Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Daily films from educational group provide tons of learning.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
BrainPOP Featured Movie
What's It About?
Press "Play the Movie" to watch the featured movie of the day, which usually will include Moby, a friendly robot, and a human (cartoon) character. The few-minutes-long movies cover a lot of topics, from where to use capital letters in a sentence to effectively asking for help in school. Quizzes after each film test kids on if they've retained the content, as well as on vocabulary and reasoning. After the quiz, kids view a personal statistics page, which includes date of test, topic name, name of student, and best score (percentage).
Is It Any Good?
BRAINPOP FEATURED MOVIE provides a startling amount of content for a free app. Users get a new animated documentary every single day, followed by a quiz to see how much they understood. The range of topics alone -- science, history, technology, art, etc. -- is staggering. Kids can watch a movie about the nature of dogs one day and then learn what a blog is the next. Movies are hosted by the amicable animated duo of Tim and his robot, Moby. And there's no need to fear missing a movie, as they're archived for several days after first airing. BrainPOP is a fantastic education app for older elementary-age kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
If your kid is having trouble with a specific topic at school, search this app to see if any of the free videos relate to that topic.
Encourage kids to think about the quiz answers and make educated guesses if they don't know for sure, rather than just tapping random answers.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Windows app
- Subjects : Language & Reading : vocabulary , Math : algebra , arithmetic , geometry , measurement , probability , ratio , Science : animals , engineering , astronomy , biology , chemistry , ecosystems and the environment , energy , weather , Social Studies : geography , global awareness , government , historical figures , history , the economy , Arts : drawing , music , painting , Hobbies : sports
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : applying information , memorization , thinking critically , Self-Direction : academic development , identifying strengths and weaknesses , self-assessment , Health & Fitness : balanced diet , exercise , fitness , preventing sickness
- Pricing structure : Free
- Release date : September 26, 2011
- Genre : Education
- Publisher : BrainPOP
- Version : 3.1.5
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 8.0 or later
- Last updated : July 19, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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