Busy Shapes
Piaget inspired problem solving skills
APP DETAILS
Developer – Seven Academy
Age – 2 to 5 year olds
Skill – Reasoning
Score – 88/100
Price - £1.49 / $1.99
App Store Link - http://geni.us/3yUx
Play Store Link – Not Available
Windows Store Link - Not Available
App Review
Busy shapes takes a developmentally appropriate approach to young children’s reasoning and problem solving skills. Indeed, the developers say that they were inspired by the work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Piaget was a famous Swiss scientist who is recognised as one of the pioneers in child psychology. He constructed a highly influential model of cognitive development and learning in young children.
The aim of Busy Shapes is very simple, to place shapes in the correct holes. The app starts off very easy with just one shape and one hole visible on screen. As the game progresses shapes of different size are added, then different colours are brought into the mix and so on. There are six levels to complete and by the end children are not only having to cope with different sizes, shapes, and colours, they are also dealing with various obstacles. These include gates that block off holes, glasses that are over the top of shapes, and objects with shapes hidden behind them. There are even shapes that do not go into any of the holes. Through experimentation with all these elements, children will be developing their spatial awareness and reasoning skills.
Busy Shape can be adapted to meet the needs of most users. If a child is doing well and getting scenes correct, they will move on through the levels but if they are struggling with a particular level parents can choose to move them back in order to give the child more practice at a slightly easier level.
The graphics within Busy Shapes are top notch and the sound effects are also very realistic and really add to the user experience. Each scene differs from the one before. Children could be moving the shapes over a wooden surface in one scene and then across grass in the next. All of this helps to keep the content fresh and maintain user interest.
Up to 40 profiles can be created within the app so playgroup and nursery settings will be able to use it with all of their children even if they have only one iPad at their disposal. Results for each child can be saved for later viewing so parents or teacher can monitor progress.
Busy Shapes is a great app for developing children’s reasoning skills and can be used by pre-schoolers with little or no adult instruction. It is also useful for developing fine motor control. Busy Shapes does not contain any adverts, in-app purchases or external links. I would highly recommend it.
Peter
Educational App Advice
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