Very Hungry Caterpillar, The: Shapes and Colors
© 2016 StoryToys
Six types of fifty self-correcting shape puzzles start easy and gradually increase in challenge level; taking a child from matching basic shape outlines to completing patterns and tangrams. This app is a case study in good design, because it starts quickly (even skipping the title screen) and pulls you into the first challenge. Wrong answers simply drop to side, encouraging another try. Besides the very hungry caterpillar's endless appetite and the gradually increasing challenge, there is on overall context (or reason to solve) these puzzles. It would be nice if there was a way that you could see how many challenges you solved, for example. In addition, there is no bookmarking or record keeping features. Once you've solved all the puzzles, you simply loop back to the start. As a result it's important to show children the menu icon. The plus to this structure is that the app always gives you something to do. As with other StoryToys Hungry Caterpillar apps, the Eric Carle art has been nicely digitized, and the soft background music can be silenced. Children already familiar with The Very Hungry Caterpillar will like seeing their friendly caterpillar going to school in this app. The bottom line? This is an excellent, no fail spatial relations exercise for young children that offers a playful sandbox, where they can classify, seriate (make patterns) and notice the differences in shapes.
$2.99, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV
Teaches: logic, shapes, classification, seriation, tangrams, spatial relations
CTR Rating: 96%