Price: $1.99

Noodle Words – Active Game Set 1 Review

Our Review

Noodle Words – Active Game Set 1 is a charming educational app for iPad that is sure to put a smile on the face of users no matter the age, as well as teach the meaning of action works in ways most delightful.

Noodle Words is a very simple app to understand as a box of words is introduced as well as two adorable bugs, Stretch and Squish.

Tap the box for an action word to appear on the screen, which is also narrated.

Now tap this word for a demonstration, as the text itself acts out these verbs such as sprouting veins and ultimately pretty yellow flowers for the word “grow,” or spin around to illustrate the word “spin.”

Do tap the friendly bugs in the bottom left corner as well to further see the word in question demonstrated and do drag these words around the screen as well for fun.

As an adult, I was instantly intrigued and was eager to see how words offered like “Laugh” or “Blow” would be animated, and I have universally been quite pleased with what creative animations this app comes up with.

The animations included contain such whimsy that these words make me smile even after repeated use, such as the letters in the word “eat” eating themselves, turning into the word “ate.”

I think the use of Stretch and Squish is wonderful as well, as these bugs are also seen eating food, making this word less abstract as is the intriguing animation for this word.

Eighteen words are included within this first game set, with presumably more sets to come, something that excited me as I have really enjoyed watching these animated words come to life. The narration here is cute and very clear sounding – something important for a language app such as this.

I think this is a terrific application for language building and overall educational entertainment. This app is geared toward 4-7 year olds, and I think this age group will have a blast with this app, but I think this app would be great for those new to language as well, such as those one or two years old. Even as babies’ first app, the interactions are fun and engaging for parents as well as children.

This app would also be perfect for anyone who is learning English as a second language, or for special needs children who need some help learning about language as well. It is also nice that a thoughtfully written section for parents is included, as is a tutorial for children – a very nice touch for this already intuitive children’s app.

I am eager to see what new Game Sets have to offer, as I found this app filled with dynamic interactions, nice to look at and simply a lot of fun.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Language, Preschool, Reviews, Special Needs, Toddlers

January 26th, 2012 by Amy Solomon Share

Application Detail

Noodle Words - Active Word Game Set 1

Developer: NoodleWorks
Released: 2011-11-16 00:00:00
Price: $1.99

Description from the Developer

Dance! Noodle Bugs Dance! The first in a series of animated Word Toys, Noodle Words encourages kids to discover word meanings like they never have before. Through interactive play, our words come to life as the Noodle Bugs demonstrate word meanings with their highly animated antics. Spin spins, Jump jumps, and Sparkle explodes with sparkles.

✰✰ Developed by award winning children’s designer Mark Schlichting, creator of the best selling Living Books series of interactive children's books.

✰✰ "I think Noodle Words a new classic; a breakthrough like Dr. Seuss's books, but in a sillier than ever, touchable medium." -- Ann H. McCormick, PhD, Founder, The Learning Company

✰✰ "It's refreshing to see a word app that introduces reading by encouraging children to play with words. There is a time and a place for letter sounds and blends, but in this app your child will connect word meanings with words, having a grand time in the process. I love this as an educator, but also as a parent of young children." -- Barbara Chamberlin, PhD, Director, NMSU Learning Games Labs

✰✰ "This is such a fantastic app for my profoundly autistic teenage daughter. It is perfect. All I wish is for there to be hundreds more words! Thank you for all the work that must have gone into this app." -- a satisfied Mom

Features

• Word Toy
A new category of educational app that encourages children to explore the personalities of words through play in a highly interactive environment.

• Expressive Words
Includes 18 action words (verbs) that convey their meaning through lively movement and sound; Spin spins, Jump jumps, and Sparkle explodes with sparkly goodness.

• Invites Play
Open-ended and kid-driven design engages and appeals to even the most hesitant early reader.

• Word Learning
Teaches vocabulary, meaning, and comprehension.

• Highly Animated
Filled with rich animation, with over 100 lively and humorous bug and word animations.

• Dynamic Interaction
Optimized for ages 4-7, with quick response, emotionally charming characters, and interruptible interface.

• Appealing Animated Characters
The Noodle Bugs, Stretch and Squish, further reinforce word comprehension as they enthusiastically act out each word's meanings through their silly and spirited antics.

• Simple and Elegant
Easy for any child to use and successfully explore, with a playful design that's deep and full of delightful surprises. Includes a cute animated tutorial.

• Rich Multi-Touch Interface
Uses many of the Apple touch interface options as play features: tap, drag, swipe, as well as a device shake and the microphone are all used to bring the words to life.

• Tips for Parents
Provides a Menu Page that highlights the interactive features kids might not have found yet, and supports parent-child interaction.

• Innovative Tutorial
Helps users learn how to use the device and app.

• Designed in Partnership with Children
This playful app was informed by Mark’s more than 20 years of experience partnering with children in the design process to create award winning interactive children’s media.

Not all children learn to read the same way. Exposure, repetition, and context all help build relationships to vocabulary and understanding. Noodle Words is a word-toy designed to offer emerging readers a playful modality for language acquisition and word comprehension. Kids of all ages can explore at their own pace, and develop a love of word play through direct interaction. It's even designed to draw-in the most hesitant early reader.

Noodle Words is a wonderful app to play with your children. Some kids love to show off what they can do, and others love to laugh with you when the Noodle Bugs do something silly. We hope playing together with your children brings you the same joy we had while making this app.