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Software and Games : Software Categories : Children's Fun & Learning : Ages 1-2
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Focus Multimedia Ltd
Every child is naturally curious and we all know that children like to play. The Jump Ahead Toddlers (ages one-and-a-half to three) CD-ROM has been specifically designed and produced to capture a child's imagination and to engage their attention by providing fun activities that will stimulate their young minds, making them want to play them again and again.Throughout, children are encouraged to learn letters and numbers, shapes and colours, learn about animals, to discover music and musical instruments, basic vocabulary, listening skills, mouse control, songs and rhymes, IT skills, hand-to-eye co-ordination and many more useful life skills. The music is bright and lively, the graphics are colourful and the whole is explicit, clear and easy to understand. The CD-ROM is easy to load and particularly helpful is a special mode to keep children from accidentally exiting the program. Help will obviously have to be given to the very young, as the program is aimed at children from 18 months to three years old, but before long, the child will want to do the activities by themselves. There is also a pamphlet that has basic information regarding installation and other technical hints and tips, which should be read before beginning.
This is one of a range entitled "Children", a range of "educational entertainment that not only keeps the little ones quiet, but teaches them essential core skills and tentatively introduces them into the realms of computing." --Susan Naylor
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Avanquest Software
Crafted with brilliant colours and the lazy-summer-day pace of the celebrated series, Teletubbies 2: Favourite Games delivers the goods for the toddler set. From the first scene, where the baby-face sun rises across the computer screen, kids will be entranced. Parents will like it too--mostly for the developmental skills the teletubbies teach.The CD-ROM is based around five games, including "Tuning In," "Gymnastic," and "Making Tubby Custard" (which features appropriately silly sound effects). "Hide and Peep" takes the traditional hide and seek game and adds bright red curtains. "Roly Poly" was a particular favourite; when you click on a teletubby it sends Laa-Laa, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, and Po rolling down gorgeous green hills.
A very big pointer triggers the game's actions, and children should be able to use it easily in developing computer skills. These games also help children to learn how to match (from the hiding game) and create ordered sequences (in the case of the custard game). In addition, the game designers have built in considerate additions for the recommended age group, two to four years old. For example, to quit the game parents need to hit the escape key--a good choice for little fingers that might otherwise click an exit icon by mistake. Charming and colourful--like the television show come to life--Teletubbies 2: Favourite Games will please and delight. --Simon Priestly
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Avanquest Software
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Avanquest Software
If your child is getting that Fimbling Feeling, try Fimbles Fimbling Fun, one of an excellent range of CD-ROMs and console games produced by the BBC. It includes lots of songs, stories and video clips from the popular TV programme. Let your child join the Fimbles and their friends for fun and enjoyment in a world of make believe.There are lots of learning situations, all designed with fun in mind. Objects must be found: a suitcase, a pebble, a feather, a shimmy shaker, and blue footprint, all of which lead to various activities, including a music game, a maze game, a collage, a suitcase game, stories, tickling games, songs and discovery sequence videos. All these wonderfully exciting activities will lead children to meet Florrie, Pebble, Ribble, Rockit, Roly Mo, and Baby Pom, and if any help is needed, Bessie is always on hand to tell children what everything on the screen does.
Also included are activities designed specifically for adults to play and do with children, so that the learning and fun can be developed after the CD-ROM has been switched off. These include printing out and colouring in, finding games, and more. All of the games can be played at different levels of skill and difficulty to cater for a range of abilities. The BBC has developed this CD-ROM in line with the national curriculum at the foundation stage, and recommends that it is suitable for children aged 2 years and above. Skills which can be practiced and developed include mouse control, listening, following directions, observation, cause and effect, and creativity.
Accompanying the package is a first-rate, colour instruction booklet which is extremely well set out and it should be read by parents or helpers before play is commenced. --Susan Naylor
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Avanquest Software
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Avanquest Software
What's the story in Balamory? Invite your kids to join Miss Hooly, Pocket & Sweet, PC Plum, Archie, Spencer and Edie Mcredie in virtual Balamory and they will learn as they play. Based on the popular BBC TV children's programme, the BBC Balamory CD-ROM opens with the colourful introductory song viewers know so well. Children are then presented with a variety of games to test basic pre-school and early years skills.For younger children (3-4 years) the favourite will no doubt be Josie Jump's Hide and Seek game, where they must find Josie in a field of people, then click on her to make her jump. Equally rewarding for the smallest players is Spencer's Colour Challenge, where youngsters use basic mouse skills and number recognition to match colours with areas of the drawing--a kind of virtual colour by numbers.
