Thanks to BzzAgent and Kidaptive I was able to try out the application Leo's Pad for free. I had previously tried a few of the free chapters with my then 2.5 year old and was very exciting to see more. Leo's Pad is for use on iPad's (and perhaps other tablets too?) I know that it is not supported on the iPhone. It features "Leo" who is a child inventor like Leonardo Da Vinci, a dragon named Cinder and a few of Leo's friends Galileo and Marie Curie. With these three and a few others you meet further into the app you get started on your journey.
A few examples of tasks you complete in the beginning are things like finding Cinder in a room of objects and Leo will give hints such as "I think she's behind something pink" but will later change to "try behind the octagon." The app learns about your child and adapts as your child shows strengths and weaknesses. My daughter who is three has now advanced to building a bridge where you have to match up boards cut at different lengths to make an even walkway. There is one activity with Marie that still causes my little one trouble and that is sewing in patterns, the idea is that you stitch together a sail in the same pattern you are shown. Sewing, in the app, is connecting dots, some might be up and down like a simple stitch but others require you to go diagonal and skip a few grommets. The activity will stay the same for my daughter until she masters it.
This app has worked on numbers, colors, patterns, matching, following instructions, impulsiveness and even letter sounds with my little one. I love that she loves it. I also love that it holds her attention and that it is truly educational.
If I had to think of a complaint it would be that your child can skip through the different activities in the chapters. There are some she does not prefer because she doesn't feel good at them or they do not interest her and she will click the menu and zoom right by them. I do try to be present with her while she plays (not just this app but anything!) and I try to catch her before she will skip it so that I can guide and help her work through it but she is quick!
If this is something that interests you please try it out! This link will help you get a discount. https://shop.kidaptive.com/ecommercepv
There is a partner app that works with Leo's Pad called Learner Mosaic. You do not have to use it with Leo's Pad from my understanding but it does coordinate well. I can log into Learner Mosaic on my phone and see my child's progress. It will tell me when she advances in a skill, or when she has skipped the same activity multiple times. It will also tell me the activities she seems to prefer and gives ideas for play and games not on the tablet that will foster her learning. It provides a few questions each time I log on and gives me ideas based on my answers and her time on Leo's Pad. I highly recommend this app as well!
