Do any of you have mom guilt when it comes to your kids and devices? Like don’t you hate when they sit on their iPad and in front of the TV for a while because you have to get something done and you feel like their life is wasting away??
I am being a little dramatic here, but seriously, it is a problem. So I am always on the lookout for games that could be more interactive and within real life, rather than on the screen.
Today I want to do this Osmo review for you, guys, to show whether this interactive iPad game with real-life elements actually teaches while making it feel like fun and games.
( product received complimentary in exchange for this Osmo review, however, opinions are like a.. ahem always my own.)
Osmo is an award-winning educational game system that takes your child’s creativity and learning experience to the next level. They have several different activities available that allow your child to go beyond the tablet. Each activity has tangible pieces that correspond to the game, activity, or engaged learning on the tablet. This style of tactile learning is beneficial to children in many different ways, and Osmo iPad games for kids bring together technology and the skills of tactile learning to create a wonderfully engaging and educational way to learn. Here is my Osmo review:
Table of Contents
How Osmo iPad Games for Kids Work
In order to get started playing Osmo iPad games for kids, you will need an Osmo base and red reflector for your device. Osmo works on many generations of iPads as well as Fire tablets from Amazon. You will also need an internet connection in order to play the games and do the activities. When your child starts up an Osmo iPad game, the red reflector will place an image of what they see on the iPad screen onto the table in front of them. From there, children can engage in different activities in areas of art, math, science, literacy, and more depending on the game they are playing, as you will learn from this Osmo review.
Osmo offers activities and games for children ages 3 to 12. This includes activities subject matters such as:
- Coding
- Math
- Drawing
- Spelling
- Fundamentals of Physics
- Spatial relational skills
- World geography
There are many different options to choose from based on your child’s age and interest.
Our Experience and Osmo Review
Right away Lexi took to it and figured out how to work the app and all the games instantly. Here are some of her favorites below:
Monster: a loveable Sully like character with a voice of Mo Willems asks you to draw different things and then uses them in his performances and antics on the screen. I have to say, it is quite impressive to be able to draw something on a whiteboard and immediately see it be utilized on the screen. Even for an adult. And I am not just saying this for this Osmo review.
Ball Drop game: balls are released from the top and you have to draw lines to direct them to a specific place to earn points. There were some spots where she really had to use her spatial awareness skills to get the balls moving in the right direction.
Math: who knew math could be fun? Lexi actually enjoys playing with multiplications and figuring out how to ‘free” the fish.
Tangram: a surprising favorite ( since we are not much for puzzles), tangram allows you to create different shapes of increasing difficulty with on-screen cues. As you play you get stickers that you get to place in different parts of the game which makes the whole Osmo concept feel more game-like and less like learning.
Should You Buy Osmo For You Child?
My answer is yes and it has more reasons than just an “It’s a cool little game with real elements”.
It truly teaches through repetition without making learning or practice boring. Let’s say you have a math learner who struggles with math. You could make them drill the multiplication table. You could sit them down with some app on an iPad. You could spend hours practicing with them because it’s the only way to motivate them. Or you could set them up with a game that is both tactile and digital, fun and learning, practice and gaming. Best of both worlds and they are literally not even noticing that in the process of playing they are memorizing the multiplication table.
It is expandable. I don’t know about yourselves but I am tired of buying one use, one age toys. We donate a ridiculous amount of stuff, yet somehow our house is still overrun with toys and items she no longer uses. Osmo can grow with the child, keep said child engaged with new expansion packs and satisfy their need for “screen time” without making us feel guilty about it.
It’s portable. Chances are you travel with the tablet. It’s slim, it’s light and it’s easy to fit into ever-growing suitcases. All that you need to bring to expand device time into real life time is a stand and a mirror. That’s pretty doable, and that’s coming from a person who literally travels 6 months out of the year.
Getting Started with Osmo iPad Games for Kids
In order to get started with any of the Osmo iPad games for kids, you need to start with a compatible base for your tablet as well as a compatible red reflector. You can purchase the individual pieces but it is recommended that you purchase a starter kit to begin your child on their Osmo journey.
There are three different starter kits to choose from: Little Genius (ages 3 to 5), Genius (ages 6 to 10), and Explorer (ages 5 to 10). Each of these kits comes with a stand and a reflector as well as several games and activities that focus on literacy, math, coding, and more depending on which kit you get.
Genius Starter Kit
This starter kit is designed for ages 6 to 10 years old and helps children work on skills such as math facts (i.e., addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), spelling, literacy, puzzles, and physics. It comes with 5 different games to play along with the materials needed to create tangram puzzles, work on math skills, and spelling.
Osmo Monster
Explorer Starter Kit
The Explorer Starter Kit is designed for ages 6 to 10 and focuses on subject areas such as coding, drawing, math, spelling, and more. It is their most expansive starter kit and it features 7 different activities and games to engage your child through tactile learning.
Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit
The Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit is for children ages 3 to 5 and focuses on letter recognition, number recognition, pre-reading and pre-writing skills, social emotional development, and fine motor skills. There are 4 different games and activities for your child to learn and explore within this fun kit made just for the youngest learners.
RELATED: Best Educational App that Will Make Your Child’s Mind Explode
Other Osmo iPad Games for Kids
In addition to the Starter Kits, you can also supplement your child’s learning based on their interest. They have games and activities available for drawing, math, coding, puzzles, and more. Kids can even find some of their favorite characters like Anna and Elsa, Mickey Mouse, and the Disney Princesses. Here are the Osmo iPad games for kids that you can get in conjunction with your Osmo Starter Kit:
Coding Awbie
Detective Agency
Pizza Co
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Super Studio Disney Princess
Super Studio Mickey Mouse and Friends
Super Studio Disney Incredibles 2
Mind Racers
Genius Numbers
Genius Tanagram
Genius Words
Little Genius ABC Squiggles
Little Genius Stories and Costumes
Every parent wants toys for their children that are fun and educational. With Osmo iPad games for kids, your child will be engaged in their learning, using their hands as part of the learning process which research has shown is extremely beneficial in helping children retain information, developing fine motor skills, and cognitive development. They are a great way to get your child further into their learning by fun games and activities that they enjoy.
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