TapTeach Baseball Review

TapTeach Baseball is a lovely app that introduces the basics of baseball to young children. Consisting of four sections to further the understanding of the most basic concepts of baseball - specifically the different field locations as well as where the players play, and flashcards that introduce common baseball-related objects and a quiz highlighting what was been learned in these other sections. One also has the chance to dress a player in a selection of different heads and faces, hats and uniforms, and sock choices.

TapTeach Baseball is a good choice for children of t-ball age who know very little about the sport of baseball. This app opens up four baseball cards one can choose that contain the different sections of this app, with an instrumental version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” getting young players in the mood to learn about baseball.

Field Discovery is a section where one can tap anywhere on the screen, styled with the overhead view of a baseball diamond, in order to see the various field sections, identified with both narration and momentary labeling with text. After one has had a chance to learn about the areas of the field, move onto Player Positions, as here, one has a selection of nine labeled players, each with the position he plays, and with a tap and drag, one moves the players where they belong.

Flash Cards is a section where one can learn about items commonly found while playing baseball or attending a game, such as a helmet, ticket, or hot dog. Do tap the object in question for a simple and fun interaction as well as the letters found bottom of this screen that make up the name of the object in question, to hear these letters narrated individually as well, and there is also a section where kids can dress up a character with choices offered for differnt heads, faces, hats uniform and sock colors.

I think this app is a nice choice for young children who are new to t-ball or who show interest in baseball in general. The information is a good introduction to this sport, but an adult will still need to explain a lot of what is being touched upon within this app. Not a big deal really, as long as parents know what to expect from this app and do not expect too much in the way of teaching the rules of this game. I did notice in iTunes that this game is geared towards elementary-aged children, but I think that this app, with its basic interactions and simple dress up section, would be best for kids pre-school aged and below as younger kids will likely enjoy this app a great deal.

Parents will enjoy this app as well, as the subdued palette of muted colors, like the olive green color choice for the grass scene within the diamond, gives this app an interesting period feel, and the choice of making the narrator sound like an announcer made me smile. The flash card selections are fun, and I like the vintage style used here and throughout this app in general - a nice choice.

I did find positioning the players on the field during the quiz section in an area without a perfect demarcation like first base or home plate a little unforgiving, so questions about left field or the short stop may be as frustrating to kids as it was to me, and I do wish the area needed to correctly place a player was less specific. It is nice, however, that when playing the Player Position section, a hint is given if the player gets stuck and needs help. I wish this was offered within the quiz as well because the narrator's delivery, although fun in the other sections and fitting in nicely with the baseball theme, here may be off-putting to some more sensitive children as the announcer style can seem like yelling as he announces "Strike 1" or "Strike 2" and ultimately "You're Out!" for wrong answers and opting for a hints when needed would help avoid the drama.

These issues aside, this is a very nice app for toddlers or preschool-age children who show interest in baseball, especially if a parent can go into further detail about what is being taught, with a classic look that adults will enjoy.