The Chronic Consumer

I’ve talked about my son’s problems with reading, writing, and spelling a few times on this blog, so it should come as no surprise to you that I’ve bought and tested a variety of products that aim to help kids with these skills. One of my recent purchases was this app called Word Magic, which works with both the iPhone and iPad.

Word Magic is a game that helps kids with spelling and word recognition by showing them a picture, and then having them try to guess the correct way to spell the word. So for example, if the word is “wand” as in the picture over there, a voice will say “wand”, and your child must choose the missing letter. There are three options to choose from, so you can play with the first letter missing, the last letter missing, or a random letter missing.

There are various reinforcements (such as stickers and other rewards) given for correct answers, which is fun for kids and helps keep them going.

I think this is a pretty good app for $.99, but don’t think the description in the App Store is accurate. The description says that it is ideal for ages 3-6, but I think it is far too easy for all but a very remedial 6-year-old. The app would be A LOT better if there were a level that left ALL the letters out, thereby allowing the kid to try to spell the whole word.

I don’t feel so bad about this purchase because it was only $.99, but I would recommend it for preschool and kindergarten kids only. If your first-grader can’t solve these puzzles, then you’ll need to provide a lot more help than just this game!