Sago Mini Friends Review
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.1
App Reviewed on: iPad 3
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Sago Mini Friends is the charming new app from Sago Sago - a dream team of sorts that has combined the creative minds from developers zinc Roe and Toca Boca. Sago Sago apps are geared towards children younger than many of Toca Boca’s apps, including Sago Mini Friends, a delightful first app to help develop the social skills of toddlers and preschool-aged children.
Here, children can choose from one of five brightly colored and styled animal characters, with a few familiar faces such as Jinga the Cat, Robin the Bird, and Harvey the Dog. After selecting an animal, children are brought to an area of this app styled like a neighborhood where the chosen critter visits the homes of the other animals. A tap to the doorbell will trigger a warm welcome as children are then introduced to ten different, simple, intuitive mini-games. The users of Sago Mini Friends are in many ways a third invisible character who interacts with the items of interest within each of these activities, such as unwrapping presents to expose toys such as a train or car that can be moved around the page, blowing up balloons to give to the two playmates, or playing dress-up with props such as glasses or hats, styling as a stuffed animal included in this scene.
This app, along with the participation of another child or adult, may help demonstrate the give-and-take of a playdate. I do have mixed feelings about how the characters display long faces when their friend gets served food or drink, which can come across as feeling entitled, as children need to learn how to graciously wait their turn. This poor behavior - the idea that one has the right to feel put upon for not being given food first, is a little off-base for the way one would want their children to act in social situations. Instead, I would love to see the animal looking pleased for the friend being fed and slowly, if not being given an equal share over the course of a few turns, becoming notably sad, explaining to children the need for sharing without giving children the option of mimicking spoiled behavior. I also found it a bit odd that animal children are taking naps, tucked into matching twin beds within a scene - not a typical activity I have encountered. In turn, I have not encountered children washing dishes on a playdate, but I appreciate the moment of cooperation between friends as one washes and the other dries - a lovely moment, to be sure.
Sago Mini Friends is an app that can easily be played alone, but the true magic will occur when a friend or family member shares this app with young children, making it easy to recommend.