Common Sense Media Review
By Jonathan H. Liu
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Simple but well-implemented memory game.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Preschool Memory Match
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
This free app puts a classic concentration game in an easy-to-play mobile version: Kids find matches for pictures by turning over cards. When they make a match, they hear the name of the object (or for animals, the name plus the sound it makes). After each level, kids are rewarded with fun visual toys to play around with -- they can tap on a graphic to make it move, spin, and twist. In easy mode, kids match six pairs; in medium mode, 10; and in hard mode, 15.
Is It Any Good?
There are many memory games on the market, and there's not a whole lot that sets them apart. However, PRESCHOOL MEMORY MATCH does a few things better than others. First, the buttons to choose the level of difficulty are large and sized relative to the card size, making it easy for kids to identify which is which even if they're unable to read. When a match is made, it is usually accompanied by the sound the object makes, along with the name of the object both visually and aurally, which can get kids started on reading.
An unexpected surprise: Once all the matches have been made, kids are rewarded with two or more audio-visual "toys." These are little graphics that move, spin, bend, and twist when they're tapped. It may not seem like much, but because the toys are randomly selected each time, kids will enjoy playing the matching game again and again to see which toys they get. The only downside for this app is that when a match is made, the zoomed-in image obscures the cards briefly, which prevents you from continuing the game until it disappears. (There is an option to fade the image more quickly, but it still lingers for a while.)
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about all the different ways you can work on memory skills. Play verbal memory games in the car -- say a pattern out loud (letters, shapes, words) and have your kid repeat your pattern. Then have them create a pattern and go back and forth.
Make a sweet memory game with M&Ms. Lay candies paired by colors out and cover each with little pieces of paper. Of course, kids will want to eat each match!
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects : Language & Reading : vocabulary
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : memorization
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : July 24, 2010
- Genre : Kids' Games
- Publisher : Darren Murtha Design
- Version : 1.0
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 3.0 or later
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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