Category: Sounds »

Swapsies is a fun matching game app for young kids where one can create different characters with the flick of a finger. Choose by scrolling between different choices of hat, shirt or jacket, and pants with shoes, either looking for matches or having fun creating many different combinations, like an astronaut-farmer-builder or a fireman-doctor-mailman. The possibilities are virtually endless as there are elements to form eight basic characters such as “astronaut” or “policeman" as all of these different parts can be swapped around to make, according to the developers, 1536 unique characters. Versions of this app are available for both iPhone as well as iPad.

My son has just begun to get into dress-up. He enjoys wearing a fireman's hat around the house a great deal, and I have started to look for more costumy things for my boy to play with. This app is a nice choice for those who are into dress-up or changing clothing as this app allows the player to dress and re-dress a boy character at will with many different choices by sliding a finder back and forth through various different clothing choices. When a match is made and all the pieces of a character line up, the player is rewarded with a simple sound as well as the chance to tap and hear corresponding sounds such as a doorbell ringing for a mailman or the beating of a heart for a doctor, nice touches that toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy. Matches made are also tracked by this app, something kids may enjoy looking at to see what they have created and what they are still looking to match.

It is cute that if the player does not touch the screen for a few moments, the boy closes his eyes and takes a nap. It is also nice that this app takes place in the boy's room, something very identifiable to children.

I appreciate that there are options included to change the skin tone of the boy character that the player dresses in this app, but I would really like to see a girl character as an option as well, which would also create some nice opportunities to choose different lengths and styles of hair. I think that app will be enjoyed by toddlers and preschoolers alike as this is a fun and easily navigated game application.

Farm Animals : Story and Games is a simple, cute, and nicely done app which teaches about farm animals and includes some lovely puzzles and an animal sounds game as well. Options for the book include reading the book to oneself or having it read with friendly, well-done narration.

I appreciate the look of this app: the illustrations are well-drawn with lots of bright colors, and the animals always have great whimsical expressions on their faces. I like that animal sounds have been included, as well as some cute hidden interactions that are marked on the page, giving the youngest players an idea of where to tap, a nice touch. It is also nice that the phrase “what’s that sound?” is repeated throughout the book before each animal is introduced, along with other facts about the specific animal.

I also enjoy the puzzles included, as well as the animal sounds game. To start the a puzzle, give the iPhone a good flick of the wrist to separate the pieces in the interest of putting the puzzle back together. The sound of these pieces rattling as they fall away from the jigsaw is very satisfying, but I do wish instructions were included regarding how to do this; it took me a while before I shook the iPhone in order to separate these pieces. The animals sounds game is a simple and straightforward activity of guessing what animal is making a specific sound, reinforcing the sounds learned in the storybook.

I have a lot of fun with all the elements of this book, as does my son. I think it would make an especially nice book for young children. If interested, check out the K-Magic series by the developers at PAKA, which have been long time favorites of my boy. I hope these developers continue to make lovely educational apps.

The Tales of Panchatantra: The Lion and The Hare is a very nice story book which brings a classic Indian fable to iPad and iPhone. Options include reading to oneself or listening to narration as well as personalizing this book, and it is nice languages include both English as well as Hindi. Be sure to tap around this app looking for hidden sound interactions when reading this book by yourself.

The Panchatantra is a famous series of short stories from India which dates back to the 3rd Century BC. Much like Aesop's fables, these tales are told from the point of view of members of the animal kingdom and include important moral messages. Here, the story of The Lion and the Hare is about a hare sent from his community as a sacrifice to a lion to keep this beast from killing all the animals at once, and how the hare outsmarts the lion in the end. This app contains a story within a story, as this tale is told by a grandfather to his grandchildren as he comes for a visit, bringing a copy of The Panchatantra with him.

As one can imagine, the tone becomes heavy when dealing with the lion endangering the village and the idea of sacrificing an animal for the good of the group. I was a little concerned for my three year old son, who really sat up and took notice during this half of the story. Although my son was fine after this tale and enjoyed it a great deal, sensitive children could possibly feel overwhelmed by these concepts.

I think it is interesting how the style of the first part of this app involving the grandfather coming for a visit and the story itself are different, making this app all the more striking when this storybook switches gears and the fable starts. My son listened quietly throughout the whole app but was noticeably more engaged when the story of the Lion and the Hare began. It is especially nice-looking with bright colors and wonderful illustrations. I also appreciate the ability to find a specific page of this tale with the use of an included index, always a nice touch for a story book app. I did notice, however that after personalizing this app with my son's name, I did not see his name used anywhere in the app itself - something that can maybe worked out in a future update.

