Bottom line: An early learning app whose strong visual appeal cannot quite make up for the ho-hum introduction of spelling, reading and handwriting concepts. Initial pack of 12 words is Free.
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Spell, Write & Read from Ripple Digital Publishing is a nice basic app which provides an introduction and the opportunity to practice, well, spelling writing and reading. I like to see an appropriately named app in the app store. The graphics are bold and colourful, the accompanying sound effects are appropriate and non-intrusive and the basic interface is easily navigable for even the youngest child. This is a good start for an app intended for edutainment for young children, but unfortunately Spell, Write & Read doesn't really deliver an interesting enough format to appeal to children who are getting increasingly more used to expecting some 'wow' with their learning.
The gameplay begins by dragging letters correctly onto a word outline. It starts with the word 'bee', and the letters can be put into place in any order (for example, the b doesn't need to be placed first). The letters snap into place with a very satisfying 'click', and when the word is completed, there is a clear voiceover which spells the letters and pronounces the word. After this has been completed, a wonderful bee graphic appears and then it's time for the little learner to write the letters of the word.
Each word is spelled out all in capitals and the drawing directions are clearly marked by arrows and numbers. This is a section that is going to need adult assistance until your child is familiar with numbers and understands the idea of following the arrow directions. When each word that is completed, the voiceover again spells the word and pronounces it, and a merry little star appears down the bottom of the screen so that the player's progress through the module is apparent.
The decorative graphics around the 'notepad' writing area feature some functional crayons and pencils which allow the little learner to have a say on what colour he/she would like to practice writing with. The words start with three letter words like bee or CVC words like cup and bus and end up with longer ones such as train.
Now, while this is a very visually appealing app with a solid basic structure, there were a few things that leapt out at me as needing some tweaking. I've outlined these below:
- In the drag and drop letter section, I'd like to hear the letters verbalised when they are touched. I also wanted to see them flash or pulse in some way when they're being spelled out by the narrator. This will help the child visually connect what they are hearing aurally.
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An option to have animated visual examples of the letters being drawn (before it is the players turn to do so) would eliminate the need for an adult/helper to be present during gameplay and help make the learning autonomous.
- Even though the letters are marked with numbers and arrow directions which show the correct way to write them, it doesn't matter whether the player does them in that order at all. The letter is still marked as completed, no matter which way the player draws it. There is also a huge margin for error in the letter writing - I could draw very sloppily and it was still marked as correct. With this being the case, this app certainly can't be considered a handwriting tool.
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Each word is spelled entirely in uppercase. I'd like to see an option to also use lowercase letters. The gameplay becomes exceptionally repetitive as the format remains the same throughout and even with great graphics, I can't see children choosing to return to this app of their own volition unless they are really very tenacious about finishing up what they begin. And as there is no reward system integrated (apart from the reward of learning, of course) to keep a child motivated, it's just not going to happen.
Parents should note, there are external links to other Ripple Digital Publishing apps on the menu page, along with email and website links. I’d like to see a parent lock put on these to make the app more child-friendly. Also, although the app offers one module free (First Words), additional modules (Animals, Color, Food, Jobs, Shapes) are $0.99 each and are available as in-app purchases from within the app. Each module contains 12 words so the cost for the entire series is a bit on the high side.
So, with the above factors in mind, I couldn’t really recommend this app as an effective handwriting or reading tool. It does however have very good ‘bones’ and with some tweaking has the potential to be quite as strong educationally as it is visually. The first module is free and offers a good amount of content, so it’s certainly worth downloading to see whether this approach might be one that is appealing to your child.
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Eleanor Holland can spell bee, cat and echidna, but she can't spell hippopotamas.smartappsforkids.com was paid a priority-review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.
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