All players will love Edie's Delivery Dilemma, which involves Pac-Man-like gameplay as youngsters work against the clock, using the arrow keys to direct Edie's bus around the town and picking up fruit dropped by the delivery van so that Pocket & Sweet can sell it in their shop. PC Plum Investigates asks children to sort through the evidence that is all mixed up on the policeman's desk, so he can sort out his cases--tasks such as "click on the things that are the same colour as the sea" make this game accessible to most players.
Slightly older children, (4-6 years) might like to try Archie's Word Wonder, where they must fill in the missing letters on words so that Archie's Word Machine can produce words for Miss Hooly's stories. The only criticism here is that words are sounded out by name only, and not phonetically, but otherwise this is a fun, testing game. Children of school age will also enjoy Pocket & Sweet's Shopping Spree--a fun shopping game that involves helping Penny and Susie put together all their orders, then adding up the cost at the end. If players tire at any point, they can take a break with one of six Miss Hooly stories.
The production quality is superb: colours are bright and images crisp and the clips from the show run perfectly. Each game is introduced and narrated by the corresponding character from the show, with original voiceovers, and the games are fun, educational and pitched perfectly at the target age-range. There are three difficulty levels for each task, to avoid frustration and aid development. Help is on offer on every screen, and children as young as three or four years old, who possess basic mouse skills, will be able to play the easier games unaided, and the others with assistance. Instructions are read out and printed on-screen, so children can follow as they listen, thus developing valuable reading skills. Great thought has obviously gone into matching characters with tasks, and the variety of games played and skills tested makes this a fantastic all-round package. --Lucie Naylor
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Avanquest Software
Can We Fix It?. Of course we can, and with this BBC software package little builders will be better equipped than ever!. Featuring the chirpy Bob and his mechanical multitude of talented friends, this fun package is a mixture of educational encouragement and pure out-and-out fun.Once loaded, you are invited to move the cursor around Wendy's office to select your tasks: hover over the phone, and it rings with a plumbing job; go near the fax, and a job comes in for Roley. Keep moving around, and you will find enough jobs to keep little fingers and minds busy for hours.
In "Hedgehog Rescue", the aim is firstly to help Lofty the Crane build a tunnel to save the scared hedgehogs from crossing the road. Children must match pipe shapes to tunnel shapes, and construct the route. The next, more difficult game, involves Wendy herding the hedgehogs into the tunnel--easier than it sounds, since one particularly persistent hedgehog seems unwilling to go.
In "Travis' Race Day", choose between Scoop or Dizzy to a head-to-head around an obstacle-strewn track. Guide your challenger by mouse or arrow keys--again, not as easy as it sounds, and a great developmental aid for hand-to-eye co-ordination.
"Can We Build It?" involves knocking down an unsafe bridge, then using colour recognition to match the bricks to rebuild it. Roley needs a hand with unruly tarmac in "Bubble Trouble", when you must guide him over the bubbles to even out the road. And in "Scary Spud", you must move Spud around the screen to scare off the crows. But the crowning glory is "Wendy's Birthday", where guests first decorate her cake then join in the fun line dancing. Also included on each game is "Where's Pilchard?", a hide-and-seek game for the shy, blue cat.
Accompanied throughout by Neil Morrisey's narration and the superb music from the TV show, (also now a CD single), this package builds on many elementary educational skills to make little builders into fully fledged Bobs. And while it is not that quick to load (missing plug-ins are provided, but it may take some time) it is well worth the wait.
