Learnia App Review
App Info
Price:Free
Overview
Learnia offers a wide selection of spelling and math activities for students in grades 1 through 3 that support Common Core standards. The app is set in a 3-D world that users explore using paths that take them by lesson “stones” that cover many concepts taught in these grades. The stones include from 3 to 6 learning opportunities at various levels of complexity. The app has optional in-app purchases to get even more content.
Features include:
- 3-D graphics
- Video-game-like play
- Scaffolded learning to teach concepts
- Dozens of free lessons
- Encourages self-directed learning
Quality
Learnia is a very high-quality app that young children will enjoy. The graphics rival those of many popular video games. Developers included engaging sound effects and allow lots of choices to encourage self-direction. The interface is mostly intuitive, but the app would benefit from including a parents’ area that clarifies play instructions and outlines the benefits of the game. There are also a few places where printed directions are provided, but the players may not be capable of reading them due to their age and education level. There should be an option to have these narrated if needed.
Education
This app offers a lot of content for free that is suitable for children in grades 1 through 3. It covers lessons from spelling and math. Each set of lessons offers several levels of learning with multiple levels of support. For example, an addition lesson begins by putting a group of three and a group of four items around a circle and instructing students to drag 3 + 4 items into the circle. There is literally no way to make an error. Later in the lesson, there are ten items around the circle, and the math problem presented was 4 + 2. Kids had to drag 4 and 2 items into the circle. The system gives a reward when 6 are placed, and there is no way to place additional items, but there will be unplaced items that look available. This is just one example, and it definitely will help kids feel successful while they are learning.
Spelling lessons offer several levels of play, as well. Students can spell words outright to verbal prompts, can drag and drop letters from a given selection, and more. Again, the system seems designed to help children feel successful as they learn in a supported environment.
Entertainment
Individual correct responses are rewarded with verbal praise such as “good job” and a friendly smiley face that joins the group at the top of the page. When players attain minimum scores, they are awarded with a bronze, silver or gold prize cup. After many games, there is an opportunity to “sweep up” coins and jewels by dragging them to the lower corner of the screen where they are counted. The coins can be used to “purchase” add-ons such as a ball. The jewels can be traded for time to play any of four mini-games, including a tic-tac-toe game, a strategy game called “Five in a Row,” and “Molecule Madness,” and my personal favorite, “Snakia,” which involves guiding a snake around obstacles to hit targets without bumping into the obstacles or its tail. Developers did a good job of including mini-games at a wide range of levels to entice both younger and older students to play as a reward for their hard work. Well done!
Value
The Learnia app is a great value. It is free on the App Store, and it includes quite a bit of content. It is also set up to use Family Share, so up to six children can use the app on various devices and it will keep records for all. Plus, there is an online web version that anyone can explore!
Child Friendliness
Learnia is mostly child-friendly. There is also some concern that some directions for activities are only presented via text and kids in this age group may not yet be able to read well enough to access them.
- NO external links
- NO social media
- NO 3rd party ads
