Easter is almost here, a favorite holiday of mine especially as a child, interesting as I never grew up with Easter having much of a religious significance. For me, it meant winter was over and spring had begun.

I still love to see the Easter treats and decorations in the stores, as the soft color palette found at this time of year is so much more appealing to me that the red and green or orange and black found during other holidays.

I have not decided yet if I want to treat my son to the Über mess that dyeing Easter eggs can be, and I have not encouraged the sweet tooth I had as a child so he does not share the same excitement I have seeing the rows of Peeps or Cadbury eggs lining the shelves of our local stores.

I do want him to have some Easter fun this year, however, be it on a secular level. We are going to an Easter egg hunt at preschool, and I am excited to share a new app with him with an Easter theme as well.

KidsMag, Easter Special Edition is children’s magazine app, part of the KidsMag series of apps that my son and I really like, much akin to reading Highlights and includes fun interactions as well as engaging instructions for baking and crafts that children will enjoy.

Easter-themed, this app includes a really nice story about bunnies decorating Easter eggs, gently teaching about art and inspiration in a way that both parents as well as children will appreciate.

As cute as this app is with an abundance of eggs, bunnies and carrots, it’s nice to see how educational this application is as well, as sequencing of ideas is taught in a variety of ways.

To hear the main story found within this app about the bunny egg decorating story, tap on each individual panel of this storyboarded tale to hear short passages that relate to the illustration included in each panel, teaching children about the different sections of beginning, middle and end that one can find within a story.

Very nice instructions for baking Easter cookies are included as well. Tap on each image in sequence to hear and read these instructions, nicely broken down to be able to be followed by children in their kitchens at home. Likewise, crafty directions for making bunny ears are also included. Tap on each image to be led throughout this activity from beginning to end.

The arranging of scenes is also taught, as Easter-themed images, such as searching, finding and eating chocolate eggs are explored, as children sort these illustrations from 1 to 4, again teaching the basics of a beginning, middle and end.

I also appreciate how during many of the included activities, the iPad can be shook to bring players to additional pages of the same activity, such as spot the differences, hidden picture carrot, chocolate bunny searches or hopping bunny dot-to-dot. Basic addition, colors and a puzzle are covered in this bunny-themed application. Kids can also get creative with coloring pages as well as an egg-decorating section.

With 17 pages of content – more when one includes the shaking of the iPad to expand many of these activities, this app will keep children occupied for a nice amount of time.

Being a special addition, this app at 17 pages, is shorter than an issue of KidsMag each which have around 30 pages, but it is also less expensive and well worth the money as are the other KidsMag applications within this series, some of which have been reviewed here at GiggleApps. Please search for them if interested.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Stories, Toddlers

Pirate Puzzles is a very nice universal application, great as an introduction to more involved jigsaw-style puzzles with a great use of visual style and terrific use of music.

This app will be a hit among pirate fans old and young. Two sections are included: a pirate ship theme as well as an area dedicated to hidden treasure complete with ghosts and other fun effects. Each section contains nine puzzles with a varied number of pieces and include animation and interactive elements when completed. A secret pirate song is also included per section that becomes unlocked when all the included puzzles have been worked on.

I really enjoy the period style that is incorporated into these puzzles, consisting of muted shades within each puzzle, as well as a distressed map element seen throughout this app. The animations included when each puzzle is complete are simple articulations, also adding a low-tech vibe consistent with a vintage feel, as is the soft focus look which this app possesses. Typically I would consider the lack of a high resolution to be a flaw, but here it works within the look this app has created.

I especially like the translucent ghosts and more zombie-inspired dead pirates found within the hidden gold section, as these pirates have an especially good look to them that kids will enjoy without them being overly creepy.

The varied pirate music heard is spot-on and enjoyable, as is the humor infused within, seen when tapping on the animated moments after each puzzle and during the secret songs found after solving the puzzles of each section.

