Big Kid Life Vet

Review

Common Sense Media says

Kids help animals by succeeding at simple learning games.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Big Kid Life Vet is one of a series of apps by Fingerprint that lets kids try out different jobs while also practicing basic educational skills, such as logic and geometry, letter and shape identification, and phonics. Kids are assigned to certain "patients" including an octopus, dog, and panda. They must take care of them by performing X-rays and playing games. Fingerprint has (optional) free features that parents can use to communicate with their kids via the app and keep track of what their kids are playing. There is a fair amount of advertising for other Fingerprint apps on this app; nothing too overwhelming or out of the norm for a free app, though.

  • Ease of use3
    Overall the app is easy to play, with lots of visual and verbal prompts. However, it's easy for kids to get stuck on the new games page and have a difficult time getting back to the vet game. Recording messages is a little more difficult at first if kids don't understand the very limited instruction. They must release the button, speak, and then press it again to send.
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism2
    The logo for Fingerprint is on the app's main intro screen, as well as on the screen that prompts kids to send a message to their parent. An "FP" icon on some screens will, when tapped, move kids to a Fingerprint page that tells them about new games from the developer. If kids tap on the new game, another screen pops up and a verbal prompt says, "Tap here if you want to tell your mom that you want this game." Then a message is sent to the parent.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety4
    Minor concerns. Parents can opt to exchange personal messages back and forth with their kid through a service called "Mom-Comm," but they must use Facebook or an email account to do so. You don't have to sign up for Mom-Comm for kids to play the app; instead you can sign in as a guest user for app gameplay only.
CloseExpand to see more details

Is it any good?

 

Kids love pretending what it will be like to have certain jobs when they grow up, and veterinary medicine is a popular "what I want to be" choice. BIG KID LIFE VET allows very young kids to play vet on an app, while also giving them some practice in basic educational skills through simple games built into the app. What's great about this app is that when a kid performs well on a game (finding shapes and objects, for example), the animal they are taking care of is given treats or somehow otherwise feels better, so kids get a sense of connection between learning and positive results beyond the typical games for kids where they earn points to "buy" pretend stuff. As a result, learning means helping, not just increased ability to buy stuff. This app is one of a series of similarly crafted apps by Fingerprint, a developer that has come up with ways for parents to manage a child's apps, see what they're playing and learning, and send and receive personal messages back and forth with their kid through the app (optional).

Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!
This review was written by Dana Villamagna

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title below.
This review was written by Dana Villamagna
Topics:science and nature
Category:Educational Games
Platforms:iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Price:Free
Size:26.80 MB
Publisher:Fingerprint
Version:1.0.0
Release date:November 30, 2011
Minimum software requirements:iOS 3.2 or later
This review was written by Dana Villamagna

Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.

 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.

Screenshots

  • 1 of 3
  • 2 of 3
  • 3 of 3

Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.

About our rating system
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.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

More animal-centric apps
For kids who love animals
Browse more apps
 

vote now

Will you download Big Kid Life Vet?

Absolutely
Maybe
No way

Already downloaded it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 
More from Common Sense Media
Age-appropriate reviews
Top advice and articles

Been There? Tell us about it