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Every parent doesn’t like the idea of having their kids play with mobile devices all the time unless it’s with Osmo.
As a parent, we always want to make sure that our children spend most of their time playing with their toys.
Even though they have so many toys lying around already (including that Lego you just stepped on), they just seem to be more interested in our mobile devices.
There are even instances when taking the device away from them can be challenging to deal with since it might involve a series of tantrums.
How Much Screen Time is Recommended for Kids?
Playtime is essential in the early childhood stages as it also helps develop new skills for children at a young age.
However, there has to be a minimum and a limit that should be strictly followed all the time since it can affect their minds too.
Too much or less screen time might link to issues that may produce negative effects on them such as:
- Behavioral problems
- Lacking social skills
- Irregular sleep schedules
- Violence
You might be thinking how will a digital screen help your children grow in a good way, but trust me, they also need it as we do.
Since technology is constantly changing, introducing them to how these devices can be used at an early age is a huge plus.
In case you didn’t know, children are more likely to enhance their memory skills from watching videos on your mobile phone.
So, instead of looking at the negative sides of the products of modern technology, why not take advantage of the positive side?
You can still have them play with a tablet under your permission while encouraging them to learn new stuff with Osmo.
What is Osmo All About?
Osmo is a gaming accessory founded by Tangible Play Inc. in 2013 and has made its reputation for taking interactive learning to the next level.
Their first three games were Newton, Tangram, and Words, which made way for the development of newer games.
Since their products encourage learning while promoting hands-on play for little children, they were even recognized as one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions
The company also earned different awards including Parents’ Choice Award Winner, Oppenheim Award Winner, and more.
Having your little ones play with Osmo is an excellent choice to enhance and develop skills that they can use in real life such as:
- Coding
- Spatial Reasoning
- Puzzles
- Literacy
- Drawing
What is Hands-on Kids Learning?
It is a process that encourages kids to learn through actions and experiences, and Osmo makes it possible through its products.
Hands-on learning also helps activate different areas of the brain every time a child interacts with their environment.
What Products Does Osmo Offer?
Osmo focuses on creating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Arts) games to let children develop their critical thinking skills.
The games work best with the Apple iPad and Amazon Fire Tablets, and each game is already enough to keep them entertained.
Play-Based Learning
Features educational games that let your children develop new skills through hands-on games for interactive learning.
It comes with a unique collection of games for:
- Coding
- Critical Thinking
- Drawing
- Geography
- Imaginative Play
- Literacy
- Math
- Puzzles
- Science
And if you don’t know which one to get first, they also have Starter Kits that include up to 15 games per kit.
- Classic Starter Kits – A classic bestseller among parents and kids that covers different areas.
- Age-Based Starter Kits – To help you decide which starter kit to get based on your child’s age.
- Skill-based Starter Kits – Nurture your little one’s skills with these special starter kits suitable for children ages 3 to 12.
Curriculum-Based Learning: Math Wizard: Adventure Series Starter Kit
An amazing starter kit series that helps expand your child’s skills in mathematics.
It comes with four educational games that are completely based on research and combine healthy screen time and tangible play.
Math Wizard and the Magical Workshop
This game focuses on teaching your child how to count, add, and subtract numbers.
Math Wizard and the Secrets of the Dragons
Kids can learn about units of measurement and how to use a ruler on this part of the series.
Math Wizard and the Amazing Airships
Introduces Algebra in the simplest way to help guide your kids on how to compute for the unknown value, and building and balancing equations.
Math Wizard and the Enchanted World Games
Enhance your child’s analytical skills as they learn the foundations of multiplication to solve different math problems.
How it Works
Each game offers an augmented reality experience that’s guaranteed to change the way they play by using special gaming accessories.
This gaming accessory can function with your mobile device so the Osmo app can “see” what your child placed on the table area.
Our Experience with Osmo
The kids really like playing with the Osmo sets that we got, especially our 4 year old.
She does really well with the story game, and likes to play the letter game sometimes.
It’s super cool how the game pulls your creations in and the characters interact with them.
