bekids Academy - Preschool Games

What is bekids Academy – Preschool Games app?

Some of the content of bekids Academy was once a part of bekids ABC. Six more subjects have joined the letters of bekids ABC to make a much larger app that needed a new name — bekids Academy.

This new app has minigames, activities, songs, and cartoons related to letters, languages, reading, art, music and logic. Kids can browse through the content freely, choosing the topic and games that suit their moods and interests.

Kids earn rewards as they play the app which they can use in the in-app store. The rewards encourage kids to log in to the app daily and work through the activities. The store is purely an in-game activity and adds nothing to the app's price.

What we love about bekids Academy app.

Bekids Academy had an unusual level selector, which worked very well. Before choosing an age, the app invites you to select a language level for your kids, which includes word and babble, simple sentences, and short conversations. This breakdown makes a lot of sense for kids at this age as progress varies considerably between kids. You still set an age to help the app select appropriate content, but we liked this extra finesse.

The app is one of the most graphically rich early learning apps we have seen. It has live-action, computer art, and a mix of them both. They all looked fantastic, with colourful and clear artwork, smooth animation, and kid-friendly themes.

The sound was also superb. The app is fully narrated to help kids understand and learn. Music accompanies many activities, and the songs and nursery rhymes are very well produced.

There was a good variety of activity styles. Some are active and require kids to join in to perform a task in a game, draw a letter, or interact with a scene. Others are more passive learning experiences like cartoons and songs. Each type has a purpose, and they work very well in this app.

There is something good to say about each of the activities. We liked the guided drawing for giving kids a framework where most apps leave them to make it up. The games in all categories are pressure-free while retaining a game-like feel.

What skills does it teach?

Bekids Academy has many activities within each category.

• Letters includes recognition, formation, and phonics
• Languages includes vocabulary grouped by theme
• Art has colouring activities and guided drawing exercises
• Reading includes lots of kid-friendly books
• Logic has shape and matching puzzles
• Science covers the human body, nature, and technology
• Music has nursery rhymes and songs to sing along to and for joining in

All of the activities in each section were age appropriate in theme and relevant to the learning young kids need.

What age is it appropriate for?

bekids Academy is designed for pre-schoolers making it suitable for kids up to the age of 5.

Is bekids Academy app easy to use?

Kids will have no trouble playing the games. They use verbal and visual explanations. The movable elements are well-sized for young kids to interact with, and the text is good size relative to the screen.

How will students benefit?

Opening the app and playing the activities reward kids with gems and a growing toy collection, but they are so appealing kids won't need much of a push to play them.

The activities are pressure free without time limits. They might have game-style dangers, but these don't result in lost lives and game-over screens. Instead, they often result in an amusing animation or sound effect. This is a good way to give young kids the feel of a game without the possible frustration, yet it is not an approach many early-year apps have taken. We can't think why, as it works so well in this app.

The material is excellent, with clear information and repetition of key information like letters and words. The speech helps kids understand how to play and teaches them new words and how to pronounce them. On-screen words often appear alongside the spoken word to help kids recognise spellings.

How will parents benefit?

With so many activities and games in the app, bekids Academy provides many opportunities for parents to join their kids in shared learning. When sharing a device with their kids, parents can add another layer of education to the app's contents by discussing, showing, sharing and playing alongside their kids.

Parents can still see how kids have used the app when they have not joined them. A progress screen behind a parental lock records which games, books, and other activities kids have used and completed.

Parents can also add extra profiles to the app for other kids to play with without changing the progress records of each other.

How will teachers benefit?

Bekids Academy is a preschool app designed for helping kids prepare for school. Teachers may find it helpful to support kids with delayed educational development.

How much does bekids Academy app cost?

The bekids Academy app is free to download, and without signing in, you can play the app for a few minutes. This daily activity allowance renews daily.

The app has a free seven-day trial, after which you'll need to subscribe. You have options for a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribing for the year saves more than 50% compared to paying for the app monthly over the same time.

You can continue using the app with a monthly or annual subscription. The yearly option is less than half the price compared to monthly subscribing, so we recommend you choose this option if possible.

Is bekids Academy app safe to use?

bekids Academy is KidSafe Certified. It does not display any ads. The app description states that it does not need a data connection which, along with 500mb+ size, suggests it preloads all of its content. However, many activities we accessed during this review needed to be downloaded first, which contradicts the no-connection claim. They did not need downloading on subsequent uses.

There is a parental area where you can view kids' progress and clear the downloads to free up space on a device. A parental lock where you enter your year of birth protects this area. This barrier should help to avoid kids accidentally resetting their apps and having to re-download their favourite content.

What can bekids Academy app improve on?

Some activities don't set up a buffer area around the play zone, which can cause issues with the mobile device's interface. For example, if you take a draggable item to the top of the screen, it can be difficult even for an adult to move it down without pulling down the notification tab on an iPhone.

Overall rating of the app.

Bekids Academy is cheaper than many of its competitors and yet more favourably priced than most, especially at the yearly rate. The app combines exquisite presentation, useful learning content, and thoughtful interactions for young kids.

We highly recommend you try the free seven-day trial with your kids. This five-star app will likely be a keeper.