Sunday, December 4, 2011

December App of the month!!! Kids Love Puzzles

Kids Love Puzzles

This month I reviewed an app that I have been using with a number of clients for about three months. The reason that I chose this app is because of the reactions I have gotten from my clients when using it. The program is simple with no bells or whistles, but the kids LOVE it!

Age Range: Kids Love Puzzles is a great app for kids aged 3-12 or older with visual perception weakness.

Difficulty: Kids Love Puzzles certainly caters to an array of user abilities. As users progress through the levels they are presented with more difficult requirements. There are three levels with twelve puzzles in each for a total of 36 puzzles. Level 1 presents the user with outlines for placement and would be best suited for younger children or older children with various visual perception weaknesses. In Level 2 the user is still given the placement outlines however this level breaks the puzzle into more pieces which requires a slightly higher level of planning and sequencing. In Level 3 the user is no longer given the visual cue of placement lines and therefore a higher level of visual perception, spatial awareness and visual closure is required.

Praise: I have to give Kids Love Puzzles praise for two specific reasons.
1. It's free!!! and very rarely do you find a free app that allows the user advancement through an entire program. So often, I download a light version of an app. and just when I am getting really excited about it, I get a message that reads "To use all the features of this program purchase the full version" That will not happen with Kids Love Puzzles. Feel free to explore this app from beginning to end over and over again.
2. Many free apps, don't use any sort of reward system for successful completion. As many of you know, it is important to give children praise for successful completion of a task. Most free apps. move through the program with little visual stimulation or praise for a job well done. Kids Love Puzzles plays background music through its entirety and as children properly place each puzzle piece, they are presented with a sparkling surprise of stars and flowers, encouraging them to continue working through the puzzle. When the puzzle is complete a larger array of stars and flowers moves around the page.

Needs Improvement: There is not really too many aspects of this app. that I would improve. Considering that it is a free app. I think the creators have done an overall good job of giving the user many features that other apps. charge for. I do think that the background music is boring and not very child friendly. I would like to hear a more exciting blend of sounds paired with each of the puzzles. I have felt a bit drowzy myself after listening to the music minute after minute as clients progress through the levels.

In a Nutshell: Kids Love Puzzles is a bright an colorful app that progresses in difficulty through three levels, making it appropriate and useful for a wide array of users. Level's can be repeated after completion which means that more than one child can use this app on a single device. Best of all, it's free. I give this app a four star rating.

Link to app: id421874227

A great resource for families seeking information about SPD (sensory processing disorder

The SPD foundation website is FULL of information for families, they publish the most recent research articles, and provide a service provider database for families to use when searching for therapists in a number of disciplines.  I encourage all clients to look at and follow the SPD foundations website.  I will be updating this blog with new information from the website on a regular basis.