I hope that these developers continue to create apps that include stories from the Panchatantra. This collection of fables, commonplace in India, may not be as well-known in other areas of the world. It would be wonderful if more children could be furthur introduced to these tales through this developer's storybook applications.

Kindermusik Radio App is an interesting music application from Night and Day Studios, much like Pandora radio, here created with children in mind. With the use of an internet connection, over one hundred songs are arranged into specific stations including “Bounces and Rhymes,” “Animals, Animals,” “Get Up and Move,” and “Mostly Lullabies” as well as a station of stories.

I like the idea of this app; the songs are of a very high quality that one would expect from Kindermusic, and I like that the lyrics are included to these songs as are activities that one can do along with your child while listening to the music, much like the activities one may participate in at a Kindermusic class - a lovely way to get kids up and moving.

It is really nice that you can choose "play along" with the songs if you wish, choosing an instrument like a castanet or egg shaker and then tap in time to the music. My son and I took a few music classes together, but he had a hard time waiting until the moment at the end when the kids were allowed to explore a big box of musical instruments, so being able to play along with any song is right up his alley.

I did notice however, that many times by its nature you are brought to a song already in progress, most notably when you choose a story and have no idea what it is going on. This never bothered me before when using the radio as background music, but when choosing an app as an activity, it is nice to have the choice of starting a song or story from the beginning. Maybe I should have more patience and simply wait for a song or story to end and another one begin, but this is an app geared towards young children who are not known for their attention spans. I appreciate that information about each song or story is given as are options to buy it or its album from iTunes, but I do worry that my son may make purchases by mistake. The option of emailing the song information to oneself or a friend is a nice option to have, but it would be great if one could simply add it to a “favorites” list to keep track of songs or stories to be investigate later without leaving the song's page to do so.

The song and story choices are unquestionably excellent here, as is the fact that activities and the song's lyrics are included and the ability to play along is wonderful as well. If one is looking for kid-friendly radio-style app with a large variety to choose from, this is a very good choice. Another interesting app from Night and Day Studios - definitely developers to keep an eye on.

Kids Fireman is a fun and educational app which kids will enjoy. This game includes many fireman activities such as dialing 911, helping a fireman slide down a fire pole and getting dressed as well as driving to a fire and using a hose to put a fire out.

When left alone with my phone, my son has recently been choosing to play this application a lot by himself. I am impressed that he has learned how to dial 911 from playing with the app after some practice, something that I hope in real life never comes up, but it is important for him nonetheless to understand how to do it. He also enjoys the other aspects of this game, especially helping the fireman slide down the pole, getting him dressed and driving the fire truck which is nicely done as a simulated POV of what one would see from the driver seat. The steering wheel turns and both the sirens and the cb radio sound. It would be nice, however if you could move shift gears from park to drive or reverse with a swipe of the finger, as my son asks asks about this as well as the dial on the dash that shows the gears; it would be nice if the dial moved as well.

I am glad that the music is easily turned off, especially after my son plays this game over and over again, but he prefers it left on, enjoying it very much.

I think this will be a real hit with toddlers as well as kids in pre-school. I am impressed by how long it holds my son's attention. A note though to parents: I keep my phone on airplane mode when giving it to my son so he can’t make phone calls, buy add-ons or email accidentally. I think this is especially important while using this app, not wanting him to “practice” calling 911 for real on my iPhone! Just something to think about, but I think the educational aspect of learning this important, possibly life-saving skill outweighs the chance of it being misused, especially if there is an easy way of disabling the phone so this can’t happen.

Elly Book 7 is yet another lovely storybook about my son’s favorite reindeer, Elly. The “Elly” series of story books is written without any narration and is designed to be read out loud to children, thereby also making excellent beginner reader books as well. In this book, lovely musical as well as other sounds have been added and it is nice that the areas to be tapped are marked clearly and are very easy to find?. Having these interactions not be hidden keeps this app very baby-friendly in terms of finding where to touch, especially for the youngest viewers new to interactive applications.

One of the aspects I have always loved about this series is how warmly Elly and her friends treat each other. This book is no exception, as Elly and her friends find musical instruments and decide to play a song for their friend Owl who loves music, but in this story Elly makes a faux pas by waking up her nocturnal friend during the day and feels embarrassed doing so. As my son enters the world more and gets ready for pre-school to start, I am sure he will make a few mistakes of his own and this story gave us a chance to talk about how Elly felt embarrassed and why. I also appreciate how, although all the individual musical sounds sound very good here, the first time the gang plays together they don’t sound quite right until they get some help from Owl who has experience being a conductor. This adds another educational element about playing music, but also the social aspect that the gang needed instruction and help to be able to sound the way they want. It is especially cute that the song they learned to play is “The Reindeer Song,” which is also the theme used among this series of books, the earlier books being updated to include this theme as well.

