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Funny Directions by Speecharoo App Review

App Info

Price: $4.99

Overview

Funny Directions helps kids build word recognition skills and learn to follow directions in silly ways. Kids can follow one, two, and three-step directions at the park, at the beach, in the classroom, and in the bedroom. Some of the directions are practical, such as “open the backpack and place the pencil in the backpack.” Other directions are silly, such as “tickle the mouse.” When kids correctly follow the directions, they’re rewarded with animated illustrations and silly sound effects. Kids may not always listen when a parent tells them to do something, but they’ll definitely follow the directions in this app!

Features include:

Four settings
1, 2, and 3-step directions
Voice and text commands
Animated illustrations
Funny sound effects

Quality

The main screen of the app features four different settings (beach, park, classroom, bedroom) and next to each setting are three balloons labeled 1, 2, and 3. The numbers on the balloons represent how many steps kids will have to follow. When kids tap on one of the numbered balloons they’re taken to an illustrated scene and are given a set of directions. All directions are displayed at the top of the screen and read-aloud. Parents can turn off the text or voice directions by tapping on the settings icon. While the sounds and text in the app are clear, they lack a bit of quality and polish. For example, there’s a bit of an echo-y feel to the directions and the sound effects. Overall, however, kids will have an easy time navigating the app.

Education

One of the developer’s goals is to help kids build their word recognition skills and learn multiple parts of speech. This is particularly clear in the two-step and three-step instructions which require kids to complete more actions and move objects in multiple ways. All three levels of instructions help improve kids’ auditory skills as well, requiring them to listen closely to ensure they follow the directions carefully.

Entertainment

While listening to mom or dad can be unpleasant at times, following directions in Funny Directions is always fun. This is because when kids follow directions they’re rewarded with silly sound effects and animations. These range from a car racing around a room to a frog riding a skateboard and from dancing shoes to barking and jumping dogs. When kids complete all directions for a level, they’re given the chance to pop balloons, making the app even more fun.

Value

Aside from the slight lack of quality in the audio and overall lack of polish in the app, Funny Directions proves to be a good choice for young children. Toddlers, preschoolers, and even kids in kindergarten are likely to enjoy this app.

Child Friendliness

Aside from a basic settings screen, the majority of the app is child-friendly and easy for kids to navigate. At the end of every level, however, an “e-mail results” button appears at the top of the screen and allows kids to e-mail their score report to any e-mail address. This option, while nice for parents, should be protected by a parental block.