Faces iMake ABC- A Clever Method for Teaching the Alphabet
What the App Does-
Faces iMake ABC was created by iMagine Machine, available for the iPad, the iPhone, and the iPod touch. It contains 26 picture-puzzles, one for each letter of the alphabet. Click on the letter and up pops a picture. Some of them represent commonplace objects (cow, monkey, van), while others are more unusual (robot, joker, yacht). What’s unexpected is that the pictures are created with items you might find around your home- vegetables, tools, or candy, for example. After a few seconds, the parts disassemble like a puzzle, leaving an outline behind. Putting the picture back together is relatively easy, as long as you replace the small parts first.
The voice behind the app is charming and gentle, as he cheerfully encourages the child to “Pick another letter.” If no letter is chosen after a long pause, he asks, “Are you still there?” or “How about doing another one?” A stylized version of the “Alphabet Song” provides background music, adding another element that will appeal to tiny tots.
What Fun Educational Apps Liked-
I enjoyed figuring out which objects are used to make each picture. One of my favorites is the pig. Can you imagine making a pig from a button, pasta shells, three spools of thread, a pair of dice and rickrack? Sounds like quite a challenge, but the result is surprisingly easy to recognize. For the crowning touch, once it is reassembled, the pig wiggles his ears and oinks. Pretty silly stuff, but kids will get a kick out of it.
Faces iMake ABC is simple enough for most preschoolers to use, once they understand how it works. The only two movements required to play are “touch” and “swipe”. Directions are repeated each time a new letter is chosen; this is important because children this young don’t remember directions very long. Some of the pieces tend to be small, making them difficult to move. At first, you may need to assist with those little pieces, but eventually, your child will figure it out. If you are looking for something unique for teaching the alphabet, you should consider Faces iMake ABC.
App Update - Faces iMake ABC has been update October 2013 and now inlcudes a new game and many small improvements. The app is now availbe from the Kids Apps Category on iTunes
See it in Action!
Faces iMake ABC is available for download via the iTunes App Store - iPad Apps and iPad Mini apps - RRP: $1.99 -
Julie Peterson is a speech/language pathologist (SLP) currently working in a school setting, serving children with special needs ages 6-14. Her motto is: “Make it fun, use a trick, then kids will, learn it quick.”
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