App Review: Endless Wordplay

I am a BIG fan of the Endless Alphabet, Endless Reader and Endless Numbers apps from Originator Inc. So when I was perusing iTunes looking for more apps to add to my wish list I decided to not wait on purchasing Endless Wordplay, the newest app in the Endless series. Endless Wordplay is an app that focuses on learning simple spelling patterns while reinforcing letter names and sounds. Each stage is a different rhyme, with the user spelling 3 words from the same word family. 

The first word to build in the word family

When you play within each stage the first word has the letters highlighted in the background to help guide the user. With the second word, the first word is displayed above and the beginning letter is highlighted to help guide the user. For the the third and final word, none of the words are highlighted but both of the previous words are listed above as visual cues. As you drag each letter to its space in the word it repeatedly says the sound that the letter makes. When you put it into place it says the letter's name. (Except for the last letter of the word, then it goes right into spelling the word. I don't like this and hope the developers fix it).     

The animated sentence after
spelling the word family

Once you complete all 3 words you are taken to a sentence screen with a silly sentence and cute animation that you have come to expect and love from the Endless apps. You can repeat the sentence if you'd like and can click on the 3 rhyming words to hear them spoken to you. Then after that it is on to the next word family. As far as I can tell same structure, just different words. It is a free app to download, but to play more than 3 levels it will cost you $4.99 from an in-app purchase. 

Why I like it:

-The graphics are as cute as ever. From my 2 year old at home to my 6 year olds at school, everyone loves the graphics in the Endless series and this app is no exception. The main monster will sneeze, cough and hiccup to mix up the letters, causing the young players to giggle with delight. The sentence animations are fun and intriguing to young learners, engaging them from the get go.

-The app has a nice simplicity to it. There isn't a lot happening within the app, and with the repetative format it allows the users to really focus on learning the content. There is no stickers, awards or coins to distract and that is always a win in my book!

-I like that the letters aren't always highlighted for students to match. The gradient of support is nice to help push young learners to not really only on their matching skills.

-There aren't a lot of quality apps that focus on beginning rhyming spelling patterns so this is a much needed app in this content area!

The second word you build only
shows the first letter placement

What I'd like to see done differently:

-As I mentioned above, as you spell each word the letters say their sounds until they are put into their correct place. The first two letters then say their name, but when you place the last letter into place it goes right into spelling the word. Not a huge deal but I prefer consistency.

-While dragging the letters into place they make the correct phonetic sound (a says the short a sound). But when you press on the two letters together it switches the a sound. Tricky for my beginner blenders who need to hear each sound correctly slowly and then hear then squish together while still maintaining their sounds. 

-The question mark on the sides seems to me that it should be a way to see a picture of the word and hear a short definition of the word. Nope. It just says ham is like jam but with a h at the beginning (or whatever word family you are on). This app could take it to another level by adding in that beginning vocabulary piece. That is in part why I like the Endless Alphabet and Reader apps-they expand vocabulary in a fun manner. So PLEASE add that Originator Inc and I would be a SUPER fan!

-Because it is new, there is only 1 expansion pack. That means there are only so many words that your kiddo can go through. That said, my students enjoy going back and repeating previous words so that isn't a huge deal in my book. We learn when we repeat something, so that works for us in K! But if you have an older student who is past this skill, it probably wouldn't be much fun for them.

Overall, I'm a fan of Endless Wordplay as I am the rest of the series. With a few tweaks I think this app can be even more valuable, but as it is I recommend it as an app to help young learners with spelling, word patterns and rhyming!