As I went through my artificial intelligence coursework, it became clear to me that analogies are the mark of intelligence. The ability to see the salient facts of one situation and re-apply them to another is fundamental to learning, discovery, and growth. Mimicry, the first way that your child learns, is even a form of analogy, applying what you see others doing to oneself. So I was excited to see an app focused on introducing toddlers to analogies.
But I was disappointed with this app. Compared to all the other fantastic interactive presentations that engage the toddler’s interest completely, this app was nothing more than a digital representation of some flashcards.
It is useful if a parent is around to coach and encourage the thought process but the app doesn’t stand on its own two feet very well. It’d be nice if it could give hints as to what the right answer is (blink the circle’s outline, then the square’s outline in the example above), instead of just showing the right answer after a wrong answer is given. But that’s all that a flashcard does, so…
I guess the problem is that there could be so much more to this app, but there isn’t. In some ways, I might even be happier with a pack of analogy flashcards for my money spent on this app. Might get more flashcards than what’s in this app.
Cost: $0.99
