five puzzles. The puzzle pieces are mixed and turned, so there is more than one dimension to the game. At first it took me a minute to figure this out and show my four year old, but then she had it down. She quickly progressed to level two on her first turn with the game.

She still has fun with the game after a few weeks and I really think there is a good chance for some tactile learning. In Kindergarten (the first “grade” that kids attend in the U.S. for those of you from outside the U.S.) kids learn things like how to use paint, scissors, and glue. This game is similar to the scissors activity where it is teaching tactile skills. Fine motor skills as well as problem solving.

It has a great method of providing the game and learning together.

Attention – 5
Fun – 4
Learning – 4

Total – 13

Watch my four year old explore the game. It is fun!

Animal Sounds By Oak Multimedia is a simple app for a small child. It has a set of animals that your young child can pick and listen to the noises they make. The animals are drawn well and the sounds are right on. It is great for a young child of 1+ years who is just learning their animal sounds.

I think it is a good app, but it has one flaw. The never really enjoy shaking my iPhone or iPad. It is hard for my four year old daughter to shake the device sometimes too. For a one year old it would be nearly impossible. . The developer has updated the app to address this issue and you now have the option to not need to shake the device! Awesome! That being said this is not the type of app that a small child would play with by themselves. It is a way for an involved parent to teach their child animal sounds in a new and interesting way.

I do recommend the app, but would like to be able to touch the animal to make it make its sound!

My four year old is giggling and having a fun time while she is playing with the app.

Attention – 4
Learning – 4
Fun – 4

Total – 12

Dolch Words by Tap To Learn is really 6 grades worth of words to learn. It is a simple app where you child learns to recognize words by placing the letters into the right position. The word and letters are repeated along with a picture of the object the word represents. It is a nicely done app that has the potential to teach your child a lot of words.

The words get pretty hard. It lists up to level or grade 5, but really it is the type of word that gets difficult. The words become more abstract. This makes them harder to understand and grasp. The idea being that you learn to spell the word and recognize it by sight. Good idea, common practice.

Attention – 3
Learning – 5
Fun – 0 (It is a learning app)

Total – 8

Some apps are hard to describe. I guess it is good that we make videos of each app.

MemNeon by Alchemista is one of those apps that is hard to describe. It reminds me of a game I would play if I were a tron character. Awesome graphics, a great sound scheme, and an interesting game.

What type of game? Well I suppose it is like Simon says, but much more complex. This is like Simon Says for MENSA members. It is challenging and fun to try and remember the patterns. You get better at it. After playing for about an hour I was much better than when I started. Am I getting smarter? I am not sure I can tell. Perhaps sharper?

The video shows my ten year old playing the game. She was doing well, but you can see how quickly things can go wrong. If you like puzzles that are obvious yet difficult this game is for you. I enjoy it a lot. I think it is appropriate for a challenge competition. Probably ten and up at least.

I played it on my iPhone first and it was enjoyable. Plenty of room. We recorded it on the iPad, but one app fits all (I like it when developers do this).

Attention – 5
Fun – 4
Learning – 3 (I just cannot quantify the learning, but am sure it is at least making my brain work which is good).

Total – 12