Kumon Uppercase ABC’s – Review – A fun new way to learn the alphabet
By App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: Kumon Publishing North America
Version #: 1.00
Date Released: 2011-12-01
Developer: Kumon Publishing North America
Price: 3.99
User Rating:
Loading...
Kumon, which is the “world’s largest after-school math and reading enrichment program”, has recently released an app for the iPad! As you might expect from Kumon, the app is educational, but don’t think that your child won’t have fun while using it.
Kumon Uppercase ABC’s is intended for some of the youngest iPad users: those who do not yet know how to write. With the help of Kumon’s innovative 3-step system, though, your little boy or girl will be writing in no time.
First your child will start by using his or her fingers to trace the letter with the assistance of start-here-and-end-here icons. Upon completing that, your child will once again be asked to trace the letter, this time with only a dotted line. Finally, your child must trace the letter without any visual assistance. Then he or she will be awarded with a picture of a picture of an animal!
This mode can be completed in alphabetical order, a random order, or by a unique, specially-crafted Kumon order, which gradually introduces your child to more difficult letters only after completing easier letters.
The mode that I have just described is the tracing mode. There is also a just-as-educational matching mode.
Here your child will receive three letters, and will be asked to match a sound to the letter. This mode, too, should be a lot of fun for any young mind.
After seeing this app for the first time, I wondered why children had to follow the app’s letter-drawing guidelines exactly. If a child wants to cross an A from right-to-left rather than left-to-right, why shouldn’t he/she be able to? Well, I now realize that it’s because Kumon wants the child’s foundation for knowledge, that which all future knowledge will be based upon, to be perfected.
What I have failed to mention up to this point is the app’s incredible interface designed specifically for young children. It is filled with fun sounds and colors, shapes and animals too.
You may not like the fact that this app costs $4, but answer this: can you really put a price on your child’s education? Remember, too, that your child has only a very narrow window of time to get a head start. Get this great app now!
Quick Take
Value:Very high.
Would I Buy Again:Yes.
Learning Curve:Low.
Who Is It For:Anyone who doesn't yet know how to write all 26 letters.
What I Like:The app's fun, child-oriented interface and high educational value.
What I Don't Like:There is nothing that I do not like about this app.
Final Statement:If your child can't write this app's name, then buy it for them!
abc From Kumon, the world's largest supplemental learning provider and parent to Kumon Math & Reading Centers, the Uppercase ABC's app includes a Letter Tracing Activity (with our unique and simple method of tracing letters) and a Letter Sounds Game (match the written letter with its sound read aloud).
LEARNING TO WRITE LETTERS
The letter tracing activity helps your child master the uppercase alphabet. The Uppercase ABC's app features an innovative 3-step approach with interactive sights, sounds, and touch:
Stage 1: Inside an outline of the letter, your child traces each numbered stroke in the order shown, starting with the circle, along the dotted line, and ending at the star
Stage 2: The circle and star disappear, but the dotted line remains for your child to trace
Stage 3: The dotted line is removed, and your child writes the letter on their own within the outline
Choose from 3 modes: alphabetical, random, or Kumon. Using the unique Kumon method will show letters to your child in order of complexity. This innovative approach helps your child master the easier letters such as L and T first before moving on to more challenging letters with diagonal or curved lines.
REINFORCEMENT AND REWARDS
In Kumon Uppercase ABC's, each letter is paired with a delightful interactive illustration of a familiar word so children learn the basic phonics that lay the foundation for reading.
When the letter "D" is correctly traced, for example, the app will show a dog. The movable image is fun for your child to play with, but also reinforces the sound and use of the letter.
When your child successfully completes all of the letters, they will receive a special Certificate of Achievement. You can customize the certificate with their name and email it for printing.
MATCHING LETTERS WITH SOUNDS
In this activity, your child can practice matching the sound of each letter with its written symbol. The app asks aloud, "Touch the letter that makes the sound R" and your child chooses from 3 on-screen letters.
If the incorrect letter is tapped, the letter sound will repeat until the correct letter is chosen. When your child chooses the correct letter, its sound and name will be repeated to reinforce the knowledge before the next letter is shown.
FUN AND EDUCATIONAL
Features of the Kumon Uppercase ABC's app include:
* Learn Uppercase ABC's - The letter tracing activity helps your child master writing the alphabet.
* Kumon's Exclusive Training Method - This innovative approach helps your child learn the easier letters before moving on to advanced letters.
* 3-Stage Tracing Method - Practice makes perfect with the helpful 3 step approach to writing letters.
* Letter Sound Game - Match the sound with the written letter in this fun activity.
* Personalized Certificate - After successfully tracing all letters, your child will receive a Certificate of Achievement with their name.
Help your child learn to write the alphabet in a fun and easy way - download Kumon Uppercase ABC's today.
ABOUT KUMON PUBLISHING
Kumon Publishing creates workbooks based on the Kumon Method for children aged 2 to 12 to help each individual child realize his or her full academic potential.
Toru Kumon created the Kumon Method in Japan in the early 1950s to help his son do better in math. His method has grown into one of the world's largest providers of supplemental learning, with Kumon centers in over 44 countries worldwide.
