Puppet Pals

So, although I am only on day three of being an official iPad owner, I have already downloaded and tried out a fair few apps. Most of them free (some not!). Within minutes of my four year old son trying out Puppet Pals, I knew I would have to upgrade to the director’s pass. This evening was only his second time to use this app.  He created this completely by himself, without any planning or previous thought. A completely improvised story. Not only that, he LOVED it. To say I was/am amazed is an understatement.

What I loved about this app:

1. extremely easy to use and required very little instruction

2. encourages creative thought

3. great for developing or even just showcasing language and literacy skills

4. stories can be saved immediately (they go to your Photos folder) and then shared to YouTube or emailed.

Could it even be used as some kind of language/literacy assessment tool? I started thinking about different areas that might be addressed here (to name just a few that jumped out):

1. grammar – pronouns, sentence structure, tense, 

2. vocabulary – adjectives, verbs, 

3. awareness of story form – Once Upon A Time, beginning, middle, end

4. understanding of character – e.g. making the elf talk

5. verbal skills – pronunciation, use of expression

I am sure the possibilities are endless!

I would say the only ‘down’ side to this app is the choices of characters you have. Some are not so suitable for younger students. Having said that, my little man thought the Monsters, Zombies, Pirates and Arthropod Armada were the bees knees! He was definitely NOT interested in the ‘Political Par-tay’ or ‘Talk Shows’ images.

I am quite sure that my son and I will be revisiting again and again.

#iPads