Hopscotch HD is a neat computer programming app that could one day turn your child into a whizzkid developer. Children as young as four can use its drag ’n’ drop instruction blocks to create simple actions and animations to keep them enthralled for hours.
Our test subjects – an eight-year- old boy and an 11-year-old girl – quickly caught on to how Hopscotch HD works. However, note that there’s little in the way of instructions, so you may need to help them in the initial stages.
To create an action or animation, your child simply chooses a character, then combines and arranges instructions based on motion, lines, control, and so on, and by tapping Play, they’ll see them come to rudimentary life. They can even set how the actions are set in train and combine the actions of many different characters.
Proud programmers and their parents can easily share their creations through email (though Hopscotch will be needed on both iPads). All in all, this is a great educational app.
You'll find this review, and many more, in Tap! Magazine issue 30.
Key info
- Works with: iPad
- Price: Free
- Developer: Hopscotch technologies
- Version: 1.1
- App size: 5.2MB
- Age rating: 4+
Like this? Read these!
- How to create an app: try these great tutorials
- Free Photoshop brushes every creative must have!
- Free Photoshop actions to create stunning effects
