Playground 1

Best of Edition 12 games for kids in 1 App

Review & Giveaway

Developer: Jan Essig

Mentions:

• KIDS APP AWARD 2012: Best of Best – KinderappGarten.de
• KIDS APP AWARD 2012: Best Kids App – KinderappGarten.de
• BEST APP EVER AWARDS 2012 : TOP 10 NOMIEE AS BEST EDUCATIONAL GAME
• appstar.tv: 5 STARS  “5 BEST APPS”-Award
• topbestappsforkids.com: 5 STARS  “Kids will love this app and the prize is definately worth it.”
• iPhoneKinderApps.de: 5 STARS “One of the best Apps ever.”
• appcraver.com: “Playground HD provides a dozen different, ad-free activities that were clearly designed with children in mind.”
• iHeartThisApp.com: “First of all, the sheer number of different games contained in the app makes the replayability really high. Children will definitely be spending a lot of time playing and learning with this. The games are organized very well through icons and the controls are pretty intuitive.”
• apps4kids.net: “A nice and sturdy playground app, with lots of entertaining options. Carefully produced, available in 15 languages. WORTH THE PICK!!”
• bestappsfokids.com: “Forget about downloading multiple apps to ensure all your kid’s favorite games are on your iPad. Install one and be done with Playground HD, a collection of nine popular games, handpicked with the help of the developer’s own children. …”
• kinderappgarten.de: “Spielplatz HD1 bekommt erneut den “Gold Award für exzellente Kinder Apps” 5+1 STARS.”

Developer:

Besides my activities as a dad, I work as a freelance illustrator and game developer. Feel free to contact me if you have suggestions for improvement or your child have any motive wishes for the playground.

Together with my two children (4 + 2 years) we developed an App that contains their current favorite games. We have tried to make all games as clear and simple as possible. We have also tried to optimize those things we disliked in other games.

Even the most beautiful game becomes boring sometime. The following search for “another game” somewhere on the iPad always was quite nerve-wracking and frustrating for my kids (and me). Fortunately this is past. All games are clearly structured on the title screen so your children can quickly change the game without getting lost in the vastness of the iPad.

Thank you and have fun playing!

Review:

(Reviewed by Amy T from Special Apps, Special Kids)

The Playground apps by Jan Essig were a huge hit at the AOTA conference- the obvious reason being they are just plain fun!  The good news is the apps also sneak in a lot of fine motor and visual motor practice.  I can’t decide which of the Playground apps is my favorite- in fact my only complaint is I would love to see a “Mega” Playground app containing Volumes 1, 2, and 3! This volume has 12 activities. One favorite is the “Whack a Mole” type activity where you must tap the cow as it jumps out of the hole.  The challenge will increase too, and you will have to discriminate between diffferent animals. Another favorite is the “Hide the Pearl” activity- a pearl is placed in one of three shells; you must watch the shell it is placed in carefully as they move around.  There are also fine motor activities like letter and word tracing/writing, puzzles, coloring, musical fun and more.

Another plus to the Playground apps is that they are multilingual- choose from 15 different languages!  There are helpful child-friendly settings as well- you must press and hold the settings button for three seconds to make any changes, or access social media links. Another really thoughtful feature is the built in timer- you can actually limit how long your child plays.

Description:

Playground 1 contains 12 DIFFERENT games for kids aged 2-6 years:

1.) FIND IT: 20 pictures, each with 5 errors
2.) PAIRS / MATCH UP: 100 different motives
3.) PUZZLE: 10 “Toddler” Puzzles with 4 pieces & 40 Puzzles with 8 pieces
4.) DRAW [iPad only!]: 15 motives for coloring / 1 empty canvas / 18 colors / 3 Brush sizes / Paint bucket
5.) ERASE: 8 Scratch cards
8.) SLIDING PUZZLE: 8 Motives
7.) CATCH: Catch 5 animals of the same kind
8.) REMEMBER: Try to repeat a shown combination
9.) PIANO: 4 motives each with 8 animals (cats, frogs, cows, fish)
10.) COLLECT: Mama fish has to collect 5 stars for her Kids in 25 levels
11.) ROLL: Alternative to the “SLIDE” game for the little ones
12.) COLORS: Bubble Shooter with colored fishes

NO ADS / NO IN-APP-PURCHASES

You Tube:

Specifications:

Category: Games
Updated: February 15, 2013
Version: 3.1.0
Language:  English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Links:

Website: Jan Essig
Facebook Page: IOS App Spielplatz HD1, HD2 & HD 3
Twitter: @JanEssig
You Tube: SpielplatzHD
App: Playground 1 – Best of Edition. 12 games for kids in 1 App.
Cost: $3.99

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Giveaway until May 14 2013:

Enter ‘HERE’