Review: My First App – Vol. 3 Airport

REVIEW BY MIGHTY LEAGUE MOM:
Gina Reed-Rivera

Planning a plane ride with your young child?  Then this is a must have app!  My First App Vol.3: Airport is the perfect app to prepare your child for the excitement of airplane travel.  With its bright colors, charming illustrations and engaging games, your child will have a wonderful time familiarizing themselves with airport life.

The app conssists of 4 games: A puzzle game, a matching game, a balancing ball game and a “what’s the difference” game.  Each offering several whimsicle scenes, your child will see the different types of vehicles used on the airport tarmac, learn the process of going through security checkpoints in a safe and non-threatening manner, checking in for your flight, boarding the plane, viewing the cockpit, waiting in line for the restroom and much more.  These cartoon social stories are an excellent way to mix basic skills with preparation for an upcoming vacation.

In the puzzle game, scenes are broken up into 6 pieces that can be rotated and moved into their correct position.  The matching game features a screen divided down the middle with the front half of vehicles on the left side and the back half of vehicles on the right side.  The player uses their finger to scroll through the images to find the correct match.  In the ball game, a scene from the airport is displayed, with holes throughout and a small metalic looking ball that can be moved by moving the tablet.  The goal is to get the ball into one of the holes.  With each success, a part of the story is played out until the story is completed.  The final game poses the question, “What’s the big difference?”.  Displaying two seemingly similar scenes side by side, players are tasked with locating the four differences between the two pictures.  Each game has built in stories and short animations during and after the game is completed.

• This is a wonderful primer for children visiting an airport or flying for the first time.
• Excellent social story for children who require intense preparation before traveling.
• Adorable illustrations of sweet animals make this app a delight to play.
• At the end of each game, the player is rewarded with an animated scene.
• Several different airport/airplane scenes and vehicles.
• There is no central language required to understand how to play the game, making it accessible to most everyone.
• Under the information section, there is a privacy graphic indicating that there are no ads, social interactions, location detection, web connectivity or in-app purchases.

• A “how to” section would be helpful, although the game is rather intuitive once you begin.

This app is wonderful and I would highly recommend it to anyone with a small child.  The charming characters, delightful illustrations, intriguing puzzles and rewarding animation not only help to prepare a child for air travel, but also provides valuable fine motor and memory skill practice.  I love this app!