She’s really into the detective game where she has to find clues and solve mysteries for her detective agency.
The drawing games are pretty cool as well, though they are a little short. The good thing is that a lot of what they ask you to draw is open-ended, so it will be good for a second playthrough.
They have a physics-based game called Newton which I was more excited about than she was. I think it’s for older kids, so we will have to revisit that one later.
The products below are the ones we’ve purchased and the ones that we can so far recommend getting.
Osmo Products We Recommend
Super Studio Disney Mickey Mouse & Friends (Ages 5-11)
If your child is a huge Disney fan, then they’ll surely love playing while learning how to draw with Mickey Mouse and his friends on Osmo.
This game works on iPad and Fire Tablet and doesn’t come with an Osmo Base, so make sure to get a base first.
Little Genius Starter Kit for iPad (Ages 3-5)
An excellent game for your preschooler that includes 4 educational learning games inside the kit.
This kit includes the games:
- ABCs – to teach them letters, phonics, and construction.
- Squiggle Magic – teaches them how to draw.
- Costume Party – to experiment with clothes and colors.
- Stories – for problem-solving
Super Studio Disney Princess (Ages 5-11)
Teach your little one how to draw with Ariel, Belle, and Rapunzel, and let them discover new adventures while developing hand-eye coordination.
Super Studio Disney Frozen 2 (Ages 5-11)
Your kids’ favorite characters from Disney Frozen 2 are here to teach them how to draw as they explore over 50 drawings based on the movie.
Detective Agency (Ages 5-12)
If your kids love history and dream of exploring the world someday, turn that into virtual reality with this learning game from Osmo.
It comes with a little magnifying glass that they can use while developing their skills in critical thinking, mystery-solving, and more.
Creative Starter Kit for iPad (Ages 5-10)
This starter kit works best with the iPad and it includes 3 learning games specifically:
- Monster – for problem-solving
- Newton – to learn more about physics
- Masterpiece – to teach them how to draw
Click here to get Osmo games now!
What is the age range for Osmo?
Most of the games from Osmo suits kids aged 5-11.
Meanwhile, they also have interactive games for children aged 4-11, 7-11, and 3-5.
So if you think Osmo is only for big kids, you can start introducing their educational games to preschoolers as well.
Kids aged 12 and above can also play Osmo games if they find it interesting or if they want to develop their skills.
Is it worth the money?
Despite the expensive games from Osmo, their products are indeed worth the money and can be considered as an investment for parents.
Although normal workbooks can do the same thing, your child is more likely to focus on looking at your mobile device rather than looking at images that don’t move inside a book.
Plus the games level up along with your child and it makes an excellent learning material for homeschool especially in today’s world.
Are Osmo Games free?
Numbers, Words Chomp. Words Explorers, Toybox, Cooking Chaos, and Kaleidoscope are free when you download the app for the first time.
Meanwhile, all the other games need to be bought first before you can download them.
Does Osmo work on iPhone?
Sort of
According to their website, Osmo games need their special accessory, the Osmo Base, to function since the app needs to look at the tabletop.
The base is currently available for iPad and Fire tablets, so it might be impossible for an iPhone to be paired with a large base.
However, Osmo used to run on older iPhone versions from iPhone 6 until iPhone 8 Plus before.
Kids can still play the game if you already downloaded them before on your iPhone except that it might be incompatible with the newer game versions.
Why Get Osmo for Your Kids?
Osmo comes with the best and educational interactive games that turn your child’s regular tablet session into a learning session.
With Osmo, you don’t have to worry about your child and their screen time because the game encourages them to interact with the environment as well.
Can I get Osmo without the Base?
It Depends
If you already have the base then you don’t need to buy a kit that comes with it.
However, if you’re planning to buy one and don’t have a starter base, it might only cost you much more since the accessory is required to run the game.
Can Osmo be used with Android?
NO
Osmo isn’t compatible with Android devices and is currently exclusive to work with iPad, iPhones, and Amazon Fire Tablets.
