Overview
Winky Think Logic Puzzles offer a ton of fun that is so engaging that users won’t even realize just how important the skills are to learning. Each puzzle provides a mental challenge that requires problem solving, logic, memory, eye-hand coordination and other skills that form foundations for learning.
- 180 puzzles in three levels
- Puzzles gradually become more difficult
- Foundational to Common Core Math Standards for Kindergarten
- No reading or language skills required
- Develops logic and reasoning skills
Quality
Winky Think Logic Puzzles is a high quality app. Every feature is intuitive, and even the very young will quickly understand how to play. Every puzzle adds a level of complexity that makes the game challenging for a wide array of age groups, yet it builds so gradually that young children will enjoy playing as well. The app developers do recommend users turn off iPad’s Multitasking Gestures in the settings before playing, as these could disrupt game play.
Education
Winky Think does an outstanding job of providing practice for important skills that are often difficult to sharpen with most apps. It’s easy to design an app that presents math problems or reading passages that are directly tied to academic success. Winky Think has tackled more abstract skills that are challenging to assess and even more challenging to build, yet the developers have done an admirable job.
The puzzles are nonverbal challenges that require users to drag colored shapes to the matching drop targets. The first few levels are simple matching tasks, then each adds more layers of complexity until it takes some adults multiple attempts to figure out how to solve each challenge. In between, Winky Think throws up physical barriers to the matching tasks, such as bars that the user cannot cross in the drag and drop action. There are mazes, puzzles that require multiple fingers be used to hold objects in place, and obstacles that change the shapes’ colors when hit. Sometimes necessary items are hidden under other items, and there are still more problems to be solved. In short, this app provides hours of fun that will build problem solving skills, coordination, basic readiness skills, logic and memory.
As with many apps, though, developers could improve it by adding a multi-user mode where each person could return to where they left off after stopping a session. As it stands right now, users will need to remember where they were, replay levels they’ve already solved, or risk starting a level that is too difficult.
Entertainment
The puzzles in Winky Think could actually be called addicting! It’s easy to get caught up in the app because the challenges build so gradually. I found myself saying “Just one more…” as I played through the levels and before I knew it, I was past level 100. The clock said nearly an hour had gone by! Young children, with their curiosity and love of exploration, will be fascinated with this app. Older kids will be challenged and everyone will build vital skills as they play.
Value
This app is a good value. It will provide hours of play for most people, including older users, yet is friendly to non-readers and younger users. The skills addressed are important to all ages, even though developers focus on the connection to kindergarten Common Core Math Standards.
Child Friendliness
This app is child-friendly. Background music can be turned on or off by anyone. There is a link on the puzzle selection page to other apps by the same developers, where any user can see a sales page and a promotional video explaining the other apps. The Download link is protected by a parent gate for nonreaders: printed instructions tell readers to swipe right to proceed. This sort of control does not work well for any child with minimal reading skills, some of whom are at an age where parents might not want them accessing the App Store on their own. Developers should consider including a stronger parent gate and also hiding the promotional information so young children are not likely to find it.
- NO external links
- NO social media
- NO in-app purchase
- NO 3rd party ads
- YES “more apps” (protected, but visible)
- YES mildly-effective parent gate will only stop non-readers
