Keep Your Kids Entertained with the Number Sense iPhone App
Choosing an educational game for your child can be tough, there are so many to choose from. You have to find a game that will keep your child’s interest as well as be educational and fun. Number Sense is a game that introduces your kindergartener to math while using vibrant graphics and simple commands to entertain them while they learn about numbers.
Number Sense introduces your child to five math games. Each game uses fun graphics and simple commands to teach your child about math. Here is a rundown of each game.
Booster Balls
In Booster Balls the object is to collect balls as they fall from the sky and feed them to the green monster. There are three boards in this game. First you have to collect balls 1-10 then you must feed the monster the balls. Once that is completed you move on to 11-20 and 21-30. In order to catch the balls you have to tilt your phone left to right to fill up a basket. I had to click the orange i button in the right hand corner of the screen to read the directions to my child because this was not a game that he could figure out on his own. His first reaction was to click on the balls that were falling not tilt the phone left to right.
Although, once my son got the hang of it, he really enjoyed it, I on the other hand did not. When you tilt the phone to catch the balls it moves too slow, and when you feed the monster the balls they count each ball while the monster eats it. If they fixed these two things, it would be a great game.
Do the Dotty
Do the Dotty is a fun, connect the dots game. It is not as simple as my son thought it would be. I like how after each round it didn’t always start with the number one. To play this game you have to click on the smallest number first and connect the dot to the next number that follows. A line appears after you click each number and it creates a picture. Once the picture is formed you can change the color and save it to your camera roll. My son had a lot of fun with this game and it definitely challenged him.
Numberella
This game features a donkey and four clouds that are numbered. The concept is for the child to click on which number is biggest and smallest out of the four. Once you answer correctly the cloud rains on the donkey and you earn a trophy. If you answer incorrectly lightning strikes the donkey.
My son just turned 5 and did not understand the concept of this game. When they ask you to click on the biggest number he thought they meant the number that was the largest in size. Once he kind of got the hang of it, he enjoyed earning the trophy and was proud of himself. I didn’t quite understand why it rained on the donkey and why the numbers weren’t all the same size. Other than that, the graphics were bright and fun and it was a challenging game.
Fishoonka
This was one of my favorite games. The object of Fishoonka is to teach your child more than and less than. You are shown two schools of fish and the object is to drag the fish from one side to the other to change their color. This is a fun, interactive way to visually show children this concept using colorful fish. When you open the app there is a child’s voice instructing you what to do. If you click the orange icon in the left hand corner it will tell you the object of the game out loud. I liked this feature because my son didn’t have to ask me how to play, he just listened to the directions himself.
Toot Toot Train
This was my son’s favorite game out of the five. The object of this game is to attach the correct number of train cars to the engine. You have to tap on the car and tilt the phone to move the cars in order for them to attach to the engine. Once you have attached the correct amount of cars it counts the cars, the train leaves the station and you earn a star. Once you have earned five stars you win! My son has a very small attention span and this game, although very slow moving, kept his attention.
Rewards
After completing each game you receive a reward that is displayed on a shelf. You can access these by clicking “my stuff” button in the opening page. This is a great way for children to see all that they have accomplished.
Overall Rating of Number Sense (4 out of 5)
Overall I give the Number Sense iPhone app four stars out of five. Although a few of the games seemed challenging for a kindergartener, the graphics were appealing and it taught important skills that they will need to learn. It’s hard to find a math game that is interactive enough and withstands my son’s attention span. Although it needs a few small tweaks, Number Sense is worth the download.
Download Number Sense from iTunes ($1.99)
References
• Number Sense - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/number-sense/id368493462?mt=8
