Parents' Guide to Tami's Tower

Principles of engineering are easily accessible for preschoolers with this delightful little tower-building game. There are lots of little details that make Tami's Tower stand out. Precise, easy-to-follow audio and visual instructions help kids know what they need to do. Cute animals and the storyline help to engage kids. A variety of hints -- like a grayed outline of a failed tower that guides kids in making a different construction -- provide good scaffolding. And the option to play in the leveled progression or in a sandbox lets kids experience the benefits of a challenge and of open-ended free experimentation. Kids may find it a bit unnatural to rotate shapes before placing them in the playing zone, but they should be able to get used to it. Also, it can be frustrating that progress is deleted when kids tap New Game. It would be nice to be able to save progress or at least have a warning that progress will be deleted. The function where kids rate their confidence about the stability of their tower could also use some additional context. Though it's a great idea to have kids think about their process and confidence level to practice metacognition, as is, it's not clear what this rating is for or how it's helpful for enhancing kids' learning. Overall, however, Tami's Tower is an excellent engineering experience that encourages a learning process.