My son and I hope to see more from Elly and friends in the future. These books are welcome breaks from the highly interactive apps that he also loves. I not only recommend this book, but the whole series as well.

Peekaboo Forest is a universal app as well as being the third in a lovely series of apps by Night and Day Studios - which teaches children about animals, the sounds they make, as well as their habitats.

This new app is different from the first two apps in which animals are hiding behind a barn door or in tall grass, these objects grabbing the child's attention with the movement and the tapping of the barn or rustling of the grass. They are wonderful prompts to see what animals are playing peek-a-boo and making their animal sounds. These apps are perfect first apps for babies and toddlers and may be among the first apps downloaded for young family members.

Here, Peekaboo Forest has incorporated drawings from famed mid-century artist Charley Harper, whose style of illustration is known as “minimal realism.” This best describes the look of this application as well. This app is very sophisticated-looking, using muted earth tones that one would find in a forest, but these drawings are not without whimsy. All the animals are simply beautiful and in a style that is sure to please adults, and I am happy to say that my son loves these images as well.

Different from the first two apps, these animals hide behind trees or other objects, peeking out just slightly to be found by the player with a very nice realistic scale used, making for a very interesting visual effect when one comes across a particularly large or small animal. Unlike the first two apps which have one animal per page and no question of where to find each animal, Peekaboo Forest has many animals hiding in and around various things found in nature and you need to keep your eyes peeled looking for their movements, hearing the animal's noises once they are found instead of hearing the sounds first to guess who the animal is like in the first two apps. Peekaboo Forest is more of a true peek-a-boo game to the viewer and more challenging than its predecessors, but nonetheless still captivating to my three year old son.

I also like how the different seasons are shown here, with their own introductory screen and musical theme. This app, however, opens up directly into “winter,” but it would be nice if “winter” too had its own introduction as well, as I think splitting this app up into seasons makes a lot of sense.

My son really enjoys this app and I am glad. The musical theme is wonderful as is the amazing art work. This app may appeal more to a older toddler or preschooler and I think that it is nice that this series has grown with the kids who were babies when Peekaboo Barn was first introduced and now may be ready for a more sophisticated app. I can’t wait to see what Night and Day Studios comes out with next; they have an excellent track record!

Maximus Musicus is a thoughtful, interesting and very content-rich application aimed at teaching classical music appreciation as well as musical instruments to children. Based on the well-known Icelandic children’s books and concert series about a mouse who wanders into a concert hall and becomes enthralled with the music that is being performed, this app teaches the basics of instrumental sound recognition, learning the basics of how to play xylophone, harp, piano, and percussion, musical themed jigsaw puzzles are also offered here, as well as a lovely arcade style game also included that kids will enjoy. Designed for iPhone, the app looks good on iPad as well with little pixilation. Be sure to scroll down in game mode to find all seven sections.

I really enjoy all that this app has to offer, especially the Mystery Box which allows the player to hear a sample of music and the sounds of three instruments, as the player must now decide what instrument is playing in the box. I appreciate that each sample of music played in the box is the same, highlighting the differences and similarities of each instrument. The sections of each instrument are also very well done, giving the player a choice of free play or learning short pieces of music by copying the sounds seen and heard, “simon” style, this game being harder that it looks, even for adults. I also like how when one explores the jigsaw puzzles or playing “Maxi's Dream” - an action based game about catching cheese - they are listening to and enriched by beautiful classical music, something that may not happen for children on a daily basis.

I am stuck by the beauty that all these illustrations have to offer, there soft watercolors bringing life and great quality to this app. All the music is expertly played as well as recorded, and a joy both to listen to as well as to introduce classical music to my son in this way. Commonly, after his bedtime story, my son chooses the game “Maxi's Dream.” Too tired to play, he nods off listening to this game, its theme being a very peaceful piece of music.

This app has made me interested in the Maximus Mouse picture books as well, and I hope to be able to read these books to my son who I am sure would love them. I wish these developers will continue to make more applications with such quality and educational content. If interested, also check out Maxi’s Holiday Piano as well by the same developers, Fancy Pants Global.

