 | 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: Once Upon a Monster
- Xbox 360
- Price: $49.99
- Genre: Educational
Common Sense Media says
Engaging and funny interactive adventures are pure joy.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster is designed as an interactive adventure, in which players directly engage with many Muppet characters from the show. It is a very physical game that will require kids to be on their feet and moving around quite a bit. And it is designed especially with two-player cooperative play in mind. Rather than focus on "book learning" (i.e., ABC's and 123's), the game's stories promote positive life lessons, such as friendship, responsibility, and generosity.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn about friendships and cooperating with others as they play games with friendly monsters. They can also learn lessons like matching colors and musical pitches. Based on Sesame Street's "Whole Child" curriculum, the game encourages kids to identify and respond to others’ emotions, to respect differences, and to share responsibility for the world around us. In addition to teaching vital social and emotional lessons, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster brilliantly incorporates two-person cooperative play.
Subjects
- Artschoreography, movement, rhythm
- Hobbies
- Language & Reading
- Mathcounting, patterns, shapes
- Science
- Social Studies
Skills
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Creativity
- Emotional Developmentempathy, identifying emotions, labeling feelings
- Health & Fitnessbody awareness, gross motor skills, movement
- Responsibility & Ethicsembracing differences, honoring the community, respect for others
- Self-Direction
- Tech Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning
What's it about?
In SESAME STREET: ONCE UPON A MONSTER, Elmo and Cookie Monster journey into their favorite storybook and interact with the monster characters they meet there (including some of their more familiar Sesame Street friends, like Grover and Oscar the Grouch). Each story features five or so mini-games that allow kids to truly take part. They may dress characters in costume, toss garbage in a trash can, flap their arms to fly to the top of a tree, or follow along with a dance (to name a few activities).
Is it any good?
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster is definitely among the best preschool video games out there. Its polished presentation, wonderfully witty script, and easy-to-learn-but-not-too-easy-to-play mini-games make it a package that little kids will adore. Moreover, the entire experience is designed to work equally well for one or two players, making Once Upon a Monster the perfect game for parents to play with their kids (or for siblings to play together). Rarely do we see a game that is so utterly appropriate for preschool audiences that is also simultaneously appealing to older kids and adults as well. It's an absolute winner.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the lessons learned from the game. Ask kids what the moral of each story is. When Cookie and Elmo help throw a party for a lonely monster, what did they learn? When they assist another monster in restoring her ruined garden, what knowledge did they gain from that? And so on.
This is a very physical game. Do you like games that make you move? In what ways do you prefer them over games that you just sit and play?
What kids can learn
Kids can learn about friendships and cooperating with others as they play games with friendly monsters. They can also learn lessons like matching colors and musical pitches. Based on Sesame Street's "Whole Child" curriculum, the game encourages kids to identify and respond to others’ emotions, to respect differences, and to share responsibility for the world around us. In addition to teaching vital social and emotional lessons, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster brilliantly incorporates two-person cooperative play.
Subjects
- Arts: choreography, movement, rhythm
- Hobbies:
- Language & Reading:
- Math: counting, patterns, shapes
- Science:
- Social Studies:
Skills
- Collaboration:
- Communication:
- Creativity:
- Emotional Development: empathy, identifying emotions, labeling feelings
- Health & Fitness: body awareness, gross motor skills, movement
- Responsibility & Ethics: embracing differences, honoring the community, respect for others
- Self-Direction:
- Tech Skills:
- Thinking & Reasoning:
How kids will learn
Kids learn empathy by stepping inside a storybook and meeting a monster with an emotional problem. Maybe the monster has been forgotten on his birthday, for example. When kids identify with how the monsters are feeling, they get help from other monsters to see positive ways of dealing with those emotions. Of course, there's loads of fun physical activity throughout and basic preschool concepts are reinforced in the process.
How parents can help
- Reinforce cooperation skills that kids learn in the game by solving puzzles with them side-by-side.
- After finishing stories, ask kids questions about how the monsters felt at the beginning and end, and what were the main messages.
- Invite your child to play-act an emotion that they learned in the game. Then try to guess which one it is.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Great for Kids of all ages
This game is fantastic for kids and families, my daughter (5.5) gets involved, and really enjoys the story its fun to play together. The production values are excellent and there are hidden documentaries about the game creation my daughter enjoyed, learning about the creation of the game and stories.
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AGE
Elmo how could you
Elmo is Drinking to much in this game he tells kids that its appropriate don't give your kids this game
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AGE
this game is bad for teaching kids the envirament
i think this game is enviramentaly bad just look at the screenshot with oscar all the plants are dead
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| Platforms: | Xbox 360 |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Educational |
| Developer: | Warner Bros. Games |
| Release date: | October 11, 2011 |
| Price: | $49.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E |
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