App Review: Kiboomu's Toddler Sing & Learn

Obviously, we don't care what apps are called as long as they appeal to Leo, so I was more than happy to have our ten-year-old boy try out Kiboomu's app Toddler Sing & Learn ($1.99). Leo is already a fan of Kiboomu's piano/karaoke/sing along apps Old MacDonald Piano and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Storybook Piano, so I had high expectations -- and was not disappointed. This is a straightforward but versatile and engaging app, especially for kids like Leo for whom music is a language.

Toddler Sing & Learn is a collection of ten simple songs, including several Leo already knows and loves -- Apples and Bananas, and The Ants Come Marching In.

The app's main screen presents three options: Puzzles, Color, and Sing; all three contain the same ten screens (one per song). Consistent graphics are good for kids like Leo who are visually oriented -- they see the same screen, they know what song to expect. Predictable navigation structure helps Leo use and explore the app independently.

The three modes function differently, just as advertised. Puzzle mode (pictured) lets kids drag different picture elements as they appear in the upper right corner, and drop them into the same-shaped area on the screen. Leo thinks this mode is hilarious -- and he's certainly very good at it.

Color mode is simple but nicely designed. Each song's trademark screen appears in outline mode. The only option is to choose the color the user wants to paint with from a column of colored pencils on the screen's right side, then Leo uses his finger to color away. Again, this is ideal for our boy. He doesn't have to deal with pop-up menus or navigating to other screens yet can still have coloring/design optionos.

Sing mode is just that -- the song sung over the screen. Leo is less interested in this mode since the interactivity is limited -- but he likes it well enough,  and loves the other two modes.

As Leo's parent, I appreciate that Toddler Sing & Learn gives kids lots of positive reinforcement when tasks are completed (see third photo; there is audio cheering as well). And the songs sound  professional and not too grating -- I can only take so many kids' songs, and have zero tolerance for crappy or mediocre recordings. So Leo and I are both pleased.

If, like Leo, your child likes music and gravitates towards apps with simple yet varied and easily navigated activities, then Toddler Sing & Learn is a good choice.

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Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary copy of Toddler Sing & Learn, but that has no bearing on my opinions as presented here.

Leelo Leading a Family Singalong

Leo might not be the most assertive member of our ensemble, but he's the one improvising and leading the spontaneous family singalong:



Seymour and I spent New Year's Eve 1999 with his parents, his brother James and our very pregnant SIL Bree at Emeril's Las Vegas, where we dined for three plus hours while everyone cooed about our perfectly gorgeous and angelic baby girl. We then pulled a Moses/Red Sea maneuver, screaming at the New Year's Eve revelers on the bridge between the MGM Grand and New York New York to part ways so baby Iz and Bree's baby belly could make their way to the other shore without being crushed.

Tonight, there'll be a bit less excitement, but we'll be a family of five -- five! -- hunkering down and watching silly movies and enjoying our own version of togetherness. I'd rather be in 2009 than 1999, honestly. 2009 was a good year for our family.

Here's cautiously hoping for more happiness for our family in 2009, and openly wishing extreme happiness upon the rest of you.

Cheers!