Common Sense Media Review
By Jinny Gudmundsen
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
Ariel and Cinderella lead educational games.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
In Leapfrog's DISNEY PRINCESS ENCHANTED LEARNING, kids practice reading and math skills with Ariel, Cinderella, and other Disney characters. There are four major learning games, plus two sing-along activities and two activities that let girls create fireworks. The learning games offer three levels of difficulty and are programmed to provide tutorials if the child is struggling with an educational concept.
Kids earn jewels as they play, accumulating enough to receive princess tiaras and titles. For example, to help create a ball gown for Cinderella, players move Gus-Gus the mouse around the screen to accumulate numbers, shapes, or letters. The learning objective may be as simple as finding numbers (on level 1), or as difficult as counting by fives (level 3). After finishing the game, players help decorate the gown.
Is It Any Good?
This software does a nice job of blending traditional video gaming with educational activities that will appeal to girls, in particular. Kids play a side-scrolling game with Ariel, for example, but instead of just avoiding obstacles as they swim through the ocean, they seek sets of objects to solve math equations. They also use quick hand-eye coordination to tap opening clam shells with a stylus; but the purpose isn't just to catch the clams when they're open -- it's to collect words that start with specific sounds.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about everyday applications of math skills. Players need to use math skills to accomplish fun goals in this game -- what real-life activities do you enjoy that require math?
Game Details
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