Toca Builders
Common Sense says
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Apps for Windows, Windows Phone
- $.99-$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
Parents need to know that, though most Toca Boca apps are for preschoolers, Toca Builders was designed for kids ages 5 to 11. For kids not quite ready for or interested in Minecraft, Toca Builders offers sandbox-style play where kids can create worlds. It's easier to pick up and play than Minecraft, and there's no fighting or monsters.
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Toca time
Awesome for 2 - 9 year olds!
What's it about?
Play starts with a flat world floating on water. Kids control six different builders, each with a different job, to design whatever worlds they can imagine. One builder paints the ground. Another drops blocks from a backpack or destroys them with a hammer. A crane places blocks in high places, and a jumper hops up and places blocks. Another painter spits paint, and one builder stretches and places blocks in midair. Different builders can destroy blocks, too -- but not in an antagonistic way -- just to help create the world that kids imagine. There's no competition or objective in the open-ended creation game. It's like playing with LEGOs without having to store them.
Is it any good?
Alongside Minecraft and other sandbox-style creation toys and games, Toca Builders holds its own. The builder characters will appeal to kids drawn to stories, and the open-ended creation possibilities put kids in charge of their fun. Some characters move directionally using a gear-like shifter. Some move using a roller ball. Switching back and forth can get a little confusing, but most of the other controls are easy to pick up and fun to play around with. Parents who have had their device's camera roll fill up with their kids' Toca Boca creations will appreciate that Toca Builder's default is not linked to the camera roll. It can be changed in the game's settings. Creations are automatically saved, too, and kids can revisit them. It would be nice if all of the builders could enter the buildings kids create, but some are taller than six blocks, the maximum number of blocks the game allows players to stack.
Talk to your kids about ...
Steer kids who like to build with LEGOs or who are interested in Minecraft but may be too young for it to Toca Builders.
Ask how the experience of building with LEGOs compares to the experience building in Toca Builders.
Ask kids about their creations and encourage them to share with you stories about their worlds.
App details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Apps for Windows, Windows Phone
- Subjects: Math: measurement
- Skills: Tech Skills: digital creation, using and applying technology
Creativity: imagination, making new creations
Thinking & Reasoning: part-whole relationships - Price: $.99-$2.99
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: June 19, 2013
- Category: Education
- Size: 39.90 MB
- Publisher: Toca Boca
- Version: 1.0.1
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 5.0 or later; Android 4.0.3 and up
For kids who love to build and create
Our editors recommend
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.