Counting Together! – Bonding moment for parents and kids
App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: Barrett Productions
Version #: 1.3.1
Date Released:
Developer: Barrett Productions
Price: Free
User Rating:
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I’ve always found it hard to take time out of my busy schedule to teach the young ones at home about math. No, I’ve actually found it harder to get the tots to sit still and listen. And then something like Counting Together! comes along, making the whole process so much easier.
I must say that educational games are getting really creative nowadays. Even as an adult, I have trouble focusing in meetings or group discussions where I often find myself fidgeting instead of listening to the boring content. So one cannot expect a 5 year old to just sit still like that and listen.
Thankfully, Counting Together! presents itself with a lovely prehistoric theme, complete with cracked stone tablets and little dinosaurs. Let’s face it: every kid is inherently drawn to the attractiveness of these big lizards.
The game itself is very simple to understand. Turn-based, Counting Together! allows for up to 4 different players to join in, battling it out to see who can count the quickest. It’s kinda like one of those American game shows where contestants sit around with their little buzzers, competing to see who can answer more of the most ridiculous of questions. Counting Together! limits its levels up to a mere 20 objects to count. Add up all the little critters, then be the first to tap the corresponding number.
Of course, the game spices things up by adding a variety of game modes, giving the kids what could possibly be their first adrenaline rushes. Kids can do battle against the clock, or against each other because competitiveness spurs interest and will keep them hooked. It might instill a friendly form of rivalry amongst your children, which in turn will cause them to bond and be closer than ever as they grow up. Counting Together! even comes with a basic tutorial mode, teaching children how to count through a tutorial that emulates the actual game, but without any competitive points given.
It’s so easy for an adult to look at a visual and say “Hey! Those are 4 chairs” without a second thought. But to a kid who’s just begun to appreciate the significance of numbers, he might actually have to count them out one at a time. Counting Together! aims to teach children what is called subitizing; that is the ability to recognize the number of objects present without having to count them out. Think of it as one’s ability to park a car; spatial awareness is something that comes naturally to drivers over time and experience.
What I appreciate about Counting Together! most is how it allows for parents to bond with their children. Families will find it heartening to sit around with the growing kids in these foundational years, being there while teaching them skills that they will carry and use for the rest of their lives.
Counting Together! is a free app, but much of the true content is locked. To get all the goodies, users simply have to make an in-app purchase costing just $1.99. This grants access to plenty of features such as new levels and play modes. In my opinion, this is indeed worth the while and money because it is not often that you get your hands on something that resonates so well with the infantile generation.
Quick Take
Value:High.
Would I Buy Again:Yes.
Learning Curve:Non-existent.
Who Is It For:Kids and new parents.
What I Like:It's easy for kids to grasp the concept of simple mathematics.
What I Don't Like:NA
Final Statement:I like this one!
counting “Counting Together”, with its Dinosaur theme and jaw dropping 3-D graphics and audio, provides hours of fun to play alone or with up to 4 PLAYERS.
Not only is the famous TV personality, Bob McGrath, enthusiastic about “Counting Together”, so are schools, parents, educators, special needs experts, and most importantly, children.
“Counting Together” is a fun filled game that teaches children two basic math skills, ADDITION and SUBITIZING.
WHAT IS “SUBITIZING”?
It is the ability to recognize a certain number of objects without counting. For example, you may look at a table and instantly see 4 chairs surrounding the table. But a child may need to count the chairs using their fingers. “Counting Together” helps children develop this crucial skill so they too can look at the table and instantly see 4 chairs.
“Counting Together” fills the need for a fun method of reinforcement for today's tech-savvy school child. As the child plays the game, the app itself reinforces the correct answer both visually with a number and with sound effects.
• "Students coming into kindergarten should hold the skill of subitizing up to five objects.” - MICHELLE FLAMING, Elementary mathematics consultant for ESSDACK.
• "Subitizing is a fundamental skill in the development of students' understanding of numbers" – ARTHUR J. BAROODY, Professor of Curriculum & Instruction (early childhood and elementary mathematics education) at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign
• “Counting Together" is all business when it comes to teaching visual counting math skills, but the kids will never know it.” - BOB McGRATH, Chidren’s Educational Television
“Counting Together” is available FREE or as a PLUS version.
FREE
• Up to 2 Players
• LEVEL 1 Difficulty
• LEARN mode - Play alone or with a group and take your time
• PLAY mode - Play alone or with a group against the clock. The better the group does, the faster the clock
• PLAYER SOUNDS: 2 per player
PLUS (adds many features including the following):
• Up to 4 Players
• LEVEL 1, 2, and 3 Difficulty. The game increases or decreases in difficulty and speed during play depending on the player’s performance.
• COMPETE mode - First correct answer gets the point
• PLAYER SOUNDS - 10 per player
• MEASURE PERFORMANCE - Tracking and Emailing
• GAME CENTER
• REMOTE PLAYING (Coming Soon!)
Screenshots
Article By Eng Wei Jie
A water polo player from Singapore, Wei Jie devotes most of his time to training. However, when he's not occupied by water training or pushing himself in the gym, expect to see him squinting at his iPhone testing out new apps.
eng-wei-jie has written 308 awesome app reviews.
