THIS APP IS GOOD FOR KIDS WHO NEED HELP WITH:

Self-Awareness

Understanding our own actions, thoughts and feelings.

Toca Life: City presents children with a city full of different things and beings, challenging the social aspects of the self-awareness thinking skill. They will be able to make many, many different people (and people-ish cats, furry monsters, and burgers) “interact” in different spaces, as they explore, eat, and play with a variety of places and things. The minimal in-game text is in a variety of languages and symbols. In the grocery store, kids will find things they may not find appetizing but that other people eat—fruit, vegetables, meat, and non-meat products. Likewise, the toy store offerings cater to differing interests, and the hair and clothing styles available in the boutique and salon can vary from common, offbeat, to downright strange. The pretending Toca Life: City encourages as kids interact with these beings and objects, foreign and familiar, can encourage them to try to understand, accept—and even empathize with—others in the real world.

Working Memory

Recalling and retaining information in our minds while working.

Because Toca Life: City offers no real structure or guidance, the onus is on the player to find and remember where things are. There is no textual signage, meaning children must recall which building exteriors match the interiors they are looking for. Likewise, objects, be they groceries, toys, household appliances, clothes, or even magazines from a waiting room, can be stuck in an avatar’s hand or on their body and carted virtually anywhere. If a child is looking for where they put something (or someone) specific in Toca Life: City, just like in real life, they must retrace their steps and find it.