Shonen Jump
LQ: 9.55
Recommended Age: 12+
Skills Used: Flexibility, Focus, Reading
Sago Mini World is an open-ended storytelling app where children can manipulate various elements of the on-screen environment to explore the world around them. There are various environments that children can interact with including a neighborhood, a farm, an amusement park, a train, and an apartment. They can take a road trip in a car that looks like a chicken, change the time of day to put characters to sleep, and add and remove passengers from a train that is chugging through various seasons and locations. Almost everything in the environment can be picked up or manipulated in some way, allowing for myriad discovery opportunities.
The game features colorful imagery, soothing music, and fun sound effects.
Sago Mini World features a free seven day trial but requires a subscription service after its expiration. The app is now available for Android and iOS.
Flexibility: Trying something new.
For younger children, apps like Sago Mini World allow children to explore and try new things by manipulating objects in their environment. Because there are no words and no directions, the child can let their own curiosity and imagination take control as they discover what objects can be moved and manipulated within the worlds of each mini area. For example, in the county fair area, children can place animals on the various rides, help them into a bouncy castle, add coins to a register and remove them from an ATM, help a character win a strong man competition, etc. All of these activities are available to discover by simply clicking on and manipulating the objects and the characters in the environment. For children who need to practice trying new things, open-concept games like Sago Mini World can help them try new things in a fun and entertaining way.
Planning: Developing a systematic approach for setting and achieving goals.
Even though Sago Mini World is an open-concept game, younger children, especially those who cannot yet write, can use this app as a storytelling device. Teaching children how to tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end requires a certain amount of planning. In this app, children have a setting, characters, and the ability to move them around and create miniature scenes. In this way, young children can craft small stories surrounding what they have done, thereby practicing their planning skills.
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