Sago Mini Fairy Tales
Sago Mini Fairy Tales gallery
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Sago Mini Fairy Tales is the latest in the collection of exploration and free-play apps from Sago Sago. As usual, there are no rules, no guidelines, no time limits, and no how-to. Kids simply move Jinja the cat through a fairy tale world and watch what happens as she encounters different characters. There are several characters from classic nursery rhymes (e.g., Humpty Dumpty) and fairy tales (e.g., Rapuzel). Kids don't need to have refined touch screen skills: They play by tapping and dragging Jinja, or by simply tapping a location and watching her move there automatically. There is some mild body humor - an underwater fart, and a big burp - that will likely give kids the giggles, and Jinja gives a frog a big smooch on the lips, which may provoke an "eww" or two.What kids can learn
Graphics and animations are cute and super kid-friendly. Young kids will enjoy dragging Jinja around and watching silly things happen, but older kids may get bored quickly.
Kids stretch their imaginations as they guide Jinja through a magical world and watch what happens. They'll also explore cause-and-effect as they tap the interactive elements. If kids invent stories about what's going on, they can also practice language skills and get creative juices flowing.
Play is super simple and easily accessible. A letter from the developer in the parent's section gives some nice ideas for making play more meaningful.
What's it about?
In SAGO MINI FAIRY TALES tap Jinja the cat's house begin exploring. Watch what happens as Jinja flies around: Gnomes pop out of bushes, mushrooms grow, or acorns fall from a tree. Tap on yellow dots hovering near characters (some of whom are from familiar fairy tales) to see short animations. Jinja puts a band aid on Humpty Dumpty after it falls off the wall and dives into a dress-up treasure chest and comes out in a costume. There are 30 yellow dots in all, and kids can endlessly cycle through the land, repeating whatever tickles them.
Is it any good?
Opportunities for open-ended play, discovery, and creativity are gold for little kids. Sago Mini Fairy Tales inspires by offering no-rules and easy-to-use exploratory interactions. Kids will delight in the whimsical and appealing graphics, and the silly animations. Yet, especially if you've been following the Sago Mini series, the offerings might feel a bit hollow and repetitive. There's just not that much that happens in this game. The 30 animations, for example, each last just a few seconds. Kids lead Jinja around, but they ultimately end up passively watching someone else's creative expression. For instance, kids could create more of their own imaginative world if they could choose what costume Jinja wears when she dives into the dress up chest. Kids can make up stories about what's going on as they explore, but they would be more meaningful if kids had more control over what happens. Finally, some kids may enjoy the references to popular tales, but kids who are young enough to enjoy this game, may also be too young to recognize many references (e.g., King Arthur).
Families can talk about...
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Families can talk about what kids find as they explore the fairy tale world. When you tap there, what happens? Does the same thing happen every time?
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Play with kids and provide prompts and ask questions to help them create a story about what's going on: Why did the giant do that? What might happen now that the plant is so tall?
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Ask kids questions about their experiences: What would if be like if you could fly like Jinja?
App details
| Devices: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad |
| Price: | $2.99 |
| Pricing structure: | Paid |
| Release date: | December 25, 2014 |
| Category: | Education |
| Topics: | Magic and fantasy, Adventures, Book characters, Fairy tales |
| Size: | 78.60 MB |
| Publisher: | Sago Sago |
| Version: | 1.0 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 5.0 or later |
