Kids Trucks: Preschool Learning - FREE! Now available for the Android Market (iOS too)

General (non-technical) New Apps / Works in Progress
#1

Kids Trucks: Preschool Learning - Just released for iPhone and iPad!! The app is FREE with inapp purchase options. I am pretty excited about this one! It is a great learning tool for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s also a lot of fun. PLEASE download and rate/review if you have time. It would be much appreciated! Here is the link:

iOS - http://bit.ly/xm2KEQ

Please help by downloading and rating. Thanks!

Android Market - http://bit.ly/A9w2ZF

Thanks!! [import]uid: 79834 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 322168[/import]

#2

Will definitely look at this tonight; I’d love to hear about how you chose the content, too.

I’m working on a kids app myself and am a tad concerned without having kids about to beta test I may miss something - did you have any kids play with it before release?

Peach :slight_smile: [import]uid: 52491 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 88291[/import]

#3

Hey Peach,

I have 3 year old twin boys. They are what got me making construction themed apps. Both boys love trucks and I initially wanted to just make an app that was a distraction for when I was in the grocery line waiting to check out that was also a little educational. This was my first app - Construction Alphabet. I also wanted to see if I could actually make some money and I figured if not, I at least made something for them I could be proud of.

After taking so much time drawing and creating animations, I started to think about what else I could do with them. I work in education and the boys needed to learn their numbers so Kids Trucks: Numbers & Counting came about. The counting portion of that app I was really excited about because it actually seemed to help with one-to-one correspondence. All trucks could be counted in any order and the same truck could not be counted twice. My one son went from random counting to connecting counting with objects and total numbers shortly after using the app a couple of times. It was neat to see.

My third app Kids Trucks: Preschool Learning came about strangely. My initial intent was to create a fake phone because one was always beating out my second app in the listings. I wanted to create this app in a week and have it ready to go within two. I then experimented with trying to use it as a learning tool and saw huge potential for future add-ons, etc. Well, five weeks later now I have a fun new learning app instead, have learned how to record and later play back that audio, save settings, and do inapp purchase.

As far as the testing question goes, I let both of my boys test it out prior. Although I think it would be best to have a kid test it, I don’t think it would be completely necessary. A couple things I’ve found so far: 1) depending on your age level, think about multitouch, little hands like to keep a finger on the screen and then buttons wont work if multitouch is not enabled. I used multitouch on my first app (targeted more at 1.5-2 yr olds), but did not on my second two (targeted more to 2.5-5) (2) Use lots of positive reinforcement. Both kids and parents love it.

Scott

[import]uid: 79834 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 88310[/import]

#4

That was a great read Scott - do you have a blog?

Thanks for all the info, both on your own creative process and on the educational angle.

The multitouch tip is excellent too - I had not considered this but realize it could be very important, thank you!

Peach :slight_smile: [import]uid: 52491 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 88322[/import]

#5

Technically I do have a blog (orionsmason.wordpress.com). I set it up initially just so I had a website to put down for my app submissions since it is required. I would like to do more with it, but between working, spending time with my family, and actually programming the apps, there is no time for it.

One more thing I have found as well, at least for the apps I have created, there is a 3 to 1 ratio (8 to 1 so far with my newest app) favoring iPad vs. iPhone. I’m not sure if this is for kids education or just kids in general. So the latest app I did design to use the full screen of the iPad (for backrounds and actions) with all of the touch event listeners within the frame of the iPhone. I also set it up so that there is something (likely ads) on the top and bottom for the Android screens. [import]uid: 79834 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 88469[/import]

#6

I have made a note of your blog; I hope one day you write more there - I think you have lot of really great information and experiences to share with all of this.

The iPad stuff is very interesting; I suspected there may be a leaning towards that with this kind of app but hearing the actual ratio for you is yeah, very, very interesting. Cheers for that :slight_smile: [import]uid: 52491 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 88580[/import]

#7

Just downloaded this app to see how it was, from just using the free version it looks really well done and very useful for children. I liked how you added in the little vehicles and other extra things like that to add another aspect to the app.

The only thing I found kind of annoying while trying it it was that when your in one of the learning modes or free play, there is no option to go back to the menu and the only way to do so is closing and re-opening the app. I don’t know if I just missed the way to go back in those modes or if there is not a way to do so.

Either way, the app looks like something that could be really fun and educational for kids. [import]uid: 69700 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 88615[/import]

#8

@ertzel - Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my latest app. I really appreciate getting some feedback. I often feel like I’m working in a vaccuum. As far as the not being able to go back goes, I designed it that way so that parents could set it up and that kids couldn’t go back to the main menu to accidently purchase the inapp purchase. On the Android version (hopefully released sometime this week), there will be ads in the menus, so again, I don’t want the kids to be able to go back and trigger them.

That said, I could see how this could be seen as annoying and would love it if you had any ideas around this. Perhaps I could make a sub menu within the modes that lets you switch between the different learning modes and the free play mode?

Thanks,
Scott [import]uid: 79834 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 88667[/import]

#9

Please help me get to top 10 by downloading and rating. Thanks! [import]uid: 79834 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 89499[/import]

#10

Downloaded again on a second account I use for testing stuff - good luck! (Will try and rate it again later, it’s doing that thing where it wont submit at the moment.) [import]uid: 52491 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 89544[/import]

#11

Thank you so much Peach! [import]uid: 79834 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 89551[/import]

#12

Hi Scott, I have 3 year old twin girls and a 5 year old boy. I started focusing on educational apps because of them, so we probably got the same idea. I only have 1 real educational app 100 Butterflies, the rest are more like simple Flash & Corona tests. I let them play all my games, and they are really good at crashing stuff.

I downloaded your app and it’s great. One thing I noticed is that if you get into the game there is no way to return to the menu. I wish you good luck!

-Tony [import]uid: 99244 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 89573[/import]

#13

@tsuriyathep - Thanks for the feedback and I would love a review if your kids enjoyed it. As far as going back, I designed it that way so that kids were less likely to accidentally purchase the in-app purchase. I am going to think about this though, because it has been a common statement by many that have checked it out.

[import]uid: 79834 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 89583[/import]

#14

@Peach - I decided to make a blog post about how to start becoming an indie app designer for little money. I posted a link to your site in the post as well since you have been so helpful here in the forums - http://orionsmason.wordpress.com/ [import]uid: 79834 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 89584[/import]

#15

Just finished reading - really awesome post! Will share it with the team, I’m sure they’ll like reading it too :slight_smile:

Peach

PS - Thanks very much for the shoutout! Most appreciated. [import]uid: 52491 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 89588[/import]

#16

Please help by downloading and rating. Thanks!

Android Market - http://bit.ly/A9w2ZF

Thanks!! [import]uid: 79834 topic_id: 22168 reply_id: 90686[/import]