Smart Grow: Educational Games
Play with animals, puzzles, patterns, colors, and sequence.
Parents say
Based on 1 review
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Smart Grow: Educational Games
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.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Smart Grow: Educational Games is an educational app that offers children 16 game choices. Some of the games are geared towards toddlers developing hand-eye coordination and require them to trace paths or follow lines to create shapes. The games are geared towards kids that have some familiarity with using tech for play, engaging them with puzzles, memory games, pattern recognition, and sorting. Animals are the leading theme of the games and vocabulary is reinforced through audio and in writing. Little ones will not have trouble navigating the games on their own, with the exception of Clap Hands, which requires another player, and the AR (augmented reality) Toy Sorting, which requires access to the device's camera. Read the developer's privacy policy for details on how your (or your kids') information is collected, used, and shared and any choices you may have in the matter, and note that privacy policies and terms of service frequently change.
Community Reviews
Puzzle Review
Report this review
What’s It About?
SMART GROW: EDUCATIONAL GAMES offers kids 16 games to choose from. They include games like Feed the Animals and Drawing Shapes that require kids to use their fingers to trace lines and move objects from one point to another. Other games, such as World of Animals and Amazing Space, require kids to move pictures into a matching outline. Remember the Animals is a digital picture card memory game. What Comes Next gets kids thinking about patterns, while Join the Dots gets kids thinking about number sequence. Home Decoration and Happy Coloring allow kids to be creative and explore different designs and color combinations. Clap Hands will require another player and is a digital form of hot hands, a game where one player tries to slap the back of the other player’s hand before they move it away. All the games are played to the same catchy tune and vocabulary for the pictures that appear on screen are reinforced through audio. There's an option to turn off the sound. Parents can adjust the difficulty levels of some games.
Is It Any Good?
The experience offers a variety of options and games that toddlers can grow into as they get more familiar with virtual play. The games are simple enough for little ones to navigate with ease. The guiding hand that pops up after a few seconds of inactivity makes the games more user-friendly. The virtual version of common games, such as puzzles and sorting, provide more options and various levels of age-appropriate difficulty. Smart Grow: Educational Games helps young kids build their vocabulary by naming the images that appear on the screen, both through audio and in writing. It's particularly handy in encouraging animal vocabulary. Although activities such as coloring and tracing are better off-screen, the wide variety of options is really great, and little kids will have fun exploring games without realizing they're developing key skills.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about animals around the world when playing Smart Grow: Educational Games. What sounds do animals make? How do certain animals move? What animals are common in more than one continent? What animals are particular to a certain place and why?
Talk about real life patterns. Challenge kids to find patterns around the home or create their own patterns with objects or when drawing.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Language & Reading: naming, vocabulary, Math: numbers, patterns, sequences, shapes, Science: animals, astronomy, Arts: drawing, painting
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: logic, part-whole relationships, solving puzzles, Creativity: imagination
- Pricing structure: Free to try (optional in-app purchases from $.99 - $11.99 and subscription $4.99/mo.)
- Release date: September 24, 2018
- Category: Education
- Topics: Numbers and Letters, Science and Nature, Space and Aliens, Wild Animals
- Publisher: Apps Ministry
- Version: 1.1.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.3 or later
- Last updated: July 19, 2021
Our Editors Recommend
-
Khan Academy Kids
Creative early-learning activities engage and inspire.
-
Giraffe's PreSchool Playground
Cheerful multi-game pack teaches ABCs and 123s.
-
Monty's Backyard Adventure
Darling dog game will delight tots as they learn.
-
Kids Preschool Puzzles
Colorful puzzles offer challenge without frustration.
-
My First Puzzles
Great adaptation of classic wooden jigsaw puzzles for kids.
-
MarcoPolo World School
Learning dialogue makes STEAM videos and games special.
For kids who love preschool and educational apps
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