It would be nice, however, if the player could choose to make individual puzzles a specific number of pieces, allowing children of all abilities to enjoy each of these puzzles fully, as some of the more difficult 20 piece puzzles may be too advanced for toddlers. Likewise, the six piece puzzles may be too easy for older children in pre-school or kindergarten.

Because no reference image is available, the background of each puzzle includes a subtle, grayed view of what will become the finished puzzle, allowing children to use this background as clues as to how to solve these jigsaws. This clue works well, giving kids what they need to be successful, but the image, lacking a lot of contrast and, by design, hard to see in full detail, does not overly simplify these puzzles. Another hint offered is that each empty section of this puzzle enlarges and quivers slightly when the corresponding piece is dragged near, giving kids who may be stuck some help in finding the correct area in which to place their pieces – nice for those who need it, but it would be helpful to be able to turn off this function as well for children who would like to complete these puzzles on their own.

All in all, a nice selection of jigsaw puzzles with a fun pirate style that can be enjoyed by many ages.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Preschool, Puzzle, Reviews, Toddlers

Explore Vincent is a wonderful app for iPad exploring the life and times of Vincent van Gogh, the brilliant yet troubled artist from childhood through adulthood, ending with his death in 1890.

This app is a true multi media delight as many mediums are explored within this app for iPad.

A video section is included that does a wonderful job of introducing Van Gogh as a child to viewers, expressing the emotions Van Gogh presumably felt from boyhood through adulthood. These videos are not straight narratives but a montage of styles including the use of split-screens and a graphic use of color, lines of text music and other elements working together as much as a graphic designer’s work of art and that of the video director.

I appreciate the casting of Van Gogh himself, a red haired young man in his twenties, wonderful as the casual Van Gogh fan may have only a recollection of him as an older man found among self-portraits of his own work.

These wonderful videos really tell a tale of this man’s life and interpersonal relationships with his family as well as ill-fated attempts at relationships with women.

These scenes are not without drama, which I find intriguing and enjoy, yet at times come across as heavy-handed. For example, at the beginning of the first clip, Van Gogh tries to defend birds’ eggs from bullies, expressing his great love of nature and animals. It has a tone, however, that makes these clips seem like prequels to Norman Bates or Dexter Morgan’s life as a child, as the musical tone and voice-over elements make me fear for the animals Van Gogh is actually trying to protect or love – possibly foreshadowing his unstableness nicely, even if at times consisting of a misplaced intensity.

Historical details are found throughout these videos as well, with a favorite moment of mine being the time period of Van Gogh away at school during a cholera outbreak because here, the flair for the dramatic works to great effect.

Other areas of this app are equally abundant, as “Van Gogh’s TIME” gives more historical details of the time periods as one explores the included time line, especially about events in art history – both in general for this time period as well as pertaining directly to Van Gogh and his family.

A nice use of tabs that one can tap to open is incorporated in order to read the included text which, combined with photographs or places or objects as well as small representations of artwork found throughout, gives readers a real sense of visiting a Van Gogh museum themselves.

Along this time line as Van Gogh begins to produce his first pieces of art, a new section is available to explore, Van Gogh’s WORK, focusing on the art created during different time periods of Van Gogh’s Life. I especially appreciate how this app leads readers through important time periods for Van Gogh, especially the great change in use of color from a darker, more muted palette to the bright, bold colors Van Gogh may be best known for when exploring French Impressionism. This section nicely incorporates a map showing where art in question was produced as well as a chance to scroll though Van Gogh’s original letters, drawings and paintings.

The navigation of Exploring Vincent can be tricky when first experiencing this app. It is helpful that readers are brought to the video first within each time period explored, then have a chance to move to Van Gogh’s TIME by scrolling up or scrolling down to ponder Van Gogh’s WORK. One can also be brought to these sections with a tap of the finger found on a menu page after the video clip has been viewed. After spending time with this app, the navigating becomes easier, and I like the inclusion of a guide explaining how to play this app as well as the menu of all included application pages, which simplifies this app.

