Parents' Guide to

Brainbean

By Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Varied games encourage creativity if you ignore scoring.

App iPad Free to try, Free Education
Brainbean Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this app.

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Creativity can be developed and encouraged, and brainteaser-type games such as those included in BRAINBEAN help with that. The problem is with scoring or assessing creativity, which is even trickier without the human touch, making the scores involved in these games pretty irrelevant. The iPad can't evaluate how creative a block structure or drawing is, so the score doesn't necessarily reflect creativity. Disregard the scoring and play to get creative and take risks. Remote Association, Lost Connections, and Pattern Tiles are excellent choices for developing logic, and Incomplete Drawing is great for encouraging out-of-the-box thinking.

App Details

  • Device: iPad
  • Subjects: Language & Reading: vocabulary, Math: patterns, Arts: drawing
  • Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: logic, thinking critically, Creativity: combining knowledge, developing novel solutions, imagination, innovation
  • Pricing structure: Free to try, Free (Four games are available with the free download. Other games can be purchased in-app for $.99 each or $2.99 for all four remaining games.)
  • Release date: June 17, 2014
  • Category: Education
  • Topics: High School
  • Publisher: Tanner Christensen
  • Version: 1.1
  • Minimum software requirements: iOS 6.0 or later
  • Last updated: August 16, 2016

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