December 04, 2012

The Daily App: Wombi Christmas Toys -- Save the Holidays

Santa's workshops need some help this Christmas, and apps are letting toddlers decorate trees and wrap gifts in a fun and educational way this holiday season.

Swedish-based app maker Wombi, which specializes in learning apps for kids, designed a series of colorful and creative games -- such as Wombi Detective, Wombi A Fact Every Day and Wombi Funny Figures -- to catch the roving attention spans of wee ones. The games also create interactive ways of learning that challenge kids without overwhelming them.

What's the App?

The company brings that know-how to Wombi Christmas Toys, a free game designed for both iPhones and iPads.

The app is really five mini-games in one, all of which feature bright, joyful, visually appealing illustrations. Children can help clean ornaments, decorate trees, make treats and prepare the toys for delivery. The types of games offered range from interactive puzzles, drag-and-drop decorating to hone creativity and many others. Kids will be challenged on their knowledge of shapes, colors, quantities and other basic concepts, while still having fun. Each mini-game can be played multiple times, which will appeal to toddlers' love of repetition.

Appropriately enough for a kid's app, the interface is simple, and accessing each mini-game a snap: children simply go back to a conveyer-belt style home screen and hit a lever, making the next task pop up. There is no reading ability needed, making the game perfect for little ones who flock to the iPhone or iPad but can only tap in the hopes of making something fun happen. And for the truly lost, a digital interactive assistant -- a light bulb called Lampy, dressed up in a Santa's helper costume -- delivers simple, clear audio to help guide users.

You'll Want It If --

Tons of child-centered apps exist on the market, but Wombi's specialization in the sector and increasingly rich store of app offerings show a real commitment to understanding how kids use apps -- as well as what parents safeguard against when their children use them. Their apps run absolutely no third-party ads, so there's no chance something inappropriate will pop up from an ad network when kids use it. Furthermore, there are no in-app purchases available, cutting down the possibility that kids will accidentally rack up a bill on your iTunes account.

Simply put, parents can rest assured that their kids are in good hands playing Wombi Christmas Toys, and the peace of mind is a perfect gift when app stores can be a bit of a Wild West in terms of content.

It's Not My Thing -- What Else Ya Got?

There is no shortage of Christmas apps for small children. While several are educational, sometimes all a kid wants is some silly, giggly fun. The Talking Santa for iPad HD app is the holiday offering by the same developer that brought you Tom the Talking Cat and other Talking Friends characters. The principle is the same here: talk to Santa and he'll repeat what you say in a funny voice. You can tickle him, feed him cookies and milk, and if you're aiming to get on Santa's bad list, you can even run the poor man over with a giant snowball.

However, parents be warned: in-app purchases for more characters are available, so watch your iTunes settings and billing. And some may object to a scene of Santa pulling down his pants to show a holiday message on the backside of his underwear. It's innocently funny and nothing a fan of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" can't handle, but some may find it a bit too saucy for their kids. ♦

Categories: Education | The Daily App