Games are also included, but maintaining the style of this app, these games are actually quite cerebral as one may fill in Van Gogh’s family tree, included text for hints on placement and choosing correct photographic images of city life found in 1866, with pitfalls including objects such as cars which came later than the time period in question. One can also match paintings with the scenery as seen today or the sketches found within Van Gogh’s letters to the letter itself, using the letter’s context as clues or an exercise in art history as one sorts images into the different styles of painting of the Brabant and French Period as well as sources of inspiration – my favorite game included.

These games, nicely interactive and also reminding me of an installation at a more hands-on museum can be found throughout this app but also contained together at the end of this app – a very nice touch.

I do wish, however, that it were easier to re-watch these videos – something I would love to see in a future update. I was also mildly disappointed that ill health, anxiety and mental illness of Van Gogh were not touched upon this app more, as I would have liked to see some of the possible causes of his darkness explored here as well – from possible lead poisoning, epilepsy or bipolar disorder which may have been aggravated by his fondness for absinthe, which was mentioned within this application.

Even with these notes, Exploring Vincent is a marvelous application that should be part of any library of applications for middle school and high schoolers.

I am very happy to announce that Friday, March 30th, Exploring Vincent Van Gogh Hd will be free for the day to celebrate Van Gogh’s birthday and will be half price that Saturday and Sunday as well – a wonderful gift to the public as this app is of the highest production value possible and is simply terrific!

Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, For Parents, High School +, Just For Fun, Middle School, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Social, Stories

The Traditional Storyteller – How the Elephant Got His Trunk is one of a series of apps from the Traditional Storyteller that I have previously introduced to readers as these wonderful and engaging applications tell stories from around the world which are very easy to recommend for all age ranges.

Elegant in its simplicity, this app, as does the others within this series, consists of a video featuring a master storyteller telling tales in ways that are most captivating. I am impressed by how my son is mesmerized by these apps, focused on every word and deeply entrenched by the performance of these storytellers who are wonderful at their craft.

I really enjoy that these videos do not contain music, sound effects or interaction – only relying on the talents of these included storytellers, gazing directly into the camera as if talking to the viewer directly.

This specific story, How the Elephant Got His Trunk – not to be confused with the Rudyard Kipling story with a similar title – tells the tale of how an elephant, gloating over his cute little button nose is not very nice to the other animals, and is put in his place when a monkey plays a trick on this elephant, ultimately leading all the elephants of the land to have their noses stretched into what is now known as a trunk.

I enjoy this story a great deal, as does my son. It is interesting to see an elephant portrayed as a mean, unfortunately recognizable character teasing other creatures about their noses, creating a chance for families to talk about cruelty among children and how to treat one another.

It is also open to interpretation if this elephant known as “elephant” is one specific rude animal, or if he represents elephants in general, creating an open-ended conversation about whether the trick that the monkey pulled on all the elephants of the land, even those who presumably had nothing to do with the bullying, is acceptable, thus creating a tale that does include some moral ambiguity, which I appreciate.

Other sections of this app exist as well, such as Map Game, where children use their cognitive skills and memory to re-arrange tiles consisting of illustrations based on this story in their correct order, learning about the dramatic structure commonly found among stories in a creative and fun way.

Listen and Repeat allows children to tap on specific moments that together make up this tale, listening to passages of this story, then repeating this story in their own way. Likewise, Tell Your Story lets children re-tell this story from their point of view, using illustrations to help keep their minds focused on the tale being told.

Best Bits replays the favorite part of this tale again, a nice touch that kids will want to listen to over and over again.

Parents as well as teachers will genuinely appreciate how these tales not only highlight storytelling as an art form, but are also excellent for teaching the structure of storytelling, an important lesson for children to learn early as they develop their ability to tell stories of their very own.

I am pleased to announce that this series of applications won the very prestigious Best Educational Resource Award for Early Years from the U.K. National Education Awards, akin to winning an Oscar for education.

