Common Sense Media Review
By Mieke VanderBorght
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Story rhymes in many languages; doesn't always make sense.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 2+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Little Owl - Rhymes for Kids
What's It About?
LITTLE OWL - RHYMES FOR KIDS starts when Owl gets a bump on the head and sets off for a stroll. After a while, Owl meets a friend who makes three suggestions for what Owl can put on the bump to make it feel better. The first two suggestions are always silly, whereas the third one is an appropriate remedy and also completes the narrative rhyme. Then Little Owl keeps walking until the next animal friend. In the autoplay mode, the narrator goes through the suggestions automatically. Turn autoplay off, and kids must tap and drag each suggestion toward Owl's bump to hear the narrator continue. Parents can choose how many animal friends Owl meets, turn the audio narration on or off, choose a language, and adjust other settings.
Is It Any Good?
Though this story's characters are appealing for young kids, the overall experience ends up missing the mark. There's not much going on in the story, as the focus of Little Owl - Rhymes for Kids is mostly on highlighting the rhyming scheme. And though some kids might get a kick out of rejecting the silly suggestions that don't rhyme, it's quite likely that others will just be downright confused by the whole thing. Some final suggestions are also a bit odd, such as using frozen fries. Others will be unfamiliar to a non-British audience, such as the word "patch" to mean a bandage. And the animation is very basic and simplified. For example, images are recycled and used again with different labels, and the head bump remedies hover over Owl's head in a half-hearted attempt to make it look like the Owl is trying the treatment out. It feels like the bulk of resources for making Little Owl - Rhymes for Kids was invested in creating the story in 14 different languages. That linguistic variety alone may make the purchase worth it for some families. Otherwise, parents would do better just reading their kids a classic rhyming book.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the rhymes they hear in Little Owl - Rhymes for Kids. Which words rhyme? What other words can you think of that rhyme?
Sing songs, recite nursery rhymes, and read stories as much as you can with your little ones.
Stress the sounds of common words and play games with everyday language. Make up silly rhyming chains. For example, start with "cat" and see how many words you can rhyme. Then put the words together to make a silly sentence.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Subjects : Language & Reading : reading , vocabulary
- Skills : Emotional Development : empathy
- Pricing structure : Paid ($2.99; in-app purchases offer additional stories, $1.99 each)
- Release date : February 10, 2021
- Genre : Education
- Publisher : Fox & Sheep
- Version : 1.5
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 12.0 or later; Android 6.0 and up
- Last updated : April 9, 2021
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