Testers of around two years old found this package fun and evocative of their favourite TV character, though they did require constant supervision and most of the games were beyond mastering. This is a superb educational aid and lots of fun. (Suitable for ages 2 to 6).--Lucie Naylor
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Softkey
This is another excellent product in the Reader Rabbit range, which supports the National Curriculum and is specifically designed to help children progress through each stage of their development, in this instance from 18 months to three years. All the games have been tested by children, parents and teachers, to ensure that the educational content and the make-up of the games is appropriate to this age group, while at the same time guaranteeing that they are effective and fun. The appropriate skills taught and practiced via this CD-ROM include learning the alphabet, counting, learning shapes and colours, memory skills, matching, patterns, mouse control, songs and rhymes, listening to music and sounds, early vocabulary and following directions. It is not necessary to click on the mouse to play the game, as touching the keyboard or a simple swipe on the mouse is sufficient. There are opportunities to print out lots of activities and songs and personalised certificates to support your child's learning. The accessible graphics make the program easy to use and the characters and stories are full of fun. The CD-ROM is also very easy to load--a rewarding experience for adult and child.--Susan Naylor
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Softkey
A great introduction to directed learning for toddlers, this is full of exciting sounds, shapes, colours, and beloved characters that are sure to delight any young fan of the Hundred Acre Wood. There are eight different areas for learning, all presented in a fun format of games and exploration. With 16 different skills to master, even the most precocious kids will find something to keep them busy.Especially entertaining are the parts of the program that deal with letters and numbers: children pop balloons to raise the characters higher, helping Pooh along the way. Another pleasant addition: the colouring book can be printed on regular paper, and there are Avery stickers and flashcards included.
From sing-alongs to opposites, all the activities are easy for toddlers to decipher, as icons are big enough to handle even for those just learning mouse skills. There are Pooh's house to explore, guessing games to play, and musical instruments to play--more than enough for a rainy afternoon or two. Kids will love it, and what they learn will please you too. --Jill Lightner
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Mindscape
The Book of Pooh, A Story with a Tail is one of a range of titles for young children developed and designed by Disney. Children must help Eeyore find his lost tail, as they extend their knowledge through experience and discovery in an atmosphere of fun and enjoyment which hopefully will lead to their imaginative and creative development.Though the manufacturer recommends this program for 2-5 year-olds, it is worth noting that mouse control is essential and that help will be needed at all stages, but this will create lots of opportunities for interaction. There are five learning activities, and all have three levels of difficulty. Parents can follow progress in the games by accessing the progress charts which also include information on activity completion (which when done successfully results in finding Eeyore's missing tail).While all the fun is taking place many skills can be learned, very often without your child even realising. For example: numbers, letters and word association, pattern, shape and colour recognition, rhyming, critical thinking and memory skills, analytical and creative thinking, following directions, problem solving and spatial awareness.
All the time children receive help and encouragement from Winnie-the-Pooh and friends. Play "Bounce" with Tigger, join Pooh and Eeyore at the "Alphabet Stream", help Rabbit and Owl bake in Rabbit's kitchen and then learn how to ice the goodies, sing a song with Kessie, Pooh's new friend, or help Piglet complete a story. An excellent instruction pamphlet accompanies the CD-Rom and this should be read by helpers before commencing the game, particularly the "Game Basics" page, which shows how to access the games and explains how to print out 30 activities, including cut-outs, colouring pages, mazes and more, all of which allow for learning and fun to continue once the PC is turned off. --Susan Naylor
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Mindscape
Reader Rabbit Toddler is part of a curriculum-based system that is designed to keep children learning all through their elementary school years. Simple, brightly coloured graphics and classic sing-along songs make all these activities a sure hit with toddlers.This pack gets kids off to a great start with an introduction to letters and numbers, matching and patterns, music and mouse skills. In "Follow-Me Theatre", children take a physically active role with finger plays and singing along, while in "Baby Animal Bingo", sounds are matched to help parent animals find their babies. The characters of Reader Rabbit and his sidekick Matt the Mouse are funny and friendly--and always ready to help if your child needs a hint.
Because these characters are in every unit--all the way to sixth grade--and the basic format for each level is similar, children can dive right in to the new curriculum skills without the distraction of different graphic styles or character guides.
You will see quickly why this series is so often used in schools, and we are sure your toddler will love it as much as her future teachers already do. --Jill Lightner
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Softkey
If your children like the Teletubbies they will love this BBC software package. Players can choose which Teletubby they would like to be and move around Teletubby Land finding lots of exciting activities to do.The activities include hide and seek, find the object and musical clouds, and each activity has instructions on what to do and a time limit so your child doesn't get bored. You can also enter the Superdome where the characters can meet up with Noo-Noo (the hoover!) to make some mess with tubby custard and tubby toast.
This game has wonderful graphics and lots of colour and familiar sound; each Teletubby sings their own tune as they go about their business and the theme tune is played often. Play with the Teletubbies is great for children aged two to four, teaching colours, counting and co-ordination.
Younger players will require supervision and assistance, as they will need to use the mouse to play most games. However, the reward true tubby fans get will far outweigh the effort as they see their favourite Teletubby come to life before their very eyes.
