Bottom Line: Cute circus animals encourage young children (2-5 years) to eat in order to be strong. This app is fun for both preschooler and parent, with amazing graphics and fun music.
Start jammin' with Jogo Circus Animals just by using our handy download button! (iPad/iPhone, $2.99)
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No ads or in-app purchases.
External links to App Store and to email. App Store is protected with a child lock, email has no lock.
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I was a little scared when I saw the name of this app. Apps with animals for the preschool set are pretty common, and sometimes they’re just boring. But not Jogo Circus Animals. This brand new app from Jogo Jogo is fun, designed well, and a great find for young app users.
The app starts with a story scene, which can be easily skipped when played again. The graphics are gorgeous in this app, as is the background music. The interface is super-smooth, and there were no quirks at all. An app designed for preschoolers should be nicely responsive, and Jogo Circus Animals really is.
After watching the beginning story, the user enters the circus scene, with a tent for every animal in the app. Tap on the desired tent to visit the animals, one at a time. As the user enters the tent, the animal is inside, listless and failing at his or her act. The user’s job is to feed each animal all of their food, so they clean their plate. After eating it all, the animal can then complete the required trick. The tricks are typical circus fare, with a lot of fun little twists.
The names of the animals really amused me; Elvis the Elephant, Bob (Marley) the Lion and Michael (Jackson) the Mouse sound and kind of look like their namesake. In fact, my 12 year old son tested this app with me as he found it funny and engaging to try to figure out which musical artist each animal might represent.
After each animal is fed, the tent lights up on the outside. When all tents are lit, the user gets the conclusion to the story. Of course, eating is the emphasis, to encourage preschoolers to eat their food.
The app is mostly safe for young children. I was surprised to see that an email can be sent from the home page with no lock, though the ability to rate the app in the app store has a child lock on it.
There were also just a few more crass interactions. For example, the seal swallowed the juggling balls in one round—only to see them “pop” out the other end. I suppose 5 year olds would probably find it hilarious, but it might be a little inappropriate for the younger end of the age range. Or that could just be me.
But overall, I find this a fantastic app, and a lot of fun for the target audience. I love seeing an app that does exactly what it says it does, and does it well. It would be great to see a little more education built into the app, or even just a wider variety of interactions. The current price of $2.99 might be a little high for the variety in the app. But it’s still certainly worth it, and it’s also a safe app for kids to play independently.
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Heather does need some help figuring out who exactly the dog represents. *Smart Apps for Kids was paid a priority review fee for this post.
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