 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure
- Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Windows, Nintendo DSi
- Price: $29.99–$39.99
- Genre: Preschool
Common Sense Media says
Good selection of letter-themed mini-games for preschoolers.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure offers numerous educational mini-games that help reinforce reading and letter concepts for preschoolers. The controls are simplified for very young children, but tilting the Wii remote might be a little more challenging for toddlers than simply tapping on a touchscreen, as they would in the DS version. On the whole, the controls work fine for all versions. However, some games make kids wait, which can get annoying. It's also worth noting that parents can set a play-timer, which will alert kids that they have "one more game" before turning off at the designated time.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn alphabet fundamentals -- part of the foundation for learning to read. By playing a series of animal-themed mini-games featuring their favorite Sesame Street characters, kids learn to recognize letters and the sounds they make. Plenty of hints help kids select letters based on their sounds. Bonus: they can also match patterns and colors. There's plenty of foundational preschool content here, though young kids may lose interest due to the game's slow pace.
Subjects
- Language & Readingletter or word recognition, reading, spelling
- Mathpatterns
- Science
- Social Studies
- Arts
- Hobbies
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoningapplying information
- Creativity
- Self-Direction
- Emotional Development
- Communicationlistening
- Collaboration
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Tech Skills
- Health & Fitness
What's it about?
In Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure, Elmo and Zoe visit the zoo. Their guide, a muppet named Chris, leads them through the various zoo habitats, introducing them to different animals along the way. As they visit each new area, they'll play a letter-and-reading-themed game with the animals. Some activities include tossing letter-labeled coconuts to monkeys, popping bubbles with letters in them, and scooping up letters while on an elephant ride.
Is it any good?
Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure has been designed for use by preschoolers. It's bright and colorful; it has super simple controls (and the game comes with bonus items -- a chunky DS stylus or a character-themed Wii remote cover -- to make playing with tiny hands even easier); and it is fully voiced-over, meaning no reading is necessary for the instructions. And the educational value is undeniably solid. These cute games reinforce the same early-learning lessons that Sesame Street does on TV.
The addition of the play-timer, which allows parents to set the game to turn off after a certain point is very nice -- but it's even nicer that the timer gives the kids fair warning before shutting down, telling them that they upcoming game will be their last for today. A few of the games make kids wait too long before introducing the correct answer, and the characters can be overly chatty, but the game auto-adjusts its educational content and it has a great hint system to assure success.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the fun of learning letters. How can learning these letter sounds help us when we're not playing the game? Why is reading important?
This game helps families set playing time limits. Why is it important to limit screen time for young children?
What kids can learn
Kids can learn alphabet fundamentals -- part of the foundation for learning to read. By playing a series of animal-themed mini-games featuring their favorite Sesame Street characters, kids learn to recognize letters and the sounds they make. Plenty of hints help kids select letters based on their sounds. Bonus: they can also match patterns and colors. There's plenty of foundational preschool content here, though young kids may lose interest due to the game's slow pace.
Subjects
- Language & Reading: letter or word recognition, reading, spelling
- Math: patterns
- Science:
- Social Studies:
- Arts:
- Hobbies:
Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning: applying information
- Creativity:
- Self-Direction:
- Emotional Development:
- Communication: listening
- Collaboration:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Tech Skills:
- Health & Fitness:
How kids will learn
Kids join Elmo on a colorful safari where they encounter new letter- and spelling-themed mini-games for each animal enclosure they enter. Activities include tossing letter-labeled coconuts to monkeys, popping bubbles with letters in them, and scooping up letters while riding an elephant. Controls are simplified for very young children, but tilting the Wii remote might be a little more challenging for toddlers than tapping on the DS version's touchscreen.
How parents can help
- Visit the SesameStreet.com website for more age-appropriate learning games.
- Take a trip to your local zoo and help your child identify the animals and the letters their names start with.
- Ask your kids to act out the different animals and the sounds that they make.
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| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Windows, Nintendo DSi |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Preschool |
| Developer: | Warner Bros. Games |
| Release date: | October 19, 2010 |
| Price: | $29.99–$39.99 |
| ESRB rating: | EC for (No Descriptors) (Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo Wii, Windows) |
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