by Criste Cristen Reat
W
ith the beginning of each new year often comes the urge for us to make a fresh start by making lists, creating plans, and getting organized…sort of “out with the old, in with the new” mentality. In the midst of all this planning and organizing, let’s make time to have fun with our loved ones by playing a game during these long winter nights. Many of the traditional board games and card games now have tablet versions, making game playing an accessible and fun experience for the whole family. We have created a list of some of our favorite app games that are not only fun to play, but also, build important skills like problem-solving, patience, storytelling, turn-taking, vocabulary development, and cooperation. Take a break and play a game!
UNO HD
MemoryBlock M
by Gamelot TThe tablet version of UNO is similar to the traditional card game of matching numbers and/or colors. It is a fun early learning game ffor up to 4 players. It has easy to follow rules and is a fun activity to work on turn taking. There is a multi-player option on a single device or everyone can use their own devices to connect locally using Wi-Fi connection. The app is available in multiple languages, including Spanish and German. Price: $4.99 IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/uno-hd/
b Category 5 Games by Remember the electronic game Simon? Well R here it is in an app format! This is a memory h g game that creates color sequences for players tto mimic. In other words, it creates a pattern that you have to remember to touch the screen in the same order. It can be set to 4 different tones and speeds depending on the player’s fine motor, visual discrimination and memory skills. It is a fun way to test memory and work on color identification with no reading required. Price: FREE IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/memoryblock/
id364368518?mt=8
Android: https: //play.google.com/store/apps/ details?id=com.gameloft
details?id=com.Category5Games.MemoryBlock
Full review:
Full review:
http://bridgingapps.org/app/?id=364368518
http://bridgingapps.org/app/?id=351705979
Toontastic T
Mr. Potato Head Create & Play M
b Launchpad Toys by TToontastic is a creative storytelling app that eenables children to draw, animate and share ttheir cartoons. Making cartoons is easy. You can rrecord your voice, move characters around and tell a story. The app records the animation and voice as a cartoon video to share with friends and family. You can use your device’s camera to add family faces to characters and customize your story complete with special effects. You can even make your own customized cards to share. Price: FREE IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toontastic/ Full review:
b Originator Inc. by Mr. Potato Head is an app built on the M ttraditional Mr. Potato Head toy. After making a silly character, the child can take photos of his/her creation to share and play with the character in a variety of scenes. This app is a fun way to work on vocabulary and identifying body parts. It can also be used for working on following increasingly complex commands from a caregiver. An example of this is: Give Mr. Potato Head a red hat and 2 brown eyes. Mrs. Potato Head Create & Play is also available on iTunes by Originator Inc. Price: $6.99 IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mr.-potato-head-
http://bridgingapps.org/app/?id=404693282
create-play/id577912498?mt=8
id404693282?mt=8
26 48
id351705979?mt=8
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/
PARENTING PARENTING SPECIAL SPECIAL NEEDS.ORG NEEDS.ORG
NOV?DEC 2012 JAN/FEB 2014
Full review: http://bridgingapps.org/app/?id=577912498