 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
FirstWords: Deluxe
- iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Price: $4.99
- Category: Educational Games
Common Sense Media says
Great for pre-readers to early spellers, but can get spendy.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that FIRSTWORDS: DELUXE is a very straightforward word-building game. Words are either said letter by letter as they are dragged into the appropriate gray boxes or, if chosen in the settings, a smaller set of words can be sounded out with phonics. This makes this game a treat for both pre-readers and early spellers. The $4.99 app price buys you words in the categories of Animals, At Home, Colors, Shapes, and Vehicles. Tap "Get More Words" on the menu screen and more sets appear: holiday-themed words, Food Words, Clothes, and Numbers for $.99-$1.99 each (under 50 words each) or Spanish, German, and Japanese word sets (around 115 words each) for $4.99, or a French word set (36 words) for $1.99.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn to spell words in five categories with FirstWords Deluxe: Animals, At Home, Colors, Shapes, and Vehicles. Parents can add more categories with in-app purchases. Touching the picture reveals the name of the object. As kids drag and drop letters into boxes to spell the object featured, they can practice sounding out letters with the phonics feature or hear the actual letter names as they're placed -- or go all out and turn off the sound. Kids get good spelling practice while working on listening skills and building their vocabulary.
Subjects
- Arts
- Hobbies
- Language & Readingletter or word recognition, phonics, spelling
- Math
- Science
- Social Studies
Skills
- Collaboration
- Communicationlistening
- Creativity
- Emotional Development
- Health & Fitness
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Self-Directionacademic development
- Tech Skills
- Thinking & Reasoning
What's it about?
Each page of FirstWords: Deluxe has an object and a word to spell. Click on the object to hear the name, then drag and drop letters into the right slots to spell the word. When the word is complete a voice says "b-a-g, bag!" the object spins around, and the next page appears with a new word to spell. The app includes five categories: Animals, At Home, Colors, Shapes, and Vehicles; you can buy more via in-app purchase. Parents get a lot of options so they can tailor the experience to match their kids' skills.
Is it any good?
The best thing FIRSTWORDS: DELUXE for parents is definitely the different levels. Kids over 2 can drag and drop letters and build vocab and letter recognition pressing on objects featured and hearing what they are. As they get older, switch on the phonics every once in a while and help them sound out words. Once they're early readers and budding spellers, change the "Letter Order" setting from "Any Order" to "Left to Right." The only complaint here is the price tag of adding new words. When you add up what you could spend on all the different sets you may be tempted to scrap it all in favor of homemade flash cards at the kitchen table.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn to spell words in five categories with FirstWords Deluxe: Animals, At Home, Colors, Shapes, and Vehicles. Parents can add more categories with in-app purchases. Touching the picture reveals the name of the object. As kids drag and drop letters into boxes to spell the object featured, they can practice sounding out letters with the phonics feature or hear the actual letter names as they're placed -- or go all out and turn off the sound. Kids get good spelling practice while working on listening skills and building their vocabulary.
Subjects
- Arts:
- Hobbies:
- Language & Reading: letter or word recognition, phonics, spelling
- Math:
- Science:
- Social Studies:
Skills
- Collaboration:
- Communication: listening
- Creativity:
- Emotional Development:
- Health & Fitness:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Self-Direction: academic development
- Tech Skills:
- Thinking & Reasoning:
How kids will learn
Kids will learn by moving around the letters to spell the object on each page. Parents of new spellers can select the phonics feature to sound each letter out. You can also set word length, starting from three-letter words and working up to 10-letters. New spellers will also benefit from matching letters to those grayed out in the boxes. Remove the hints from the boxes as kids get more advanced, or even have them place letters left to right. Kids will also learn vocab each time they tap an object they don't recognize.
How parents can help
- Place letter magnets on your fridge so kids get more exposure to letters and word-building.
- Take the spelling party outside with sidewalk chalk.
- Point out words kids may know on signs when you're out and about.
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- Parents
- Teens & kids
Kid, 9 years old
January 10, 2012
AGE
writing & read questions
i think that this game is a nice game.
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| Topics: | numbers and letters |
| Category: | Educational Games |
| Platforms: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | $4.99 |
| Size: | 18.20 MB |
| Publisher: | Learning Touch |
| Version: | 5.1 |
| Release date: | November 3, 2011 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 3.0 or later |
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