Adults will see this shape-building puzzle game and be, well, underwhelmed. We know what the shape will be before we fill it in. But the under-five crowd loves it.
The full-page display will show a simple shape of a letter, a number, an animal, or some common object. At first, it is white fragmented by black lines. The pieces that fit into those lines are scattered around the object. Little fingers simply touch a puzzle piece and drag it onto the shape. When the piece comes close to lining up with its spot in the shape, it snaps into place with a satisfying sound. Each piece adds a little color and when all of the pieces are in place, the mystery shape is revealed in its full-color glory. Your little puzzler will also be rewarded by a female voice that announces the form of the shape; for example, “J, as in Jump” or “Oboe,” accompanied by an actual oboe playing a few notes.
The youngest kids (say, 18 months or whenever you are comfortable giving your gear to your toddler) will delight in the simple cause-and-effect game of “I move this, and something happens.” They won’t realize that they are actually learning at the same time. Preschoolers will naturally turn it into a predictive game of “I think it will be a dinosaur” and will love the boost of esteem when they are correct.
This simple – yet brilliant – little app has two siblings that are just as fun for kids: Preschool Memory Match and the iPad exclusive Drawing Pad.
