Parents' Guide to MarcoPolo World School

There's a world of early learning packed into this sweet-looking app. MarcoPolo World School is an adorable, dynamic app that will reel kids into exploring many STEAM-based topics in ways that are ideal for young learners. Though on the surface it looks like the app is just a series of videos and games, the videos are top-quality and brief, and include terrific kid-inspired dialogue between the kid characters and the narrator. The way the characters interject their active thoughts on the video they're watching and the way the adult narrator positively responds is a great way to model that skill for kids (and adults). The games are brief and educational (some more than others), although some seem a bit of a stretch to relate the theme to the video. Most young kids won't care about that, as long as they're fun, but a bit more connection and depth would add even more value. Since art is a topic kids can choose as a favorite, it seems that there might be art activities coming soon, though none were available at the time of review. Also, at least one game uses letter sounds that might be confusing for early readers: the individual sounds of "s" and "h" instead of the digraph "sh" to start the word "shark." With new content added every week, MarcoPolo World School is well worth the subscription price.