Common Sense Media Review
By Jonathan H. Liu
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cheerful multi-game pack teaches ABCs and 123s.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Giraffe's PreSchool Playground
What's It About?
In the six letter and number games, kids choose (or parents) choose from two mode of difficulty -- Junior Explorers or Ace Adventurers. For each game, kids simply listen and tap. Giraffe tells them "Way to go!" when they get one right. Kids tap the screen in the ABC song game and can select the drum metronome any time (as long as "music" is toggled on from the main menu). In Big Safari and Photo Playground, kids drag and place animals into a net or onto a background. The Android version freezes or responds slowly at times.
Is It Any Good?
GIRAFFE'S PRESCHOOL PLAYGROUND includes six simple games. A few of them are seek-and-find: look for the target letter, number, or animal in a group of six and tap it. The Big Safari presents a group of animals, and the goal is to drag the target animal to the net. The Music game teaches the ABC song, and lets the child control the pace of the song. Finally, the Photo Playground lets kids create their own animal scenes. The interface is very simple and easy for young kids to figure out, and the variety of games keeps kids interested. The Big Safari game has a scoring system which doesn't seem to make much sense, but younger children may not care about the score. Overall, the app is a fun package for toddlers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Sing the ABC song together with your kids at different tempos -- start slow, then try faster.
Encourage your preschooler to trace the letters in the air before selecting them.
Provide finger paints and encourage your kids to say the letter and number names while forming them.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire , Nook HD
- Subjects : Language & Reading : following directions , letter or word recognition , naming , vocabulary , Arts : rhythm , Math : numbers
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : applying information , decision-making , memorization , Communication : listening , Creativity : making new creations
- Pricing structure :
- Release date : December 6, 2012
- Genre : Educational Games
- Publisher : Tomato Interactive LLC
- Version : 1.994
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 4.3 or later; Android 1.6 and up
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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