Learning how to tell time is a challenge for children. Tic Toc Time from Seven Academy offers a different approach. It initially teaches that the day can be divided into time periods. This paves the way for the introduction of the clock as a tool for telling time.
A fun-loving family of beavers will guide you through an app full of amazing graphics and lively music. It is not obvious to the child playing the ‘games’ but they are in a precise order, each getting slightly more complex. There are six main sections (each with multiple levels):
- Beaver Brother introduces the compass and the Sun’s movement through the Sky.
- Beaver Sister demonstrates an early method of telling time, the sundial. Practice predicting where a shadow will fall depending on where the sun is in the sky.
- Kids get to blast off to outer space and discover where the sun goes at night.
By the time they return to Earth they will know why a clock has twelve numbers. - Begin to play with a clock and practice moving the hands around the clock to match a time given by Father Beaver.
- Take ‘The Clock Challenges’ and test the new knowledge.
- Everyone celebrates with a trip to the Circus. Play a high-speed time matching game of ‘Bump’!
With the mastery of each topic, children receive a virtual prize. Little Raindrops, Sunlight, Plants and tools may be in a virtual garden, part of the new Green Academy. This fun ‘extra’ is inspired by the Montessori themed lessons of tending a garden and observation of plant life cycles.
I was genuinely surprised at the interest my preschooler took in this app and how well she understood the first 3 sections. The app begins by building on something most young children are already familiar with: that the Sun comes up in the morning and goes down at night. The Sundial activities in this game have even inspired us to find a way to make our own this week!
The app could be used with children as young as three with help. Younger children especially will love the idea of the ‘Green academy’. It is just as suitable for older children as well. Parents and Teachers of Grade K-3 will find it especially useful for reinforcing time telling skills.
Tic Toc Time is available for iPhone, iPod and iPAD. The regular price is $4.99, and it is $2.99 for limited time.
If you would like to check it out or purchase it, please use the App Store link provided below. The cost is the same to you, but iGameMom gets a small percentage. Thanks for your support! Note: The link works for all countries.
Looking for more Math Learning Tools? Check out Best Math Learning Tools on iPad and Other Tablets. 
Today’s app is reviewed by JJ (Piwi mama), a proud wife and mama of two girls. The family travel with her hubby’s work so most of her time is spent teaching her kids. In her spare time, JJ blogs about their portable learning and reviews books. You can read about their travels at Learning and Growing the Piwi way
