Bugs and Buttons

What it is: a pack of 18 games and activities concentrating on fine motor skills, critical thinking and problem solving.

What you do with it: please refer to the full list with descriptions available on the producer's website: http://littlebitstudio.com/bugsandbuttons/

What we liked: the concept, great graphics with very realistic animated insects, easy navigation and operation, the number and quality of (most) of the activities, adaptive learning system (difficulty increases or decreases depending on the child's progress), the sound backgrounds, the 'stamp collecting' rewards feature.

What we didn't like: no spoken instructions (in our opinion the 'visual instructions' were sometimes not sufficient). Some activities may require some help or additional explanation from a parent. We didn't like the human-like sounds (when insects are touched), the numerical scoring system with a timer (not very useful for younger kids), the activities where the insects are 'hurt' (caught with fingers or flung with a slingshot). The app could have even more educational value if it contained some real-life facts about the insects (e.g. presented in the Stamps section).

Bottom line: a great set of fun activities for developing fine motor skills, critical thinking and problem solving.

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