To celebrate, Traditional Storyteller apps will be half-price for a limited time. I encourage parents and teachers to add these apps to their collections, especially special needs educators as their students may get a special benefit from watching these videos with the storyteller looking directly into the camera as if making eye contact with the child viewing the video.

I recommend these applications not only as lovely, calming tales for toddlers and preschoolers to relax with, but for older children as well – anyone really who enjoys a great story told marvelously.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Language, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Social, Special Needs, Stories, Toddlers

The Noisy Book GAMES is a creative and fun application that allows children to discover the sounds found among objects in their world – some common, some interesting choices for an application such as this. It is also good to know that French as well as English languages are provided, a thoughtful inclusion especially for French speaking, bilingual and other families looking to expose children to languages other than their own.

Parents who have perused iTunes will be aware of the abundance of apps such as this geared toward teaching new sounds, be it animal, vehicle or the like. What makes The Noisy Book GAMES stand out in a crowd is that the included noises are all created with the use of a human voice, not samples from nature or devised electronically, creating whimsical sounds adults will enjoy as much as their children will.

The main section of this app is the book itself, consisting of multiple pages one can scroll through, each containing six illustrations one can tap on to hear narration read in order to explain the object or concept being explored. Listen to these sound effects and enjoy the animated illustration as well, such as “The bee goes ZZZZZZZ…” or “The watch goes tick tock…” but for me, the most interesting selections are those more obtuse, such as the choices of “Pain” or the electrical socket going “no.”

The cute animation included further brings these words to life with nice effect, and I enjoy that these images have the same hand-crafted quality that these voiced sound effects do, keeping this app lovingly low-tech.

One also has the option of reading this book to oneself, recreating the sounds found throughout or coming up with one’s own unique noises.

I appreciate how the different sounds found within are randomly displayed among these pages and that one can flip though pages of this book looking for a specific sound, but I don’t like how after a sound is explored, it is grayed-out and can no longer be selected – an issue for children who may want to come back to a favorite sound over and over again.

After one has enjoyed the sounds found throughout this app, do test one’s memory of these noises as a game. “One, Two, Three sounds” is also included.

The look of this game is similar to a page from the book, consisting of six images. A sound is then heard, challenging players to select the corresponding sound.

This game has a nice level of difficulty, as one needs to remember a lot of sounds, and these answers are not always obvious. I do not like, however, that one mistake ends the game, never allowing children to know what the correct sound was that they were hearing. I would much rather see this as an activity which allows children to simply try again, showing children the correct answer after a few wrong choices, as well as letting players move on to the next question.

A memory game is also included where players turn cards over in order to make pairs – nice touches include choosing between easy and hard difficulty, as well as these cards turning over as quickly as the players can flip them – good to know as the slowness of having to wait for the cards within memory style games is a common complaint.

The last section this app offers is called Noisy Rap, a sound board based on the same layout found in the book and quiz sections. Here one can tap on an image to hear the sound it makes, together with background music also playing. These new songs can be recorded, and it is nice that a demo song is included to hear what can be created with a little practice. This section, as the name of this app implies, is rather noisy and will be a hit or miss depending on what the player finds appealing to listen to, but as a single section, I don’t see this as a major flaw within this app as the book and quiz modes are quirky and fun.

I have enjoyed the various sounds the human voice can make within this app, but I do think the price set for this app is expensive compared to their other apps at this price point, something to think about.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Language, Music, Primary School, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Sounds, Toddlers

Shapes & Puzzles by Pirate Trio is a very nice universal tangram app which allows children to create pictures of objects or animals by dragging and dropping classic geometric shapes that together make up these images.

With 180 puzzles for iPhone and more than 200 for the iPad, this app is very content-rich, and it is nice that subjects are included which may be of interest to boys who may need extra help with mini-motor skills or cognitive learning, such as big construction machines like a crane or cement mixer or fork lift, as well as helicopter, robot or dinosaur, among others.

