OSMO
Osmo is an award-winning educational game system designed for ages 5 and up that features hands-on learning games for the iPad. All you need to play is an iPad with a camera and the Starter Kit or Genius Kit.

We recently received the Osmo Genius Kit to try out and the boys were excited to check it out. The kit included a white iPad stand, a red reflective mirror for the iPad camera plus the Numbers, Words and Tangram game pieces.

Downloading the apps and setting up the games was very easy. It took us a couple of minutes and we were ready to play.

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Note that the Masterpiece and Newton games don’t require any pieces and all of apps are available to download from the App Store free of charge. You do need the Osmo system (base + mirror) to play them of course.

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According to the Osmo website, some of the key areas the games help foster are:

  • Tangram fosters spatial relational skills.
  • Words teaches spelling and critical thinking skills.
  • Newton fosters creative problem solving skills.
  • Masterpiece teaches drawing and creative confidence.
  • Numbers teaches counting, addition and multiplication.

I am a big fan of hands-on, interactive games and I love the fact that my son is practicing his numbers and reading while he plays the fun games.

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Numbers

Add, count and multiply the tiles to match the numbers on the bubbles. Popping enough bubbles will free the fish and unleash a storm of lightning and thunder! Big or small, even or odd, will you become the Numbers Master?

The Numbers games is lots of fun and I like that our 5-year-old has been able to unlock different levels based on his play patterns.

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Tangram

Arrange wooden puzzle pieces to match on-screen shapes. Animals, objects, humans and more. Play with a friend or challenge yourself to increasingly more difficult levels as your handiwork lights up with each victory.

I was very surprised to see how much our son loves playing Tangram. He is very patient and concentrates each time to arrange the puzzle pieces and match the shapes on the screen. He really likes  how the pieces light up once he has arranged them correctly.

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Words

Guess and spell the on-screen image. Team up or compete in-person with friends or family to see who will get their letter in first! Download free content like trivia, geography or upload your own like family names. The possibilities are endless.

Since he is now reading on his own this game has been perfect for our Kindergartener. Practicing his spelling and reading of words while playing the game and having fun has been great. I love that on the weekends when he is allowed screen time he is picking the games over watching a show on T.V.

Newton

Newton works with any object or drawing – Mom’s keys, hand-drawn basket, even toys you already own. Simply place the object/drawing in front of the screen and manipulate it to guide the falling balls into the target zones.

So entertaining! Seriously fun to be able to use everyday objets to play. Our son uses his LEGO figures and  LEGO pieces all the time!

Masterpiece

Unleash your inner artist! Pick an image from the camera, web or curated gallery and Masterpiece will transform it into easy-to-follow lines, helping you create beautiful drawings.

O.k. I have been having lots of fun with this game. I love that Osmo is not only for children, adults can play the games and have a great time too. The easy-to-follow lines make it easy to create great drawings even when you are not gifted in the artistic department.

In the United States the Starter Kit is $79, the Genius Kit is $99. The Numbers game (if you already have a Starter Kit) is $29. Prices differ by country. You can check a different country by changing your shipping country here.

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Disclosure: I was gifted product for review consideration, this is however not a paid post and all opinions and views on this post are 100% my own.