The Good
- Cute interface
- Lots of variety to keep kids interested
- Educational and fun
The Bad
- More word repetition would be nice
Jacob’s Shapes ($1.99) is a cute iPhone app for kids. Designed for toddlers, this app uses various puzzles to help your kids learn shapes and objects. With a well-designed interface and easy-to-use menu, Jacob’s Shapes is a good choice for any parent who wants their kids to learn something while they play on the iPhone.
Read More: Best iPhone Apps for Young Kids
Learn shapes and names in a fun game
When you first launch Jacob’s Shapes, you can start playing immediately or browse the options menu. To start playing, simply swipe through the puzzles to find one that catches your child’s interest. Within each puzzle, the items are listed on the left-hand side with large cutouts on the main page. Just drag and drop each item onto its shape and the name will be spoken and displayed on the screen. Once your child completes the entire page, they’ll hear lots of applause and ‘Great Job!’ will flash on the screen. When they’re done, they can go back to the main menu or swipe to the next puzzle.
Under the options menu, you can change the voice between an adult and a child. Both voices are clear and easy to understand, so it just comes down to your preference.
The best part about the Jacob’s Shapes app is that it will never get old -- at least not for a while. There are 20 different puzzles, ranging from lunch items to ocean animals. After you complete the puzzle, it would be nice if you could tap on the animal or object again to hear its name without starting over. I know several kids who would get a kick out of just tapping the characters over and over to hear the name.
The Bottom Line
Jacob’s Shapes is a great app for teaching your child shapes and objects. The interface is so cute and there’s enough variety to keep kids interested. Although it would be nice if you could tap to hear the names again after the puzzle is completed, that’s only a minor quibble. If you have a toddler, the Jacob’s Shapes app should be one of your first downloads. Overall rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.
What You’ll Need
Jacob’s Shapes is compatible with the iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad; it requires iPhone OS 3.1 or later.