Parents' Guide to

JumpStart World Kindergarten

By Jinny Gudmundsen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Masterpiece in children's tech is fun and brainy.

Game Windows 2007
JumpStart World Kindergarten Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 4+

Based on 1 parent review

naprim
naprim Parent of 6-year-old
November 21, 2010
age 4+

Terrible Service.

I purchased this product membership for Trouble in Town in Oct. 2010. Four days later it stopped working and my daughter was not able to update her progress. She has a pretty updated computer so, there isn't a compatibility issue. I contacted them about the glitch and it took a week for them to get back to me. I did their troubleshooting. The game started to work fine again for a week. Then the game shut down and stopped working. It's been over a month now and I contacted them repeatedly. It still does not work and they refuse to give me back my money. Buyer Beware!
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

Upon entering JUMPSTART WORLD KINDERGARTEN's personalized 3-D gaming world -- where waterfalls flow, butterflies flutter, and virtual friends are always available -- kids pick a character to represent them while they play, using the computer's arrow keys to control movement. Then they set off on missions suggested by other characters they meet: For example, they may need to find floating red orbs (a clever way to get players to explore the world), interview other characters to solve a mystery, or buy something from the game's vending machine to help another character. Gems, the currency within the JumpStart world, are earned by playing learning games in either the Math Arcade or the Reading Arcade. There's so much to explore: discovering a new path, bouncing on jump pads that send you flying across the world, taking a ride down a massive slide, swimming in a lake, talking to other characters, painting pictures, acquiring (and playing with!) pets, trying educational games, and much more.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (4 ):

JumpStart World Kindergarten connects to the Web to send updates about kids' progress and receive new content based on how they're doing -- but parents don't have worry about their children's safety, because their children are never playing online. Every time kids enter this beautiful world there's something new to find: Seasons change, holidays are celebrated, educational games change, and new areas open as more content is added.

The initial boxed product (also available in a downloadable version on the software's Web site) costs $20 and contains the first two (out of 12) content installments. Those "starter" installments include more than 30 educational games and missions for kids; after installing the software, parents will receive regular email progress reports and tips. Additional installments are $8 each, with each new segment building on the skills already learned.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the game's world is different each time they play. How does that happen? Which buddy do you like best? Why? What are your favorite areas to play in? Have you used your earned gems to buy a pet? What is your favorite way to move around the world? What have you learned while playing this game? Do you think about learning things while you're playing, or is it just about having fun?

Game Details

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