Tablets have become a huge part of our day-to-day life. I grew up in a time without these, so I am trying to balance letting my children use them and making sure they get as little screen time as possible. One thing I focus on when it comes to devices, is making sure the games benefit my children in some way. We recently were given the opportunity to try out Dr. Panda Plus Home Designer, an augmented reality game/app for kids.
Much like the popular Pokemon go app, augmented reality apps include real life features into a virtual game. Dr. Panda Plus Home Designer lets little ones create a virtual house by drawing on flash cards that are uploaded into the app. It takes screen time into art time.
Dr. Panda Home Designer is made for children ages 3 to 8 years old. Not only is it fun, it is also an educational age. It teaches spelling and word recognition along with design and fun.
How It Works: Pick a Card
Dr. Panda Plus Home Designer comes with 51 cards and 12 different colored dry-erase markers. On the front of each card is a household object or one of the Dr. Panda characters on them. On the back of the card, there is a different item that is white. This is where the child can color in the items to be used in the game.
The game comes with QR code to download the game onto a tablet or smart phone. The app is available in Google Play Store, Apple Store, and the Amazon Store.
Once in the game, the child can aim the device’s camera at the card and watch their image come to life and in their virtual home. They can use the item as it is on the card, or the back that has their own colored in version.
Simple and Fun for little ones
We tested Dr. Panda Plus Home Designer with all of our children plus a few nieces and friends. These ages fell from the youngest of 3 all the way through 15. It was pretty easy for all of the kids to use, however my son (age 3) did need a little help.
Everyone of the kids loved it and thought it was a blast. It was cute, simple, and kept their attention. Overall, Dr. Panda Plus Home Designer was a definite win in our home!
