Common Sense Media Review
By Mieke VanderBorght
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Open-ended word builder takes time to master.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Planet Lettra Word Building Playground
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
Visit PLANET LETTRA WORD BUILDING PLAYGROUND where letter bubbles float around waiting to be combined into words. Some bubbles contain single letters, others have letter combinations, and new bubbles are constantly releasing and combining. To learn how all the features work, watch the short video tour. Kids can adjust how easily bubbles combine, feed words and letters to alien creatures, clear the bubbles to release more, and change a single-letter bubble to a different letter. Look down into the planet to review and hear the words you've made.
Is It Any Good?
Kids are free to experiment, combine letters, and test their word-building abilities in this fun digital letter block game. The open-ended platform allows kids full freedom to explore and empowers them to find words all on their own. Some bubbles contain letter combinations or full words, which provides a little push toward putting a word together. Overall, though, kids need a pretty solid comfort level with words to prepare a word mentally and construct it successfully. Though kids can make up words that aren't in any dictionary, it's tricky to figure out which words work and which don't. Also, alien creatures that eat the words are a cute feature, though it can be quite frustrating when a long tongue reaches out to grab a bubble as you're trying to use it. And, based on how kids adjust the bubbles' settings, they may or may not combine when desired, so kids will likely need some time to figure out how to manipulate them to avoid frustrating surprises. For kids who can navigate the functionality and have the patience to play around with the features, it's a fun and potentially educational experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the words kids create. What do they mean? Can those words be used to make bigger words? Can words be put together to make a sentence?
Play with your kids to help them cut through all the bubbles and find word-building opportunities.
Explore other ways kids can learn with technology. Check out our guidance and guidelines to learn more.
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects : Language & Reading : letter or word recognition , phonics
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : solving puzzles , thinking critically
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : March 23, 2016
- Genre : Educational Games
- Publisher : Gregory McDonald
- Version : 2.1
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 8.1 or later
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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