To link the game to the TV programme the makers have added a number of short video clips of children going about daily life. This game is fantastic: they haven't forgotten a thing. --Lynne Bradding
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Avanquest Software
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Avanquest Software
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Softkey
Winnie the Pooh and the other denizens of the 100 Acre Wood are ideal companions for guiding your baby through his or her first software experience. Their gentle silliness and not particularly linear behavior provide a perfect match for the vagaries of baby reasoning. Babies can help Pooh pull everything from bubbles to birds out of his honey pots. Use spoons to bang out rhythms on pans with Baby Roo. Point to body parts with Piglet. Paint with Eeyore, who glumly uses his tail as a brush ("Green. Like the grass. Except when it's brown. Sigh."). Or play a bouncy game of hide and seek with Tigger.With all five of these elements, your baby can initiate action by simply mashing a key (or five) on the keyboard. Music, colors, opposites, and counting are just a few of the many concepts these activities explore. A couple of smart touches are buttons a parent can click to control the play. A Good Job button causes the character to give positive feedback to your baby. The Do It Again button is for that thing near and dear to all babies' hearts: repetition. It exists so parents can make balloons float out of Pooh's honey pot ad infinitum, which is just how babies likes it.
Don't expect to park your baby alone with this CD-ROM. It works best when parents participate, using the mouse to move between activities and control the play. Fortunately, little surprises, flawless animation, and well-developed characters make this an easy one for parents to enjoy. Watching Piglet's fidgety hands and hearing Eeyore sigh as a rain cloud drenches his masterpiece is like being with old friends. Designers used a quilt motif as the central visual element of this program, and it's an appropriate choice. Winnie the Pooh Baby is as comfy as a well-worn baby blanket. (Ages 9 to 24 months) --Anne Erickson
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Avanquest Software
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Knowledge Adventure
It's summer holiday time and the Adiboo Choo Seaside Adventure CD-ROM invites young children to join Adiboo Choo and his friends in travelling to the seaside for adventure and learning games on the beach.On the golden sands, with a colourful boat moored in the sea, children are encouraged to play and learn with crabs, fish, buckets and spades, and shells. All learning games have seaside themes and are clearly introduced and explained by Adiboo Choo's two fun friends, Pompom and Chipin. To start a game, children simply click on one of the main objects on the beach. When they've clicked on a seashell, children can start to create a simple necklace of attractive shells by dragging and clicking with their mouse buttons. Adding to the realism, these actions will even create small imprints in the sand as they do it, and traditional seaside sounds such as seagulls and waves add to the experience.
All the activities in Adiboo Choo Seaside Adventure are clearly introduced and it is easy to leave a game if you've had enough. Children are encouraged and praised throughout--when fishing you have to put a number of fish in a net and happy smiling fish appear when a task has been successfully completed. Shape and colour recognition and counting skills are taught in a fun way, and a detailed accompanying booklet for parents means they can be assured that basic skills are being taught. Also available: Adiboo Choo Countryside Adventure. --Justin Hunt
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Avanquest Software
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Softkey
This excellent CD-ROM has been produced by Disney in consultation with American educational experts, to enable pre-school children to gain an insight into the learning and understanding of letters, numbers, sequencing, phonics and colour. Based on a Winnie the Pooh story of a journey through the 100-Acre wood, the object of the exercise is to find certain characters so that they can attend a surprise birthday party. There are three levels of difficulty, and these are explained in the black and white users' manual, obviously aimed at older people, as the program is for two to four-year-olds. The information contained in the pamphlet is simple and straightforward and should be read before commencing. Remember, however, that this was produced for the US market, and consequently some spellings differ. Pooh's Print and Learn facility enables players to print stickers, ID cards, bookmarks, flashcards and workbooks connected with the skills learned in the games. Help Kanga cook with the alphabet, join the Party Spot with Pooh and Friends, Dream with Pooh, paint with Piglet, tin vegetables with Rabbit, make music with Tigger, help Owl with his family tree and at the same time monitor your child's progress in a chart that is updated as your child plays the games and indicates the time taken and the difficulty level. Skills covered in the various games include letter recognition, letter order and phonics, deduction, reasoning, sequencing, thinking skills, categorisation attributes--same/different, number recognition 1-20, counting 1-20, auditory discrimination, music appreciation and creativity, colours, colour theory and listening skills. All activities have been well thought out and will provide hours of fun. --Susan Naylor
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Avanquest Software
