Available in the App Store

[appimg 554897928]

Like their other title, Bee Different, First Day of School helps school aged children deal with day to day stresses. In this story, Bee Brave is nervous about his first day at school. During class, in a moment of panic, he forgets his name. While a few students mock, the teacher encourages and comforts him. By the end of the day, Bee Brave has made friends and has a good day at school. Like their other title, it addresses a common concern that kids have, and a positive way of dealing with it. It also reinforces the importance of going to school, that it’s something everyone has to do, and that it can be wonderfully fun.

Like Bee Different, First Day of School, works for kids up to the age of 7, but the app in general skews younger.

Features include:

  • Read To Me
  • Read it Myself
  • Auto Play
  • American or British narrator
  • 4 additional activities
    The Black Board – a simple art app that allows free art play with 6 colors and erase and save command
    Shadow Gardens – Match the shape of the animal with the shadow in the scene
    Whack A Mole – hit as many moles as you can in the time allowed
    Create A Scheme – this personalizable sticker book type activity includes characters from the book and different backgrounds. Finished pages can be saved to the iPad’s photo gallery.

The feedback for First Day of School is the same as their other title, Being Different. While I liked the story, activities and illustrations, there are a couple of things that I would like to see improved. Firstly, there is a huge button on the home page that links to the BeeMates website, which actually redirects to their Facebook page. At BestAppsForKids.com, we really don’t like these kinds of external links especially on the home screen. Secondly, the interactive elements on the page seem like they’ve just been added in for the sake of having some interaction – although, I did enjoy the musical owls page! Finally, the design of the app needs a few finishing touches – whereas the illustrations are great, the rest of the app just isn’t as polished as many other apps.

Bottom line

First Day of School deals with a very stressful event for many children in a positive way. Extra activities make us feel good about recommending the app which comes in at $2.99. The design needs polish, but I look forward to seeing what this developer does to improve the apps and launch new apps around the same themes.

It is Bee-Braves first day at school. He is very shy unconfident bee, and in particular he is scared and worried. In this story Bee-Brave is thrown into a world of many other children who are running around, making noise and misbehaving. He has difficulty in making new friends and being in the spotlight when he is asked to stand at the front of the class to introduce himself to his new classmates. He ultimately becomes brave and makes many new friends, as well as discovering how much fun learning can be.

“First Day At School” has an Emphatic and tolerant story line, which will allow children to open their inner world and to share any doubts and fears they may have, regarding schooling or being away from the family. Children will learn another useful moral, which they will keep inside all their life. Bee Brave will inspire young children’s creativity and imagination in a uniquely enjoyable and interactive way. Children may find a lot in common with a Bee Brave. Regular Price: 2.99 $