These days toy companies, like Hasbro, have partnered up with companies like Ruckus Media Group to bring their toys to life as part of the digital world in the form of iPad apps! A lot of careful consideration has gone into the development of these apps for children ages 4 and up, which I think, provide excellent educational experiences to children, all for a minimal cost. My Little Pony has now joined Tonka Chuck and Friends as the second app released in this partnership.
My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle Teacher for a Day is a storybook app with a variety of reading options. The story can be read to the child in Twilight Sparkle's voice. Children can also choose to read the book themselves or use the third option which is a read and record feature. Children can read the book themselves or parents, grandparents or siblings can record the sound of their voice. As children participate in the reading experience, there are a variety of games included that encourage children to find differences between pictures or tilt the iPad back and forth to move the character through a maze. Participation in the games unlocks different words. At the end of the book, children can drag and drop these words into a story, which can also assist with reading comprehension. The My Little Pony app is currently available in iTunes for the iPad/iPhone/iPod touch at $.99.
Here's a list of some of the new My Little Pony toys available for purchase from Hasbro.
Ruckus Media Group provided this app free to facilitate this blog post. The opinions included in this post are my own.