A nice selection of animals is also available, such as turtle, peacock or penguin.

Children will enjoy having the name of the puzzles they have created narrated as well – important as some of these images are abstract and although fun, it can be hard to tell what is being created.

Typical of tangram apps such as this, the puzzle to complete is offered center screen, showing the empty spaces that need to be filled by the colorful corresponding shapes found right of the screen in a column one can scroll through. Drag and drop these colorful shapes with basic wood grain details in their correct holes, slowly filling in this image.

The number of shapes needed to complete some of the more complex puzzles is impressive, and I enjoy how one of the four main sections to choose from is dedicated to puzzles that have extra details included, such as scales on a fish or feather details that are found within the bird choices. These added elements really bring to life the objects or animals created within and are unique to this specific app – a very nice touches indeed, as is the toddler section dedicated to the teaching of these shapes, asking players to choose the correct color and shape one is being asked about.

I do not understand the organization of the other two puzzle sections available, however, as the differences between the puzzles included within each are unclear.

Personally, I would have liked to see these puzzles arranged by the number of pieces, as these puzzles can be at times impressively involved. Players or adults may want to search for simpler puzzles as well, and arranging by the number of pieces would simplify this search.

Another nice area of this app is a list of puzzles that gets checked off when completed. I enjoy perusing this list, but it would be nice if a “tap” on a favorite word would bring players straight to their choice.

This is a good application for those looking for a tangram puzzle, especially with the addition of the creative details that bring some of these puzzles to life. With 180 to 200+ puzzles depending on the device being used, this app will keep kids entertained for a long time.

Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Toddlers

Bartleby’s Book of Buttons Vol. 2 The Button at the Bottom of the Sea is an interesting sequel to the highly thought of app, Bartleby’s Book of Buttons Vol. 1: The Far Away Island, starring Bartleby, button collector and world traveler, who goes on epic adventures as he looks for more buttons to add to his collection.

In this volume, Bartleby’s adventure is an oceanic one as he has been given a tip that strange and exotic buttons may be able to be found on the bottom of the sea.

It is hard to describe this app, but the storyline about this epic adventure is just right for a book primarily made up of a series of mini-games that include pitch-perfect narration.

These puzzles are part reading comprehension as clues needed to be successful are expressed in the text and narration offered on each page. From the buttons to press, to the knobs to turn – even tilting one’s device and more – these puzzles are wonderfully interactive, with a great style and use of color, both in the detailed illustrations as well as in the mechanical elements themselves, really bringing these elements to life.

Seventeen pages are included, and I enjoy how involved some of these interactions are, as well of at times difficult to figure out, needing the use of both hands for some, good for dexterity in general. Some of these puzzles are simple, others make me contemplate looking to see if there were any Game FAQs about this app that I could find online, yet ultimately I was able to solve all of these puzzles myself without too much frustration.

Given that the amount of time spent with this app has a lot to do with how quickly one can solve these puzzles, it is a subjective question as to whether or not this app has enough content to justify the price of this application when not on sale, but the quality here is undeniable, the illustrations are terrific, the story interesting and interactions dynamic and fun. It is worth noting as well that this second volume took me longer to complete than Vol. 1.

Collectable stickers can also be found throughout that can also be printed using AirPrint, as well as Twitted if one so desires, and there are some other bells and whistles such as using iCloud to sinc the progress one makes within this app to multiple devices, as well as being able to connect this app to an HDTV with the use of airplay and Apple TV if one is using an iPad 2.

What I did not like about this app is that this book, Vol. 2, ends with a cliffhanger and a “To Be Continued” note at the last page, something I was not expecting and was disappointed by. I really wish developers would let the public know if one needs to buy installments of an app to finish the story.