Who’s Hiding is a simple and cute game young children will enjoy. Play peekaboo with many different animals, guessing who is hiding under the blanket. Hints include being able to tap a question mark icon to hear the sounds, as well as being to see the tip of the animal's nose peeking out from behind their hiding spot. Pull away the blanket to reveal the animal's identity, and tap to make them move and make noise. This is a universal app, working on both iPad and iPhone.

Two of my son’s favorite things are animals and hiding in blankets, so he was excited to play this game and eagerly went though all twenty-five animals. He enjoys tapping them to make them move as much as he likes to pull away the bedding. This is a very easy game to play, and I don’t think that this app will hold my almost three year old's attention for the long-term, as cute as it is. I do think that is would make a very nice first app for a baby or young toddler.

This app is described in iTunes as being a fun and educational game. I agree with this, as this app could be very effective in teaching cause-and-effect to babies and young toddlers, both in pulling away the blanket, as well as tapping the animal to make it move and activating the sound hints. Being very easy to use, this would be a good place for the youngest app users to learn how to navigate simple interactive applications. I do not, however, think this is an ideal app for learning about specific animal noises or accurate images of animals. The zebra makes the sound of a horse, but in reality, zebras make their own specific noises that are nothing horse-like, and the butterfly was given the nose of a mosquito. These issues do not make this app any less pleasant, but some may be disappointed if they were looking for accuracy among the animals. I do like that there are three choices of music available, as well as no music being an option. All in all, if parents know what to expect from Who's Hiding, first time users of applications may get a lot out of this app.

Jellybean Tunes Holiday Edition is an interesting universal app that lets children play Christmas tunes as well as become exposed to the concepts of reading music. Three game modes are included: the playing of these songs by tapping their individual notes, a quiz to see if the student has learned the notes by sound as well as placements on the sheet music, and the ability to make one's own music. The music selections are popular Christmas songs, pleasant to listen to as well as to play.

I never got the hang of reading music in school, much to the frustration of music teachers. Looking at this app as a novice, I think it is on the right path to being very educational, but I do think some things could be added. Although not commonly seen on sheet music, I wish there were an option of the notes being displayed at the side of the staff in full view of the player as a point of reference, and I would like to be able to tap to hear these notes in the interest of beginning to familiarize myself with the sounds they make in correlation to there names and arrangement within the sheet music. Being able to study this as the tunes are being tapped would go a long way in understanding what I was looking at. I am glad that when individual notes are tapped during the playing of the music, their names are displayed such as “a” or “d”, but I would still like to see all the notes listed the corresponding lines and spaces of the staff itself. This would be especially helpful in the creation of one’s own music; as of now, I am not aware of what notes there are to choose from or where to tap to find these find specific sounds that I have heard.

I also would like to see a message to parents on how to fully utilize this app, especially for parents who have no music experience. I would love to fully explain to my son the basic principles of reading music, but I don’t have the vocabulary or the insight to do so. As of now, this is just a tapping and music game to him, but I know that this could be the basics of understanding music if I knew how to help him further.

Sounds of the Orchestra is a fun educational app which introduces children and adults to the instruments one may find in an orchestra. There is much to explore here including a section to "play" which includes an instrument-themed "memory" style game where the player flips over cards to find matches incorporating both the images and sounds of each instrument. There is also an informative "learn" section where you can read descriptions of these instruments as well as a "listen" section, featuring a sound board as well as a quiz to see how good your ear has become.

I especially like the way the instruments are laid out in the "learn" section as you would find in any orchestra, and are grouped into four basic sections, Percussion, Brass, Woodwinds and Strings all to be tapped. I also appreciate how you have the chance to hear classical music being played, for example using just Woodwinds, or Strings to get a feel for the basic sounds these instruments make, while being able to then tap each instrument in their section to read a concise and informative description as well.

Connoisseurs of classical music may find the sounds of the instruments from the sound board in the "learning" section less than perfect, but I think they sound good, and I have enjoyed hearing the difference between instruments like clarinet, oboe and bassoon. We enjoy playing the listening game as well. I do wonder if having the choice of listening to the same music samples for each instrument would be helpful, and I wish this option was available for times when I really want to focus on hearing differences or similarities of each instrument. I also wish the classical pieces sampled were given credit so I could tell my son what he was listening to when he asks. I find many of the pieces familiar from "Bugs Bunny" but I regret that I do not know most of their proper names. All in all, a fun an informative app that we both enjoy.

