I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Captain McFinn. I received a complimentary subscription to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
Shane is in kindergarten this year, which has been the source of a lot of new experiences. He’s learning how to read and is actually getting really good at it, and while he already knew how to write all of the letters, his handwriting, spelling, and storytelling are improving and he likes to write stories. While his education has of course been the main focus of school, there is definitely another important aspect- socialization.
Shane has always been socialized. As a baby he attended play classes, and we had a pretty steady playgroup going for awhile. He went to preschool last year, and has always had extracurricular activities as well. However, now that Shane is a bit older {as are his peers}, his social relationships have become more complex. Now if he has a disagreement with someone, it can really affect him and hurt his feelings, and we’ve even had to navigate a few pretty tough situations.
For that reason especially, I am so glad that I was invited to check out Captain McFinn Swim & Play. Captain McFinn Swim & Play is the first-ever children’s app, aimed at kids ages 3-5, that allows the users to truly interact and communicate back with a live host, who can praise the child’s accomplishments in the game and even call players out by name. While Shane has a lot of iPad apps that he loves, this one is unlike any others in several ways- including that it helps kids learn about pro-social life lessons. Not only does the app teach about being kind and sharing, but it gives examples of how to act when someone is being mean- which has already come in handy as we navigate the waters of kindergarten.
The iPad app, available from the Apple iTunes Store, is based on the popular Captain McFinn storybook character who lives in the undersea world of Sand Dusty Reef with his friends. Down in the undersea world of Sand Dusty Reef, Captain McFinn and all of his friends have lots to share about being a good friend! It’s a really cool game because of the real live host who interacts with your child {in a secure setting where they can’t see your child- see below for more privacy info} and helps make their playtime a truly enriching experience. The host helps the parent and child navigate through an interactive experience, learning important pro-social life lessons, such as kindness and sharing, in a fun and engaging way. The host interacts with a “class” of children who are all playing at the same time and leads them through activities like watching videos, drawing pictures, and even making music. There’s always something new to explore and so much to learn! Your child can even earn badges!
Swim & Play allows children and their parents to touch content in a way never before done– and all in a secure setting alongside their friends. It’s educational, it’s fun, and it’s unlike any game I’ve ever seen! I definitely recommend it to anyone with little ones at home.
Download It: The Captain McFinn Swim & Play app is available using a subscription model. The freemium subscription model offers 10 minutes of free play at the start of the game, with subscription tiers of 1-month, 3-month and 6-month periods. The pricing is $4.59, $3.59 and $2.59 per month, respectively. You can find it in the Apple store here!
Please note: The app complies with all COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) safety standards, so although parents/children can see the host, the host cannot see them. Through proprietary technology, the host reacts to prompts, responses and creations by the child and texts from the parent (through a secure chat box) to make the interactive experience truly customized.
That really does sound unlike anything else out there. I love that there are some social skills involved too!
This looks like a lot of fun. I think my little one would have loved it at that age. I like that they get praise back! It’s so important.
That is a really unique idea. I like how interactive it is.
How fun. I’m always looking for new apps for my kids. They got their brother’s old iPod, so we have lots of space for new apps.
My kids are all about the apps and I’m always looking for new ones that they will love. I think this one will be a hit and I adore that it’s so interactive!
Love the colorful bright images. Love that there is an actual person/ photo in the submarine.
I love apps like this that promote learning and teach my kids along the way throughout the apps progress of the game.