Review: 4 Vtech Innotab Apps

I finally got over the fact that I never received any Vcoins and purchased a gift card to buy Innotab Apps. I wanted apps that were not too flashy and engaging for my 3 year-olds. I started searching by the cheapest e-books and games.

  • How long have we played these apps: 3 or 4 weeks
  • Were they easy to download to the device? Yes
  • Did you need anything special to download the apps? Only Vtech’s Learning Lodge Navigator and a memory card.
  • Does Vtech offer Free apps for the Innotab? On Vtech’s site it says ” Select a platform listed below and follow the easy prompts to install the Learning Lodge Navigator. From there you can choose from many FREE software titles as well as additional titles for purchase.” As of today March 20, 2012 there are NO free software titles to choose from.
  • Can you preview the games? It would be nice, but no, you just have to trust the description and picture. You’ve heard the saying don’t judge a book by its cover, well in this case you have to that is why I am providing my review based on my favorite to my least favorite.
  • Did the games automatically go into the correct category on the Innotab? Yes, but I wish other was an icon on the home screen as well, because for games found in the other category you have to retrieve them form the downloads folder.
  • What games did you purchase? See below

LETTER POOCH

Letter Pooch Innotab App

This game is a fun tracing game for kids, to how them learn how to write their letters, but it only works well with the stylus and my kids cannot locate theirs. This is their favorite game and they have learned how to use the app without the stylus but it does not always work perfectly. The goal of the game is for children to follow the gopher and help their puppy collect snacks. My children use their fingers to help drag the dog’s paws to the end of the letter. This game would be so much better if the stylus wasn’t necessary and the screen was more sensitive to the touch.

Globe Innotab App

GLOBE

As a parent this is my favorite game because it gives children a chance to explore the real world. They learn real facts that they will be able to recall in the future. I also really like that the apps teach them basic words in different languages. This app will not teach the intricacies of the geography because the globe only allows you to select a few predetermined places and not anything on the globe, but it is nice and age appropriate for younger children. Vtech gives an age range of 5-7, but my daughter enjoys it at 3 and I don’t think it provides enough information for a 5-7/ 7-9; however it would of course depend on the child. The rating may be based on the reading level, because some of the words are advanced for my daughter to read on her own. My daughter’s favorite part of this app is learning the languages we she can do on her own. She please scrolling through and repeating different words like please, thank you, hello, goodbye, etc. Overall, this is a great parent/child app that you can enjoy together.

  • Which ebooks did you puchase?
Busby and the Magical Museum

BUGSBY AND THE MAGICAL MUSEUM

This ebook is one of my children’s favorite: It is an interactive story. Melissa a student on a field trip notices that the paintings are missing objects, with the help of Bugby they replace the missing items. The book itself is not a new idea, but the book is an adventure for younger children who get to explore along with Melissa and Bugsby. Exploring the museum with them children have a chance to think about what is not right about the painting. I agree with the age range for this book, for children around the ages of 4-6.

The World of Science

WORLD OF SCIENCE

I agree that this app is for older children, Vtech age range is from 7-9. However, it reminds me of the science text books I had as a child. Therefore, more should be done to make this app engaging for older children. The pictures and graphics are not exciting. It also doesn’t flow well as a book. I think seeing science in action would have been more fun then just taking a challenge and reading the descriptions. This is an ebook app, but in my opinion the free ebook “What’s That Noise” is more interactive than this book.

Overall thoughts

If you have younger children stick with the animated apps for ebooks. I also think that the 4.99 apps do probably give you more value for your money, but I will have to evaluate those in a future post.

READER RESPONSE: If your child has an Innotab, what are some of the apps your child enjoys.

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