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Sema Run
By Ana Beltran,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
"A" is for "Africa" in engaging letter-sound game.
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Sema Run
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Based on 1 parent review
What’s It About?
SEMA RUN helps kids learn and practice letter sounds. The app captivates them with a special mission to recover all the letters that have been taken and scattered by the troublemaking and playful Bongolalas. Without letters, people in the village can't read or enjoy books. Sema provides clear and concise verbal directions on how to play and provides reminders along the way. Kids will see a letter and hear a letter sound. They'll then encounter a landscape full of different letters, obstacles, and special rocket boots. Sema automatically runs across the screen, and it's up to kids to tap the screen to help her jump to collect or avoid letters. Little animals and objects appear as obstacles to slow Sema down, so they'll have to help her dodge these, too. Grabbing a pair of rocket boots helps Sema speed across her path. There are 26 levels, representing specific letters, which follow a specific sequence. Completing a level unlocks the following round. Kids can revisit any of the unlocked levels at any point. At the end of each level, kids can use the app to take a selfie and decorate it with stickers. Access to the device's camera is necessary. Tapping on the thumbs-up icon saves the picture to the app's library and to the device's camera roll, allowing kids to scroll through their digital creations at any time. At the end of every third level, kids will encounter a mini-quiz where they'll have to distinguish between three different letter sounds and identify the matching letter.
Is It Any Good?
Kids will be tasked with a special mission in this interactive and engaging gameplay experience that is simple enough for little ones to play on their own while they practice phonics in a playful way. Kids will feel empowered as they help Sema recover each letter scattered across the village. The opening story gives kids some context and helps them relate to Sema and the important mission. At each level, the game follows the same format, making it predictable and easy for little ones to navigate on their own. Sema Run focuses on letter sounds rather than letter names, which is developmentally appropriate for little ones beginning to understand phonics. Grounded in best practice, there's a clear emphasis on sound recognition and associating the sound with the symbol. The pace and structure of the game is super kid-friendly. There are tons of affirmations too. Sema exclaims "brilliant!" when kids correctly match a letter sound with its symbol. Also, kids will love the selfie feature, especially since they can interact with their pictures by using stickers to spruce them up. It's a fun way to take a little brain break before jumping into the next level and the next letter. However, it would be great if there were an available privacy policy that addresses how kids' selfies are used and stored. Overall, Sema Run is a fun educational journey appropriate for preschoolers learning and practicing letter sounds. Best of all, the app is completely free and there are no ads interrupting the experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about naming letters when playing Sema Run. The game requires that kids match the letter sound to the letter symbol. An added layer would be to ask kids to match the letter name to the letter symbol or the letter name to the letter sound.
Talk about beginning letter sounds. What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word "apple"? What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word "bat"? What letter sound do you hear at the beginning of the word "lime"? Activities like these will help little ones make connections between letter sounds and words.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading : following directions, letter or word recognition, phonics
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : applying information, Self-Direction : academic development, Tech Skills : digital creation
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: February 6, 2019
- Category: Education
- Topics: Superheroes , Numbers and Letters
- Publisher: Kukua LLC
- Version: 1.3
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or later; Android 4.1 and up
- Last updated: July 10, 2020
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