Stack the States
Common Sense says
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Fire phone, Kindle Fire, Windows app
- $2.99
- Education
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What parents need to know
Stack the States is a U.S. geography game that helps reinforce learning around state information. Kids can study the information first, using included state "flash cards," or they can dive in and learn by trial and error. Stack the States begins with just one activity unlocked, but four mini-games become available as kids progress. Most of the mini-games are timed and can feel frenzied; Puzzler and Capital Drop are both quite tricky, even on lower levels. More than one family member can enjoy playing by utilizing the six different profiles and varied avatar choices.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
Geography fun for the whole family!
Fun and Educational
What's it about?
Stack the States asks trivia questions about a state, or asks kids to identify the shape of the state. When kids answer correctly they'll earn that state to add to their platform. The goal is to stack as many states on the platform as necessary to reach a goal line without the stack tipping over. When kids reach the goal, their reward is a state to add to their collection. As the collection grows, kids earn bonus games.
Is it any good?
STACK THE STATES is engaging, while still retaining plenty of educational value. The main game isn't timed, so it's a great way for kids to learn more about the 50 states, even if they're new to this aspect of geography. Earning all of the states and unlocking the bonus games helps keep things interesting.
Unfortunately, with no way to control what types of questions are being asked, this may not be ideal for a child learning a specific aspect of state trivia (such as the capitals), as it will quiz on all of the areas at once. Still, for slightly older children and adults, Stack the States will help rebuild and retain all of those childhood geography lessons.
Talk to your kids about ...
Help kids search for interesting facts or landmarks in each state to keep learning fun.
Plan imaginary visits to state capitals. Map out the trip and sights to see.
Encourage kids to dig deeper into the history of their own state, or states where relatives live.
App details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Fire phone, Kindle Fire, Windows app
- Subjects: Social Studies: geography
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: memorization, solving puzzles
- Price: $2.99
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: November 19, 2012
- Category: Education
- Size: 132.60 MB
- Publisher: Dan Russell-Pinson
- Version: 2.7
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 6.0 or later
- Last updated: February 1, 2019
Our editors recommend
For kids who love to learn with 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.