A Path to Math
Drive About: Number Neighborhood uses funny, cartoonish play within its nine math games to reinforce numbers, numerical order, drawing numbers, and simple addition. With a tap of your finger you can paint by number, match shapes, and slalom your way around town, building numerical knowledge as you go. In between games, you won't just drive cars -- you'll also steer a boat, submarine, hot-air balloon, and even a rocket! Most games focus on numbers 0-9, but some games teach numbers up through 20.
Learn Numbers as You Play
Kids start by choosing a game from the map. A cheerful child's voice provides players with simple instructions for each game, or sometimes a cartoon hand will appear and demonstrate what to do. The games reinforce math in different ways: some focus on matching numbers, others on counting, one on shapes, another on addition, one on drawing numbers, and others on numerical order. A few games progress up to 20. There are never penalties for incorrect answers, and the game will continue regardless of how the player does, since there's no winning or losing, just another round of play.
When you exit a game, you can return to the map or drive your vehicle and see what comes next on the road. By tapping the scenery, you can discover fun animations, including birds flying, flowers blooming, and balloons waiting to be popped. If you come across another mode of transportation, you can take it for a test drive! You can ride a boat into the ocean to slingshot food to a whale, submerge in a submarine to visit some sea cucumbers, fly in a hot-air balloon to draw numbers in the clouds, or even rocket up to space to practice counting with a vacuum.
When Math is Fun, Everyone Wins!
Drive About: Number Neighborhood is great for reinforcing numbers and numerical order. This is a cute town, with adorable animal inhabitants, upbeat music, and understated graphics perfect for the targeted age group. Overall, kids are encouraged to explore to find that hidden animation or try out the new vehicle. Without a prescribed path to take and with no penalties for math mistakes, there's no right way to go and no wrong way to play.
Kids will relate to the cheerful voice giving instructions, although sometimes a little more guidance would be helpful. There's a special section with directions for parents, which is behind a subtle and effective parental gate, so you know your kids are safe in Number Neighborhood.
Best For
The Drive About: Number Neighborhood app is best for kids who recognize numbers to 10 but are having trouble remembering them or their order, and who are learning numbers to 20. The app contains a seesaw game that is a great way to introduce kids to addition.
This Drive About: Number Neighborhood app review was written by Liz K. McKinney.
All tech products are judged on a five star scale by looking at the following factors: fun, education, ease of use, value, and technical.
