So now that we’ve got our brand new iPad, I’m adding reviews for apps that might be educationally stimulating for children. I know the cost of an iPad is a turn off to many people, but to me this device is priceless when you have a child. It is amazing to me at such young ages how kids are driven towards technology and so quickly understand the concept, it is also mind boggling at how these devices can stimulate children’s language. I’m never a proponent that these devices or apps teach our children, I think they are a great supplement to enhance what people are teaching our children through day to day experiences in the real world.
So one of the apps I tested first is the
Once you select the app, you pick from one of 6 sound choices: chimes, flutes, drums, barnyard sounds, xylophone, and a ? (this includes mystery sounds like bells, a phone, dog barking, etc).
A white screen appears, and when you touch the screen with one finger a brown ball will appear and make one of the chosen sounds.
You can add more balls to the screen but repeatedly tapping your fingers, on one or both hands, which allows the kids to make even more sounds.
After this, you flick the balls around the screen with the use of the tips of your fingers. When these little balls hit each other or the sides of the screen they continue to make silly sounds.
If you move the same ball back and forth it will create different sounds, change to different colors and eventually a little birdie will hatch from the ball, chirp and fly away to the side of the screen.
You can also pick the whole device up (iPad, iPhone) and use two hands by tilting it forward, backward and side to side to move the little balls around creating new sounds as well.
So simple yet so entertaining. Keeps our 15 month old giggling and exploring for a few minutes and has been an attention grabber for him to distract and redirect him when we need to using both our iPad and iPhones. Developmentally, my son has learned to point to share his attention with ours regarding different items and people in the room, but these kinds of apps are great for children who haven’t yet developed this skill yet. It’s also great as children get older to create different sound combinations and develop more sophisticated cause and effect cognitive learning skills.
This app is compatible with your iPhone, iPad and IPod Touch.
Sound Shaker by Tickle Tap Apps provided this free to facilitate my review. They also provide nice YouTube demonstrations on their website for you to see how it works specifically before downloading. The opinions in this blog post are purely the bloggers own.