Tiny Ocean is a lovely interactive ocean themed app, both fun and educational. Starting out on a tropical island, tap various objects such as the sun, ball, or sand castle and watch as they move around the screen, listening to the noises that they make. When finished with dry land, scroll down into the ocean, ultimately landing on the ocean’s floor, tapping various sea life as you go. The music playing in the background of this app is perfect - relaxing and beautiful, I especially like the use of the calypso drum, adding to the tropical feel of this application.

Sea-themed Interactive Flash Cards are included where parents or kids can record their own voices reading the flash cards, aiding in reading, pronunciation, speaking skills, as well as general creativity as these recording can later be used as the soundtrack of the different sea creatures being tapped.

My son (2.5+ years) had a lot of silly fun making his own recordings, and I am surprised how much I enjoy listening to his little voice say words like “Octopus” or “Submarine.”

This would be a great app for babies to teach cause and effect from the tapping, and older kids will enjoy hearing themselves as they make their own recordings. I like that Spanish and Greek translations are included in the Flash Card section, but I wish I could adjust the volume of the recorded and music tracks separately, and I would like to see the prompt moment be longer before one records. Also, we were not able to record over the coconuts, something that I hope could be looked at for a future update.

Although great for many ages, parents may find themselves playing back their child’s recordings on their own for their own pleasure. I know I do. This app has become like a keep-sake of how my son speaks at 2.5+ years and has become very precious to me.

Splish Splash Inn is a beautiful application that teaches number recognition and counting. Sea-themed, this app takes place at the “Splish Splash Inn,” a hotel for fish. Go door to door, find out what kind of fish is staying in each room, and practice counting with the narration as each fish swims into the room. There are 10 rooms to choose from. This would be a lovely game in and of itself, but what makes this app all the more special is that each fish is musical and you can help them swim around as well. Tap to play, and drag to move around the screen. The drawings are beautiful, the music is well done, and I enjoy introducing my son to the names of these fish this way. As an adult, I also like how each hotel room is styled differently, a nice touch parents will appreciate.

I think it's great how children can play this game at their own pace, and I am impressed with how long this app holds both my 2.5+ year old son’s, as well as my attention. The first time we played, my boy wanted to quickly go to every room to see what kind of fish there was to discover. Now when he plays, he stays longer in each room, tapping and dragging the fish around the screen, being really engaged with their sounds. My favorite rooms are those where the fish play octaves so one can really make music with them. The effect can be quite magical. Others have more of a random noise quality that is still fun and entertaining, but not as musical.

I really hope the developers at Shortstack continue to make children’s educational apps. The quality here is grand, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

RunAroundSound Emergency Vehicles is an application for kids, great for imaginative play as it simulates driving an emergency vehicle. There are lots of lights and sirens to tap on as kids explore the virtual dashboards in both a fire truck and a police car, choosing either USA or UK themed cars.

I really like the fact that when exploring the fire truck you see from the point of view of the driver, looking at the dashboard, top of the steering wheel, and most importantly, the view out of the windshield. Run with your device and soon you will see a fire. Tap on the fire hose from the dashboard to put this fire out.

In police mode, move the device side to side to hear the tires squeal or listen to the brakes screech if you stop moving the device.

Each vehicle has a lot of flashing lights and sirens and cool calls from dispatch, making this a loud and stimulating game. It is nice that the settings give you a lot of control over the volumes of all the different sounds, as well as how far and how fast you need to run to put out the fire, and I like that just shaking the device will get you to the fire as well. I wish the police car had the view from the windshield and that it was goal-oriented like the fire engine mode.

I am sure that the right kid would go crazy for this app, but parents may not feel comfortable with the running, shaking, and swinging movements that are a part of this game, for fear that their device or child will get hurt in the process. If these issues don’t concern you and your kid likes the stimulation of lights and sirens, this may be the app for you.

In this animal game, the child is presented with four options: Cheetah, Elephant, Monkey, and Hippopotamus. Within the screen for each selection, three activities are available. First, the child may select a set of blocks, in which the emcee, Froggy, spells out the name of the animal while walking atop the letters as they are highlighted. Second, the child may select "Froggy's Fun Facts" in which Froggy describes a tidbit about the animal's life history and habits. Finally, the child may touch the cartoon drawing of the animal to elicit a monkey's howl, cheetah's purr, elephant's trumpet or hippopotamus'....grunt?

There's really not much to this app, but it is cute, has clean and bright cartoon graphics and is engaging enough for the toddler set. My 2.5-year old really enjoyed prompting the animal sounds and giggled gleefully at Froggy's speeches. The names of the four animals have now been added to her ever-growing vocabulary, and she has her heart set on getting a hippopotamus!