Parents' Guide to

Shape Builder - The Preschool Learning Puzzle Game

By Jinny Gudmundsen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Rewarding jigsaw puzzles teach ABCs and 123s.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire Education
Shape Builder - The Preschool Learning Puzzle Game Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Shape Builder - The Preschool Learning Puzzle Game App: Screenshot #1
  • Shape Builder - The Preschool Learning Puzzle Game App: Screenshot #2
  • Shape Builder - The Preschool Learning Puzzle Game App: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

See all
age 3+

Based on 2 parent reviews

BattleBornMom
BattleBornMom Parent of 2 and 3-year-old
December 13, 2012
age 3+

Great Little Puzzle App

My 3 year old son loves to play this little puzzle game. It helps him with developing spacial abilities. He gets bored after several puzzles and moves on to another app (my reason for 4 instead of 5 starts). But he always comes back to it later.
Mrs_AF
Mrs_AF Parent of 2 and 8-year-old
November 22, 2010
age 2+

Great for younger children!

My 2 yr old LOVES this game! She knows the shapes when they pop up and has learned names of things that we do not see/use in every day life (Kiwi, raspberries).
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Kids are presented with puzzles one after the other. They must drag and drop pieces into the whole, which snap in relatively well. When the puzzle is complete, the pieces disappear and the shape becomes whole or takes on an image. A seeming figure eight becomes two kiwi fruits. The very encouraging narrator speaks the name of the object and the corresponding word appears.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

SHAPE BUILDER - THE PRESCHOOL LEARNING PUZZLE GAME provides excellent puzzle fun for little fingers. Because each piece is a different color, it is easy to distinguish an individual piece from the others that are lumped together on the side of the puzzle. The pieces are big enough that little fingers won't have any trouble moving them by simply placing a finger on top of one piece and sliding it along. Plus, when a youngster moves the piece close to where it belongs, it clicks into place. When the puzzle is complete, the pieces meld together and the puzzle appears to come alive as the object appears. Language skills are reinforced with spoken and written words explaining what the object is, and for letters of the alphabet, the sound the letter makes is also spoken. If you want to try it before you spend $.99, then download the free Shape Builder Lite which has 15 puzzles.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Count images together with number puzzles to develop number concepts.

  • Find and play music corresponding to instrument puzzles (violin concertos, for example).

  • Complete real-life puzzles together.

App Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended app lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate