Abby’s Toys – Games for Kids
by 22learn, LLC

How many times have you gone on a play date and your son/daughter is in total awe of their friends toys? Toys that you too have at home, but when there they don’t play with them? This is a regular occurrence in our home. What if they could play with their toys on your Apple device? Well now you can, thanks to 22learn. At the end of July, they launched Abby’s Toys for toddlers and preschoolers. An educational app that encourages users to carefully listen to directions, explore, match shapes and words. Users will experience toys of all kinds with the hope that stereotypes will be thrown out. With the help of Emma and Tom, your little ones will be developing their fine motor skills while having fun as they learn a variety of age appropriate skills.

As you enter Abby’s Toys users are encouraged to enter one of two world’s. At a quick glance, users are able to see those toys that appeal to Emma and Tom. Simply select a friend and games/learning will begin. Knowing the population that this application was designed for, the developers did a nice job making the directions clear and concise and easy to navigate. Each room is set up with 3 games and 1 learning mode. Game 1 is the “Find Me” activity. Here users need to carefully listen to the narrator for the toy that needs to be found. Through positive and negative reinforcements, users will attempt to find all of Emma’s and/or Tom’s toys. With Nickelodeon game like music, the smile on your child’s face will be priceless. With each return visit to Game 1, Emma’s and Tom’s toys and their location will change, making the game continuous. Game 2 is the “Magic Toys” matching activity. Here users will need to catch the floating toys and drop them into the correct silhouette. Toy names and sounds will be further reinforced as you magically put Emma’s and/or Tom’s room back together. Now that your little one has found all his or her toys, it is time to learn. When selecting the “learning” button, players will have the opportunity to free explore with little direction. The only directions here are to tap a toy and to see what will happen. If the “learning” button is chosen, toy names will be announced and a coordinating sound will also be heard. A note to the developers – might it be possible for the objects to animate in more of a realistic manner. For example, if I tapped the blocks, the word would be announced and the blocks would begin to stack rather than spin. After users have had a chance to find, match and free explore, it’s now time to extend the learning one step further. With Game 3, the “Hidden Toys” users will need to unveil 10 hidden toys. Players will hear a word and are then expected to find its matching image at the bottom. Once found, simply drag that image to the toy shelf. To guide all learning styles, 22learn has provided support for those requiring it. If your little one happens to miss or not understand the necessary word, the swinging parrot will guide them. The parrot will do what they do best, repeat! As toys are gathered, the card board boxes will be replaced with the toy(s) found. A note to the developers – might it be possible to add a spelling feature once toys are placed on the shelf? For example, if given the word fish, that image will animate and provide its sound as it already does. However, it would be interesting to spell out each letter as it is highlighted in a bold color. By offering this extension, you might meet the needs of those getting ready for kindergarten.

Overall, Applicable2U enjoyed our experience with Abby’s Toys for Kids. Currently, this educational app is being offered at .99¢ which is 50% less than its normal cost. It is an excellent toddler/preschooler application which will develop their vocabulary, build their love of all toys regardless of gender through repetition, appealing graphics and sounds. If you would like to learn more about 22learn, please visit their website here. Or you can click here to immediately begin downloading Abby’s Toys – Games for Toddlers and Preschoolers to your iTunes library.