Goodnight ABC

 

 Bottom Line:  Fantastic learn by playing ABC app and much more that is a ringing endorsement for why educational apps should be made by professional educators.

I've been working on a review for Bugs and Bubbles, which is a tough act to follow, so imagine my delight when I discovered that Goodnight ABC is just as imaginative and inventive. There are lots of apps that teach letters and even some that are free (Top 10 FREE Apps for Learning Letters). Few do it with the style of developer Quasar Alliance in their debut app. This techie husband and educational professional wife (Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Masters in School Counseling) have created a real winner.

 

The screenshots do not do this app justice because so much of the charm is in the interactions and sound. It is much more than an "A is for alligator, B is for bear book." Each letter is represented by an animal starring in its own fully realized vignette with a unique setting and endless detail. This is not an app to be rushed through. Everything can be tapped, swiped or dragged. Doors open revealing all sorts of surprises, and moving levers retract things hanging from the ceiling. This is cause and effect at its finest. There are endless amusements to uncover. All the latest iPad innovations are used, so much so that the app weighs in at a hefty 656 MBs, which may account for the sketchy performance on my son's first generation iPad (3rd Gen handled it fine).

 

One of the dangers of relying on technology to entertain toddlers is that they may miss out on the developmental lessons learned from play. Quasar recognizes this, so they have taken some of the classic trial and error playthings found in every toddler's home and incorporated them in the app. The plastic ring stacker my own kids had appears in the bear's playroom, complete with colored rings that have to be placed on the dowel by size. Another page has the "put a ball in this tube, watch it pop out of that tube" device that is found in some incarnation in every children's science museum.

 

Goodnight ABC's home screen has options to either Learn & Play or access instructions and settings. The How to Play section gives a brief rundown of what all the icons found in the app do. Touching the mortarboard lets kids learn the names of all the objects in the playroom, as they are both spoken and spelled out when touched. Touching the pencil found in the lower right of each scene switches the page to black and white so it can be repainted with magic ink. Letters can be explored in order simply by touching arrows to turn the page, or favorites can be selected from the alphabet menu. When kids have finished exploring the zebra's boutique or the seal's circus, they can slide the sun across the horizon and put the animal to sleep. The lights go out, the animal closes its eyes and then snuggles up for the night.

 

Picking a favorite from among the 26 is difficult. Most of the scenes have a vehicle of some sort to drive or fly. In one, flipping a switch makes it snow, and in another a volcano erupts complete with lava flow. The P is for Panda page is especially cute, so I'll run through all the play and learn elements on this page as an example of the broad scope this app encompasses. The big fluff-ball panda says "Hi" in a child's voice when tapped. There are lanterns, silk screens and Chinese firecrackers that make distinctive Eastern music when activated. If you water the flower pot, a bamboo plant grows. A robot serving tea comes out of the door, teacups clank on their saucers and chopsticks dance. Pushing the letter once makes it say P. Touch it a second time and you'll hear "P makes the sound puh." The television on the wall counts to ten. Activating the mortarboard lets the child hear and see the names of 15 objects in the room. When these have been fully explored, coloring the page and putting Po to sleep complete the experience.

 

. . . . . Warning spoiler . . . . .

There is no animal that starts with X so the developer cleverly comes up with X-ray fish. Tap a fish and the screen goes black and shows only white fishbones. This is a super-cool effect and the best handling of X I've seen in an app, or book for that matter. It's one of several indications of just how clever and enjoyable this app is. My 10 year old twins both got a kick out of it so I know younger kids will as well.

. . . .End spoiler. . . . .

 

The developer's press release describes the learning potential of the app as follows: "With Goodnight ABC play is the only true instructional tool. Children learn letters, letter sounds, numbers, colors, the basic concepts of nature and technology, and never have a dull moment." After working through the app myself and giving my son a go at it, I can attest that the PR team is not exaggerating. Also, it is hard to argue with the developer's quote that "It is mainly through play that children develop such important skills as problem solving, logic, memory, imagination and creativity" when one of them has a doctorate in psychology. Quasar Alliance has proven as well as any iOS developer that you don't have to water down educational content or skimp on technical innovation to make an app accessible and entertaining for preschoolers.

 

Highly recommended

****

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Jill Goodman had x-ray goldfish named Jason and Deli who came to a sad end. smartappsforkids.com was paid a priority-review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.