Wonster Words - spelling with ABC and phonics by Puzzingo
By Mieke VanderBorght,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Phonetics, vocab star as kids drag letters to spell words.
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Wonster Words - spelling with ABC and phonics by Puzzingo
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What’s It About?
In WONSTER WORDS - SPELLING WITH ABC AND PHONICS BY PUZZINGO, choose a word family that contains similar patterns and then choose from the available eight words. Select floating letter "ghosts" to drag them to their correct place and spell the word. When kids tap a letter or the target combination of two letters, they hear the sound it makes. Once they spell the word, kids watch a short animation demonstrating the word's meaning. There's an occasional mini-game, such as playing with an animal after spelling its name. The paid version includes a progressive story line with word puzzles and games along the way.
Is It Any Good?
Animated letters with spoken letter names address the idiosyncrasies of written English, but some details detract from the overall appeal. On the upside, instead of singling out each individual letter sound, kids work with phonemes, or the language sounds actually present in words, but only for the target sounds. Though the animations and accompanying sentences give context, they're sometimes a bit off: In one animation a character ignites himself, and kid's are told to "be careful." In another, a character purposefully makes a mess as a "brat" and kids are advised, "Try not to be one." In terms of design, it would be better if kids had to place letters in the correct order and if the user could turn the music off. The phonetic approach and vocabulary context make this a step up from simple sound-it-out apps, but at the steep price of $14.99 for the whole set, parents should make sure they -- and their kids -- are into the whole package before diving in fully.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about additional words that contain the sounds featured in the app. When you come up with a word, spell it, read it, and define it.
Read books like those by Dr. Seuss that use simple rhyming words to help kids read. Point out the part of the word that stays the same.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
- Subjects: Language & Reading: letter or word recognition, phonics, reading, vocabulary
- Skills: Self-Direction: academic development
- Pricing structure: Free to try, Paid (The free version includes two word packs of eight words each and a word of the day; additional packs are $.99 each or $14.99 for the whole set.)
- Release date: June 25, 2015
- Category: Education
- Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Numbers and Letters
- Publisher: 77SPARX Studio
- Version: 2.17
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 6.0 or later; Android 2.3.3 and up
- Last updated: January 23, 2019
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