Read with Doc McStuffins: Word Building
Common Sense says
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- $2.99
- Education
Parents say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Read with Doc McStuffins: Word Building offers five games to explore word families and word play alongside the characters from the preschool TV series Doc McStuffins; though kids who know the show will love the app all the more, it's not necessary. Parents can read about each activity's learning goals in the parents' section and turn off the background music or reset progress. If parents are also interested in the first app in the series, Read with DocMcStuffins: Letters and Sounds, buy it as part of a bundle to save a few bucks. The thorough privacy policy details the kinds of information collected and shared.
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What's it about?
There are five activities in READ WITH DOC MCSTUFFINS: WORD BUILDING that each touch on slightly different aspects of reading simple words. Three activities stress word families -- words that have the same ending sound but different beginning sounds -- and have kids construct and sort words such as "stag" and "flag" and "chin," "shin," and "spin." A fourth game asks kids to read sight words as they form constellations. The fifth activity presents a simple story and lets kids change some key words. Each activity has many levels and offers some opportunity for free play.
Is it any good?
A nice collection of wordplay games offers lots to do, but changing background graphics on otherwise identical activities may not fool kids. Game settings such as bath-time splashing or snow play are fun; the characters are super kid-friendly; and clear, patient instructions make gameplay easy and accessible. Three activities focus on word families, which is a nice way to help kids segment words and decode how to read them; however, the play for all three of these activities is essentially the same, which could make things feel repetitive. Though it's a nice inclusion, the storybook activity is disappointingly sparse and oversimplified. Overall, this is not the best or most inspired option for simple word building, but it's a decent, fun, and large set of games that kids -- especially fans of the series -- are likely to enjoy.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about word families, or rhyming words. Construct little stories with as many rhyming words you can think of and write them down together. Point out how the words all have the same ending set of letters.
Give kids more practice picking out and recognizing sight words (small, extremely common words that often can't be sounded out, such as "the," "a," or "she." Whenever you see them, have kids say them out loud.
Consider reading a literacy expert's guidance on buying letter- and phonics-focused apps.
App details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading: letter or word recognition, phonics, reading
- Skills: Creativity: making new creations
- Price: $2.99
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: January 14, 2016
- Category: Education
- Topics: Great Girl Role Models, Numbers and Letters
- Size: 428.00 MB
- Publisher: Disney
- Version: 1.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later
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