100 Butterflies Review

100 Butterflies is a very nice universal application which focuses on number recognition from 1 to 100 with a lovely butterfly theme.

I enjoy the very simple premise that this app has to offer, as this app opens up to a tree filled with sleeping caterpillars who each awake with a tap, becoming a beautiful butterfly and flying away, having first been labeled with a specific number that is also narrated. The tree is arranged with five butterflies per side, and after every ten butterflies are tapped, one travels up the tree until the goal of 100 is reached.

Two modes are included here - a “Free Play” section and "Quest Mode." In free play, any cocoon can be tapped to see and hear the number being counted throughout this series of numbers, whereas in Quest Mode, each caterpillar is numbered, and one needs to find the correct sequence of these numbers from 1 to 100.

I really like this fun, simple app. I have used a lot of apps that deal with number recognition both for my son and for review purposes, and have noticed that they commonly go up to the number 10. My son can easily count to the mid 40’s on his own before he becomes distracted and moves on to something else, so I really like the recognition of higher numbers being
re-enforced within this app.

Of note about this app is how pretty it is, with soft pastels filling the page and charming caterpillars which transform into beautiful butterflies that take off and fly away. I also like how the background used throughout slowly changes as the numbers progress between daytime and night, with nice details found in the sky as well, making this a very attractive app to look
at. I appreciate how this app opens with a fun fact about butterflies - something I would love to hear more of, but I can see how additional narration could distract from the counting.

This app will be enjoyed by children up through preschool or any age where children are still learning how to count to 100, but I think that this would make an especially nice first app for the youngest players as well who are just learning how to tap a touch screen. For these players, the free play mode would be a perfect way to immerse themselves in number learning, and it is nice that children can grow into the use of “Quest Mode” as well.

I really like the fact that many developers these days are making their apps universal. It is worth pointing out that here I have noticed that the numbers on the chests of these butterflies look a little small when on the iPhone, but I have not heard any complaints from my son, who enjoyed this app.

All-in-all, a very nice counting experience from 100 Butterflies. I am glad to see an application that takes on the teaching of numbers past 10.