Elevate - Brain Training
Common Sense says
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Free to try
- Education
Parents say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Elevate is a "brain-training" app that features simple games designed to sharpen particular cognitive skills. A better fit for older kids, these games require kids and adults to have significant prior knowledge of English grammar rules and strong English vocabulary.
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What's it about?
In ELEVATE – BRAIN TRAINING APP, users play simple games to hone their skills of rapid recall and processing. Each game is designed to test a different language skill such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking. After each game, users receive a "ranking" that indicates their performance compared to other users. The games are entertaining and nicely paced. For example, users pop balloons to match antonyms, tap to spot grammatical errors, and swipe left or right to flag words with negative and positive connotations. The content being tested is solid; this is important information for users who strive for better written and spoken English skills.
Is it any good?
Elevate's games are definitely fun, and it's engaging to open the app each day to find three new games to play. Unfortunately, the app's developers have assumed a very high level of prior knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary, and the app doesn't contain resources to help improve or build such knowledge. When users get a question wrong, it's just wrong; there's little chance to reflect or review to avoid a wrong answer the next time. Ultimately, this is a fun game to build skills such as speed and rapid recall, but it may not necessarily achieve the "brain training" users might be looking for.
Talk to your kids about ...
What does "connotation" mean? What impact does a sentence have when you use a word with a positive connotation versus a negative one?
What grammar rules are the trickiest to remember? How do you know when to use "its" vs. "it's" or "they're" vs. "their" vs. "there"?
What do you think about "brain training"? What does an app like this teach you? Do you think it would be helpful at school or at home?
App details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading: reading, reading comprehension, speaking, writing
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: thinking critically
Communication: conveying messages effectively, listening, speaking - Price: Free to try
- Pricing structure: Free to try ($7.99 a month, $44.99 a year, $149.99 for lifetime use)
- Release date: October 1, 2014
- Category: Education
- Size: 77.80 MB
- Publisher: Elevate Inc.
- Version: 1.14
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 7.1 or later. Requires Android 4.0 and up.
- Last updated: November 11, 2020
Our editors recommend
For kids who love grammar
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.