I did find, however, that within this app, the included interactions can be enjoyed with their own merits, yet the storyline of this app cannot and it is a shame that people who have spent their time with this book will have to presumably wait for Vol. 3 to be released to get the conclusion of this storybook, assuming that there is not book 4 and so on as well – not an issue with the original Bartleby Book of Buttons.

Having said this, I have enjoyed the interactions within these pages and do look forward to the next volume of this series. It is nice that this app will be of interest to grade school children alone or younger children with the aid of a parent. Readers will need to decide for themselves how much the lack of an ending within Vol. 2 will disappoint their children.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Stories

Safari Party, developed by PIXOWL, Inc., is a universal puzzle/arcade app featuring cartoon animals and people drawn by a well-known French cartoonist and blogger, Laurel. To clear each level, players must move the animal icons around the screen to make groups of four. Once groups of four are formed, players may tap the groups to make them break up and disappear (think Bejewled Blitz). A certain number of animal groups must be cleared in the time allotted to pass each level, getting more difficult as players progress. There are several modes of gameplay: Arcade, Speed, Expert, Zen, and Multiplayer (recently added).

Despite the cute, cartoonish animals and their colorful habitats, the gameplay of Safari Party is actually quite challenging. My son (age seven) had no problem clearing the first five or so levels, but it took multiple attempts for him to go any higher. Because each level is timed, this app is fast-paced and exciting but may be a little stressful for some, too. Players can keep track of how many animal groups they have collected by looking at the tally at the top right of the screen and can also watch the timer scroll as it is visible along the bottom of the screen. Animals start to shake when the time is close to running out, however, as long as new groups of four are still being formed, extra time will be added to the clock. It is also possible to earn special achievements and “cheats,” which will help players to clear each level. Players can also shake their devices to scramble the order of the animals on the screen, so that more matches can be located in time.

Safari Party is one of the few apps that not only attracted the attention of my two kids and myself, but also caught the interest of my husband, who finds the app to be quite addictive. As both of us are former fans of Bejewled Blitz on Facebook, it is no surprise that we also like Safari Party. My husband and I take turns playing, competing with one another to progress to a higher level. I also play the app in a cooperative way with my son, as we help each other identify and group the animals. He particularly likes the look of the animals and their habitats.

The only criticism that I have of Safari Party is that when each level is cleared, a cartoon of a woman shows up on the screen to congratulate players, and I find them to be somewhat stereotypical in appearance. These women are wearing outfits meant to go along with each animal habitat, ie: Jungle-wear, Mermaid-wear, etc, and while each of them is pretty and appealing, one is drawn with cleavage showing, which I feel could have been avoided, as this is a children’s game. All in all, Safari Party is a charming and challenging app for ages 6 and up.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, For Parents, High School +, Just For Fun, Matching, Middle School, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews

Line Up is a wonderful interactive educational app that teaches about patterns in ways children and their adults will be smitten by.

I really enjoy this app – a great application to be aware of because parents have their choice of apps dedicated to pattern awareness within iTunes. I have enjoyed a few of these apps with my son, but a favorite of mine is definitely Line Up, from the developers at Busythings, a company that should not be overlooked.

Here, players need to first focus their attention on the line of men at the bottom of what appears to be a cross between a fire station and some sort of assembly line, consisting of ultimately two platforms dedicated to changing the color and size of a cartoony man-like creature to be added to the end of the sequence. Options will include adding color to these characters that start out as basic white, ultimately giving size options as well.

To style this character with a specific color or size, first tap the correct paint canister, leading the man to a paint shower where he is painted. Medium and hard levels will include the need to transform the height or girth of this man as well. To do so, choose the appropriate squashing or stretching machine that will re-reshape the man to the desired size and shape.

There are so many whimsical details that make me smile, such as the use of the painting machine, where the man closes a shower curtain for modesty, raising one arm up and then another to bathe himself in the correct color, as well as the fireman’s pole that the character slides down to the next platform to be sized, traveling this way to find his place on line and in sequence.

