Little Chatterbox for Kids
By Mieke VanderBorght,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Great intro to vocab in multiple languages, but has limits.
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Little Chatterbox for Kids
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What’s It About?
To get started with LITTLE CHATTERBOX FOR KIDS, set the native language and the language to be learned. Then, hand off to kids to tap around the screen showing a variety of scenes such as At School, The Human Body, Farm Animals, and Family Members. When kids tap an item, a window pops up showing a video of a native speaker kid naming the item in the learner's native language and the to-be-learned language. Interspersed throughout this free play are activities in which kids interact with the vocabulary words through multiple choice and matching games. There are 300 vocabulary words in all.
Is It Any Good?
As vocabulary apps go, this collection of multilingual high-use words is versatile and appealing even though it's also limited in what it can do. Little Chatterbox for Kids has some nice features, including colorful and whimsical graphics, and high flexibility in that it can fully function with any of the eight available languages set either as a base or as the language to learn. The videos of kids who are native speakers saying each word are also a nice touch that allows learners to not only hear the word, but also watch it being said. On the other hand, the potential for teaching kids a new language with Little Chatterbox for Kids is limited, just as it is for any app that focuses solely on introducing isolated vocabulary words. Without context, using words in sentences, or being asked to produce language themselves, kids can only go so far in learning a new language. Similarly, despite the handful of games, the learning experience is rather passive, as kids watch and listen to new words again and again. And there's not much variety in game type, so kids end up playing the same games over and over. All in all, in small regular doses, Little Chatterbox for Kids could be a nice option for a small part of what it takes to learn a new language.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the words included in Little Chatterbox for Kids. Get kids talking by asking them to repeat the new words they hear. Even better, learn the new words with them so that you can practice using new vocabulary together whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Round out the language learning experience. Read books, watch movies, listen to music, and learn about cultural events in the language to be learned.
Toddlers and preschoolers are very receptive to new language and will pick up on single words as well as the grammar of the other languages if they hear them frequently. If you're bilingual or are around friends or family who are, encourage them to speak to your child in another language from birth.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading : vocabulary, Social Studies : cultural understanding
- Pricing structure: Free to try (in app purchases for $3.99 to $9.99 unlocks all content)
- Release date: October 3, 2018
- Category: Education
- Publisher: The Appy Learning Company Ltd
- Version: 2.6
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.0 or later
- Last updated: October 29, 2018
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