The ABC Song is a game made up of mini games to teach children their ABCs. Each mini game offers players different ways to learn the alphabet and make connections between letters and objects that represent that letter. The ABC Song is compatible with iOS devices running iOS 4.3 or later.
There are nine different mini games in The ABC Song. In Dot to dot, Players tap on circles that are lined up in the shape of a letter in order to transform the dots into the written letter. Only the letters A through C are available without purchasing the full version. Creating the letter by connecting the dots is an interesting take on the typical connect the dot gameplay and the result is a fun way to learn the letter and also the shape of each letter.
The ABC paint mini game has players use paint buckets to color in the picture of an animal that represents the letter displayed next to it. For example, there is a "C" letter next to a cat picture for players to color in as if it were a coloring book. Players are limited to the letters A, B, and C in the free version. Coloring in each picture was a lot of fun but it might be more fun if you can actually control the paintbrush and it not be a fill function but a swiping motion to color in picture.
In the typewriter mini game players can tap the letters on the virtual keyboard and hear the letters they are tapping. This mini game was not as much fun as the other ones but very useful for learning what the letters look like on a keyboard and hearing how they are pronounced.
Players have to follow directions and pop the balloon with the correct letter needed in the Floating bubbles mini game. The letters A-F are available in the free version. Floating bubbles is a great mini game for testing player's ability to distinguish between the different letters to select the correct one.
Puzzle fun has players putting puzzle pieces together to form the image of an animal that matches the letter they are working on. There are two modes for the puzzle game, easy and hard. The hard mode features more puzzle pieces to place. The free version of the game has puzzles for the first three letters of the alphabet. The puzzle mini game is a very standard game and didn't offer too many nuances on this gameplay.
Children can hear the ABC song and tap on the bubbles to hear a shimmering sound effect and expand the bubbles in the ABC Song mini game in the free version of the game. This mini game has the potential of teaching children the ABC song and encourages singing along which helps children learn the alphabet in a more concrete way.
The Animal letters mini game challenges players to match the animal on the right with the letter on the left side of the chalkboard. Children drag the letter to the animal and after the first level, players must choose the correct animal that the letter matches with. For example, the letter "A" matches with the ant but wouldn't match with the bear. You only play the letters A, B, and C in the free version of the game. This mini game does a great job of making connections between the animal and the letter.
The eighth mini game is Memory match which is a basic tile matching game featuring letters. You can only play two stages of memory match without purchasing the full version in app. Each time you uncover a tile, a voice says the letter on the tile. This mini game is very rewarding for children as there are a lot of encouraging words whenever they make a match and complete a stage.
Finally, Bubble pop is a mini game where players have to pop all the letter bubbles and when players pop a bubble a voice tells them what letter they have just popped. This game is fun and interesting but a little confusing as to what the objective of it is.
The ABC Song does a pretty good job of being entertaining and educational at the same time, however, it would be nice if all of the letters were available for free. It is confusing to get into the game and see a pop up asking if you want to purchase the full version to continue learning. It is weird that The ABC Song uses in app purchases and not a dedicated paid and lite version of this game on the app store when children will be using the app and might potentially tap to purchase the full version. The ABC Song is still a good learning tool to try out for free on the App Store but beware that there is a full version available through an in app purchase.