I also appreciate the details included in the sizing machines, with devices included that will connect and stretch the man larger, squash him shorter, or include side panels that will squish from the sides, making this character slimmer as well. Fun, irreverent sound effects are heard when these size changes are being made.

When the line is complete, if correct, the men will dance together with music in ways most endearing, really compelling players to keep working with this app to see the next little dance that could be performed – almost as a piece of mini performance art.

It is also fun to watch what happens if a mistake is made, with the other men covering their eyes in disappointment, the character leaving the sequence with his head hanging in a way that is full of whimsy without making the player feel bad about mistakes made.

I love the language-neutral aspect of this app, as these characters mumble in ways players will find amusing without speaking in a specific language, making this app understandable for children of all backgrounds. There is also an impressive list of languages that are supported as well, presumably for this app’s instructions.

This app does a great job of teaching patterns and sequencing in ways that will be quite unique for the players. There are many quirky animations and details, keeping kids’ attention as they play one of three levels of difficulty individually or play through each level from the easiest situations of only changing the man’s color to the additional size element added, with more than one man to be added in the sequence and three size machines to navigate in the most difficult level.

I have quickly become a huge fan of Busythings apps in general as their library is quite diverse with an impressive visual style and high quality seen throughout. I encourage readers to look into these educational applications as they tend to be universal and very affordable. Busythings is a developer that I will be keeping a close eye on, and I look forward to reviewing more of these wonderful, creative applications.

Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Matching, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews

Play & Match Kids Logic Game is a fun and educational game for preschoolers and older kids that enables children to match corresponding images of familiar subjects in this inventive logic game.

Intuitive to use, this app opens up to four large boxes filling up the screen in quarters as well as four smaller boxes lining the bottom of the page. Tap correlating small and large images to make matches that cover topics such as animal habitats, related objects such as pen to note pad or remote to TV, sports equipment to their matching play surface, be it hockey rink, table tennis or boxing ring. Basics such as counting, colors, time and transportation are also covered, as well as other topics.

Thirty of these mini-games are included, and it is nice that one can scroll through, looking or trying out screens that one has not yet worked up to in sequence – nice for adults looking for a specific area of interest such as animals for their children. I appreciate the lack of any sort of timer or score-keeping as well, allowing kids to focus, concentrate and take their time with these thoughtfully designed logic games.

The look of this app is very nice, with a good use of bright colors and lovely illustrations that convey very well the concept one is trying to get across without any clutter or ambiguity.

Because of this, I find the lack of direction offered within this app actually refreshing, as most children of the target age of preschool and up could be handed this app and start making matches using their own brain power to figure out how to play as well as asking for help from an adult if needed.

I did find some mild biases, such as a grandmother figure being matched to sewing needles and yarn while the grandfather is matched to a newspaper. Because no wrong answer truly exists here, men and women could equally enjoy both hobbies, although adults will have a clue regarding what this app is looking for.

Another mini-game focuses on occupations where the only woman is a teacher in contrast to the men who have other more varied jobs such as astronaut, sailor or chef. Other times, children may not have the life experience to know all the objects or situations found, like boxing gloves and a boxing ring, but the process of illumination can also be used when needed, and adults can help fill in any holes children may have with their knowledge or understanding of the subject matter.

The simple style of this app is very appealing as is the lack of a lot of sounds made from within this quiet app. Here, matches will trigger only subtle twinkle sounds – first with the individual large and small box matches being transformed to a happy yellow star with a blue background. Ultimately this image will become a full-screen page between individual matching puzzles. If a mistake is made, an orange screen with a sad face appears momentarily. A noise is also triggered to let children know that their last match-up was a mistake, allowing children to make these mistakes, yet to keep playing until they get the answers right.

I highly recommend this app for preschoolers. This app would be a great quiet game, and I can see it being a useful application in home, school or special needs setting for older children with the help of an adult who may help by talking through the cognitive reasoning needed to make correct pairs.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Matching, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Special Needs