Parents' Guide to

iWriteWords (Handwriting Game)

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad Paid Educational Games
iWriteWords (Handwriting Game) Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Carla Thornton , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 4+

Learn tracing with a cute crab and hand-drawn reward pics.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 4+?

Any Positive Content?

  • iWriteWords (Handwriting Game) App: Screenshot #1
  • iWriteWords (Handwriting Game) App: Screenshot #2
  • iWriteWords (Handwriting Game) App: Screenshot #3

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 3+

Based on 6 parent reviews

cheflady123
cheflady123 Adult
April 17, 2013
age 3+

Aligns with handwriting instruction research

The research on handwriting instruction says to have a starting point and arrows to help guide letter formation (Graham) and this app follows this premise in a fun way! I also like that kids can "replay" the letters they drew and they show up on a dotted line.
Luvbeingamum
Luvbeingamum Adult
August 9, 2011
age 3+

Fantastic app!

My daughter loves to use this app! I noticed improvement in her writing after the first time she used it!
See all 6 parent reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
  • Unclear whether data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
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What’s It About?

In IWRITEWORDS, kids drag Mr. Crab to trace letters and numbers, following the numbered dots. Kids can choose to work on only numbers, uppercase or lowercase letters, or short words. After tracing each item, kids have to flick or tilt the letters into a corner of the screen, where they fall into a vortex, adding a bit of fun. If kids go outside the tracing area, Mr. Crab will make kids start over again, ensuring that they trace correctly. When they've successfully completed the tracing, kids can see a replay of their writing.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Dragging Mr. Crab across letters or numbers through iWrite Words' numbered dots can be an engaging way to learn the correct sequence. However, the shaking visuals and squeaky sounds that happen when you trace off-track might be discouraging for some kids. Each time kids complete a word, a cute drawing appears, and kids can choose to watch a replay of their tracing. Sweeping the letters into the spinning vortex can be fun, too, although this could be confusing as the letters can become transposed in the process.

Parents and kids can choose specific letters, numbers, and words to include, and they can change the size of the tracings with a simple swipe. Other customization options are hidden in the iPad's main settings page, not the app. Overall, some kids will find the app fun, but they might feel more accomplishment if the tasks got progressively more challenging.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Encourage your kids to add writing to their drawings. Help them label what they draw by spelling out the words for them if needed.

  • Watch your kids practice with the app to see what letters or numbers they have trouble with; help your kids practice the tricky ones using crayons or chalk.

App Details

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