I can’t draw. Like, at all. Even my stick figures laugh at me. So yeah, if you ever join me in a game of Pictionary, make sure you’re not on my team.
The one thing I could do when I was a kid, though, was to trace. I’d constantly have my mom pick up some tracing paper from the art store and have fun copying all sorts of comic book characters and what not. Tracing I could do. Heck, tracing was something I was seriously good at.
There’s no career in tracing, though. So it’s a good thing I knew how to write…
Tracing is a fabulous way to start teaching, though. Think way back to your preschool days. Yeah, I can’t remember that much either. But I know we had all sorts of primers filled with numbers and letters that we had to trace. It’s how we first learned how to properly write. Well, times haven’t changed. The message and approach hasn’t changed. Only the medium has.
I was asked to review Kid Academy’s newest educational app 123 Tracing, a learning app for preschoolers. When I read the line, “We put the education in fun,” I knew I liked these guys already. They weren’t trying to make learning a fun experience. No, they were trying to take fun and work in some education where they can. That’s definitely the way to do it.
The app itself is fairly straight-forward but it’s quite impressive in how slick and professional-looking it is. Bright vivid colors, interactive elements, and high-quality fun artwork. Kids will definitely be sucked in to the fun music, bright colors and firefly movements. The encouraging voice of the narrator cheers kids on when they’re right and gives them necessary support when they’re wrong.
Kids practice tracing the numbers 1 through 10, following the path laid out by the arrows. Along the path are colorful fireflies that buzz and flutter as they wait to be passed. When your finger moves over a firefly, it’s “caught” and placed in your jar. Once you’ve mastered all 10 numbers, your jar is filled and you get a special animated reward at the end.
If your kids can already write their numbers, then they won’t get much from this app other than further encouragement and some fun. (Which actually isn’t such a bad thing!) But if they’re just starting out, 123 Tracing is a wonderful guide to welcome them into the all-important written and verbal world of numbers.
There are also a number of parental options included with the app, the best one being that in order to access the settings, you need to hold down the button for three full seconds. That will definitely help cut down on accidentally setting changes by your little one!
Besides turning the sound on and off and changing the voice from male to female, you can also create different profiles with your child’s name and even upload or add a photo. Why different profiles? Well, set a different one up for each of your kids and you’ll be able to keep tabs on how well they’re doing. A special stats page shows off their progress, displaying which numbers they’ve mastered and which ones they could still use some help with.
Available for both iOS and Android devices, 123 Tracing is geared towards pre-schoolers ages 3 to 6.
123 Tracing is an action-packed app that teaches kids numbers with engaging game that keeps them glued to the screen. Your little learners will have tons of fun learning their numbers in the interactive app loved by kids and parents alike.
This math game teaches fundamental math concepts critical for preschoolers: identifying numbers; one-to-one number correspondence; reading number symbols; associating symbols with quantity etc. Appropriate hints are provided to support your child as they practice and build their math skills. Not only can they discover numbers through initial independent play, you can also play collaboratively with your child.
FEATURES
- Game that makes learning numbers a blast!
- Kid-friendly navigation
- Frequent repetition designed to help children learn numbers and their sequence
- Fun surprises and verbal encouragement that keep kids coming back for more
- Curriculum developed and reviewed by preschool education expert
- A rich, exploratory environment filled with surprises
- Audio instructions
- Kid-tested appropriate game
123 Tracing: Apple App Store | Google Play Store
I used many apps just like this one to help my son out with his handwriting. I must say it really helps out.
I love apps like this! They are perfect for kids and they have fun doing them! I work in a school and the occupational therapist uses apps like this to help the kids!
Wow, this looks pretty cool, nice that they give parents a measurement scale to see how their child is doing. Hope I will get something like this soon.
This would be great for my 4 year old. She can write all of the numbers, but doesn’t always do it the way she’s supposed to!
I like this and it is very educational for the little ones. I think making learning fun goes a LONG WAY!
This would be a really fun and educational app for my son who is two. I have been trying to teach him his numbers and letters by sight and this would definitely make it more fun for him.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
Looks fun and since I as an adult don’t write my numbers correctly maybe it will give my kids a chance!
This is a fun way for kids to learn how to write and it can be erased and done over
sibabe64 at ptd dot net
This is exactly what my grandson needs to start practicing writing! First, he needs to learn to trace! He would enjoy this app!
What a great app. My youngest has such a hard time writing and this would help him to learn the motions of writing the letters.
Such a great way of combining technology and education. I remember the days of Oregon Trail and thought that was advanced lol.
I think these apps for little ones are very helpful as they are much more helpful than app like Angry Birds. At least they are learning something.
Wow this looks like a great app to get for my son.
great app. Looks fun and educational
This is a really cool app – looks like fun – I may have to get this.