Review: Grandma's Preschool lets kids play and explore in a learning environment

Bottom Line: Grandma’s Preschool lets kids explore and play in a preschool classroom while learning letters, numbers, shapes and more. This is a perfect app for any preschool age child — though I did catch my seven year old son enjoying it as well.

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I have loved the Grandma and Grandpa apps from Fairlady Media since I was first introduced to them. It is always exciting when a developer that has proven themselves with quality, educational apps that kids love to play offers a brand new app.

I downloaded the new Grandma’s Preschool app the other day to check it out for this review. I didn’t tell my kids about it, thinking that at seven and nine years old, they have outgrown the Grandma and Grandpa apps. To my surprise, the next day my son was playing on the iPad (well, that part is not a surprise) and he was having a blast playing Grandma’s Preschool. He was actually mad that I didn’t tell him I installed the app so he could try it out.

It’s pretty clear that we’re pretty big fans of all the Grandma and Grandpa apps at my house. That can be a blessing and a curse when reviewing a new app from this collection. Will it stand up in quality and fun compared to the earlier apps? Will it meet my high expectations? Is it going to offer something new that the other apps didn’t cover? The answer is an exuberant, “Yes!”

I’m happy to report that this app is fantastic. If I had to set up a preschool classroom in real life, I would want it to look like Grandma’s room. Students can explore various learning stations, free play, learn using quick interactive games and even clean up the room.

Grandma takes into account that many kids learn best through play and will continue to explore as long as they are having fun. In this app, kids get to explore a well thought out and organized preschool classroom. There are various learning stations such as matching numbers, identifying letters, matching objects during nap time, evenly distributing food for snack time, growing plants in the science station and watching informative short videos. Need a little break? Kids can step outside the classroom and play peek-a-boo on the playground.

There are also fun interactions around the classroom. Click on and off the lights in the kitchenette. Open and close the curtains. Tap the shapes, words, or numbers on the learning tree to hear the name spoken aloud. Peek inside cabinets or pass out toys from the shelfs to the children in the class.

Even playing with the train and trucks on the floor offer an educational premise. In this mini game, kids must pick up colored blocks with the crane and place it on the correct car on the train. Since many preschoolers are at a prereading level, it would be nice if the child could tap on the color words to have them read aloud like in the letter sounds game. In the letter sounds game, four pictures are shown as well as classmates holding cards with the four letters. Tapping on the picture has Grandma identify the picture and tapping on the letters has Grandma make the letter’s sound.

Though neither of my kids consider cleaning a fun task, I have met many that have been known to enjoy little chores. These kids can enjoy erasing drawings from the whiteboard, putting items such as toys and magazines back in the correct spot after playing, and even putting trash in the trashcan.

There are plenty of activities for the free spirited child as well. There is a drawing station where kids can create and save their own drawings. My perfectionist-daughter would like if there was an eraser tool for the crayons, though I did point out to her that she couldn’t erase crayons in real life. I admit, that would be a nice feature in future updates.

Overall, the app is very well laid out and has a lot to offer. There is enough variety to keep a kid from getting bored while everything has a nice educational value to keep parents happy. Grandma is very supportive and encouraging in her feedback for correct responses. Incorrect responses are ignored and the wrong choice is simply removed as an option narrowing down the choices for the child. I really like this approach as many kids end up liking if an app makes a silly sound for a wrong choice and may end up purposefully choosing the wrong answer. There is no pressure on the child, simply a quick celebration and even a high-five from Grandma when a child succeeds.

If you are already a fan of the Fairlady Media apps, then Grandma’s Preschool is a great one to add to your collection. If you have never tried one of these apps, then I highly recommend starting with this one! To quote my son when I asked what he liked most about this app, “I loved everything.”