 | 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. |
ABC Music
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Price: $1.99
- Category: Education
Common Sense Media says
Learn ABCs by listening and seeing musical instruments.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that ABC Music is an innovative learning app that teaches the alphabet and musical instruments. The app links to YouTube videos that are curated by the Peapod Labs staff and are chosen to be interesting and safe for kids. The app teaches the alphabet using images and videos and allows kids to jump to new words by tapping the letters.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn their ABCs and the names of various instruments with ABC Music. The app has many photos of instruments, organized alphabetically. Kids will see each instrument's name and hear it pronounced. Also, when kids tap on a letter they'll hear its name. Many of the instruments also include brief facts about them, as well as curated YouTube videos of the instruments being played. Better feedback to encourage kids to continue playing would give the app a boost; a grown-up can offer support in that area if needed. ABC Music is a fun app for kids to explore while learning about musical instruments.
Subjects
- Artsmusic
- Hobbies
- Language & Readingletter or word recognition, spelling, vocabulary
- Math
- Science
- Social Studies
What's it about?
Kids can learn the alphabet by tapping on letters and hearing them pronounced, and seeing words that begin with those letters. Also, they will learn about different instruments by seeing photographs and watching videos of them being played. Some instruments also have a mini-game that allows them to color the instrument with their finger; the mini-game will play back the sound of the instrument, but the child is not really playing the instrument.
Is it any good?
ABC MUSIC is an innovative app that teaches the ABCs. The app starts with a grid showing letters of the alphabet and at least one musical instrument beginning with each letter. Tap on a letter to bring up a word starting with that letter, or tap a specific instrument name to jump to that word. Each instrument is accompanied by a photo and its name (with letters held up by little cartoon people), and a voice reads the initial letter and then the word itself. After a brief pause, another little cartoon person pops down holding a screen, which the child can tap to watch a video about that instrument.
Tapping any of the letters held by the people jumps to another word that starts with that letter, and the process repeats. Also, tapping the "abc" button jumps back to the alphabet grid, and the grayed-out squares are replaced by thumbnails of the images already viewed. It's a fantastic app that allows kids to learn the alphabet while watching entertaining videos and exploring links. The app is self-contained and doesn't present any options or settings screens, making it very kid-friendly.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn their ABCs and the names of various instruments with ABC Music. The app has many photos of instruments, organized alphabetically. Kids will see each instrument's name and hear it pronounced. Also, when kids tap on a letter they'll hear its name. Many of the instruments also include brief facts about them, as well as curated YouTube videos of the instruments being played. Better feedback to encourage kids to continue playing would give the app a boost; a grown-up can offer support in that area if needed. ABC Music is a fun app for kids to explore while learning about musical instruments.
Subjects
- Arts: music
- Hobbies:
- Language & Reading: letter or word recognition, spelling, vocabulary
- Math:
- Science:
- Social Studies:
How kids will learn
The app is made to be fun and easy to use, and kids will learn about instruments from a variety of cultures. Parents can let kids have full control of the app, so they feel empowered as they explore on their own.
How parents can help
- Show kids how they can jump to another letter by tapping on any letter in an instrument's name.
- Make music with your kid using instruments. Even young kids can play an instrument like the triangle, and have fun with a recorder. Homemade instruments work great too!
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Disappointed!
This app links to a variety of YouTube clips. We had high hopes, but no one in our family was interested - we can find our own YouTube clips! We erased it almost immediately.
Was this review useful?
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| Topics: | music and sing-along |
| Category: | Education |
| Platforms: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | $1.99 |
| Publisher: | Peapod Labs LLC |
| Version: | 1.0 |
| Release date: | February 23, 2011 |
| Minimum software requirements: | Requires iOS 3.0 or later. |
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