App review by Christy Matte, Common Sense Education | Updated December 2013
VTech InnoTab Software - Doc McStuffins
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VTech InnoTab Software - Doc McStuffins

Warm fuzzy game about healing and early learning skills

Get it now
  • Buy on Amazon
Learning rating
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Grades
Pre-K–1
Subjects & Skills
English Language Arts, Math, Health & Wellness, Character & SEL
Price:  $24.99
Platforms:  InnoTab, InnoTab 2
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Take a look inside

3 images
Learn to dance with Ballerina in a rhythm-style game.
Doc helps Lambie be brave when she gets a tear.
Use your creativity in the coloring pages.

Pros: This software offers a range of games that are replay-friendly and filled with cute characters.

Cons: The title is hampered by random game selection, the requirement of unlocking art tools, and sometimes klunky controls

Bottom Line: Friendly, familiar characters will draw kids in and reinforce healthy living, but a few quirks detract from the shine.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

VTech InnoTab Software - Doc McStuffins offers a lovely way to engage kids during stations, indoor recess, and quiet time, it can also be used as a way to discuss healthier habits or even ease the fear of a child who is dealing with an illness personally or at home.

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Standards:

Editor’s Note: This game’s publisher, VTech, experienced a breach of parent and student data on November 14, 2015. Click here for more information.

VTech InnoTab Software - Doc McStuffins is an imaginative collection of mini-games and activities centering around 6-year-old Doc, a girl who loves helping her injured and broken toys. Kids may wish to start with the e-Book which tells the story of Doc's stuffed animal Lambie. Lambie gets a rip Doc can't fix, so she calls in a "specialist" and instead focuses on helping Lambie be brave. Kids can click on highlighted words to see a definition in the glossary. 

There are also eight mini-games which kids can discover by visiting six locations in Doc's world. The games are assigned randomly regardless of locale, so kids will want to use the Free Play menu (once games are unlocked) to access specific mini-game faves. Three card games focus on memory and observation, while a bubble popping game sets kids out looking for missing letters. The marble activity involves sending marbles to the correct destination by matching colors or the right answer to a math problem. Ballerina teaches Lambie to dance as kids help along in a rhythm-style game. Aspiring builders can choose the right blocks based on color, shape, or pattern and help Stuffy the dragon stack them into a tower. Lastly, kids can lend a helping hand as Doc diagnoses and heals her toy friends.

Once kids do well in these games, they are unlocked in a free-play mode and kids are given stickers and other items for the color book section. In addition to the mini-games, kids can use the photo lab to bring Doc and her friends into their pictures, or color pictures of the friends in the coloring book. Kids are also rewarded with "tip cards" which give suggestions around healthy living. They might include reminders to get a good night sleep, to stay brave at the doctor's office, or to talk about their feelings with a caring adult.

Although the content in this game ranges from preschool up to first-grade material, the learning levels aren't consistent enough (and the content isn't deep enough) to make this a great title for learning math and spelling skills, although both are covered. It is a wonderful way to encourage healthy habits and to practice things like memory and observation. There is some skill leveling as kids show success in a game, but it doesn't seem to "stick" between sessions. The e-Book is a positive story about helping friends, being brave, and asking for help when you need it. The glossary can help kids with challenging vocabulary, but at this age, an adult is a better way to foster that learning.

Overall Rating
Engagement

With eight mini-games and some extra-creative activities, most kids will find engaging things to explore. The card games, in particular, are fun to replay.

Pedagogy

The game teaches kids about feelings and healing, so kids should be able to relate information to their daily lives. The math and letter recognition both feel forced into their mini-games. The health and healing are more organic.

Support

Skill levels seem to revert upon each visit to the game, but parents can see what skills their kids are focusing on in the VTech Learning Lodge.

Common Sense reviewer
Christy Matte Educator
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Key Standards Supported

Operations And Algebraic Thinking

  • 1.OA.6

    Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10. Use strategies such as counting on; making ten (e.g., 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14); decomposing a number leading to a ten (e.g., 13 – 4 = 13 – 3 – 1 = 10 – 1 = 9); using the relationship between addition and subtraction (e.g., knowing that 8 + 4 = 12, one knows 12 – 8 = 4); and creating equivalent but easier or known sums (e.g., adding 6 + 7 by creating the known equivalent 6 + 6 + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13).

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Key Standards Supported

Reading Foundational Skills

  • RF.K.4

    Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.

  • RF.K.1a

    Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

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