Toca Life: City
By Mieke VanderBorght,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Open-ended play rules in a virtual urban dollhouse.
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Toca Life: City
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Based on 1 parent review
A good game for kids 3 to 8
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What’s It About?
TOCA LIFE: CITY has four places to visit: a mall, a loft apartment, a hair salon, and a food truck park. In each, kids choose as many characters as they want and use their imaginations to make up stories as they explore the almost infinite number of things to do. Shop for clothes, groceries, or pets; color and style hair; prepare sushi or order fish and chips at the food truck of your choice; invite some friends over for a party, then water the plants and read a book before getting into PJs, turning off the lights, and going to bed. There are no rules, objectives, or a linear story to follow.
Is It Any Good?
This kind of open-ended, imagination-driven, kids-in-charge play is truly important for kids, and though Toca Boca creates magical worlds, there are still limitations. Overall, the design is very appealing, with lots of interactive layers. However, some aspects are a bit disappointing; for example, the hair salon could be more interactive and better developed, and it would be nice to see the characters react more to what kids do with them. The bigger question is whether a screen is the best platform for imaginative play. The power of kids' imaginations is remarkable: They may be better off when they truly are in charge and can create literally anything and everything with something as simple as a cardboard box. Yet, given the limitations of what an app can do, Toca Life: City is a more than decent attempt at inspiring creativity and pretend play.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what kids see in this virtual city and how much it's the same as or different from what they see in their real-life cities (or towns).
Play with your kids and let them take the lead as they dictate what happens throughout the city. Always follow their lead, but provide helpful relevant suggestions that can make their play more meaningful, such as, "I see you've invited some friends over to your apartment. What do you think you can do together?"
Encourage screen-free creative and pretend play with dress-up clothes and props. For example, an extra sheet can make a great cape, or faces drawn on popsicle sticks can be puppets.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
- Subjects: Language & Reading: storytelling
- Skills: Creativity: imagination, Self-Direction: initiative
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: June 25, 2015
- Category: Education
- Publisher: Toca Boca
- Version: 1.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 6.0 or later
- Last updated: February 8, 2019
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