Bottom Line: smart, fun and absolutely the best way to prepare a child for flying. If only air travel with kids actually was this enjoyable.
If you would like to purchase the newly released app Smart Fish: Frequent Flyer - Teach Kids about Airplane Travel ($2.99 iPad/iPhone), fly on over to the app store using our link:
There are many apps now that aim to prepare kids for a first trip to the doctor, dentist or even an exotic journey to a far off land. Few do it with the level of detail that SocialBug Labs brings to Frequent Flyer. This masterpiece gets it right across the board. The navigation, graphics, tutorial, level of interaction and even press and hold protected parents section are first rate.
Stu, the starfish first introduced in Smart Fish: Magic Matrix, is the tour guide for this trek around the globe. To begin, kids choose a cartoon likeness for themselves. Kudos to the developer for the wide range of diversity offered here. A very helpful tutorial then walks them through selecting a suitcase, packing, going through security and finding their seat on the plane. Throughout, the starfish gives suggestions and offers assistance.
Once the practice trip to Kyoto is complete, travelers have a wide selection of 13 picture perfect destinations to explore. These are represented by small postal stamps. The onion dome church is obviously Moscow and a soccer ball represents Rio. After choosing a far flung locale, kids select a suitcase and pack. A weather card serves as a helpful reminder to include season appropriate clothing. After enough pants, shirts, toys, toiletries and shoes are neatly packed, it's off to the airport in a yellow taxi.
The airport security is dead-on. Kids have to put their suitcase on the conveyor belt, take off their coats and shoes and put it all in the bin. The line moves faster than normal TSA efficiency, but otherwise, it's a perfect replication of the rather scary, somewhat invasive process that is travel post 9/11.
Once safely through security, your child and his traveling buddies board the plane, find their seats using numbers on their boarding passes and buckle up. My favorite part, that actually made me smile and laugh out loud, was takeoff. The plane tilts up and glides into the sky. It's just a perfect simulation of flight.
After they've safely arrived at their destination and collected their bags, little tourists can send a postcard home. These have a photo of a famous local attraction and can be personalized with a message or drawing. Cards can be saved to the camera roll and forwarded to friends and family not lucky enough to hit the road. Stu, like any good tour guide, provides a few fun facts about the attraction.
As much as I love this app, after three trips, I was done in. The routine doesn't seem to change. Planes always depart on time, luggage is never lost and everybody speaks English. Toddlers, though, may be content to play through to every destination. They can navigate the taxi through a maze of side streets, match luggage to the correct passenger, and use basic counting to help travelers find their seats over and over before the novelty wears off. I'd like to see a bit of variety even if it's only a greeting in the native language of each place visited.
I wish all developers designed apps this smart and clever. Frequent Flyer is original, fun and naturally blends basic age appropriate learning concepts into the play. Forget writing a social story for air travel. This app does the job better than I could have ever hoped. Kids participate every step of the way and will enjoy playing from start to finish. SocialBug Labs is definitely a developer to watch. They truly get what kids want in an app and what parents expect from an app which is a rare combination.
Highly Recommended.
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As you read this, Jill Goodman and her family are on a plane to Washington and NY for Spring Break. It's what Floridians do for vacation. smartappsforkids.com was paid a priority-review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.
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