Just the other day, we were talking about how developers are exploring the iPhone’s potentials as an excellent device for imparting education to children. That’s when this app, Wheels on the Bus, caught our attention.

Description: Wheels on the Bus is an interactive book for children. It uses a musical narrative and gesture simulation to teach various every-day activities. The narrative uses a simple journey in a bus with a motley list of passengers  including a bus driver, a chef, a toad, two dogs, a fish and other passengers.

Use of gesture simulation and iPhone UI: The app uses the iPhone/iPod touch UI innovatively to create an enjoyable learning experience for children. The narrative starts with a child getting into the bus and then learning various things as the bus moves along.

For instance, the cat squirms when it is poked (as per the instruction). Similarly the fish pops out of the jar and the bus moves when the user swipes on the bus from left to right or vice-a-versa. Similarly each concept is taught with one or another gesture simulation.

Ease of use: How hard or easy is it for the children to use it? One of the App Store reviewers writes:

I handed it to my 3 year old who understood what to do right away.

That should speak volumes about the seamless designing.

Some more goodies:

1. Multilingual support: Wheels on the Bus is a multilingual app supporting 5 languages – English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.

2. Great illustrations: Apart from the kinesthetic techniques to teach the child the meaning of words and concepts, the app also uses surprise elements. For instance, in the first page of this book, if the hat is slid up, it reveals a toad sitting under it. The texts alongside the illustrations make the app really easy to use.

3. Sound: The sounds used in the app are predictably soft ones. The instruments used are violin, cello, piano and other similar instruments. Plus there is an additional feature to record personal voice- the sweet gibberish or a 3 year old toddler or the more serene tone of his/her parents.

Overall, an enjoyable learning curve for your toddler to be sure.

• App Name: Wheels on the Bus
• Price: $0.99
• App Category: Education
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• Developer:Duck Duck Moose