Sight Words & Spelling with Pixopop HD App Review
App Name: Sight Words and Spelling with Pixopop HD
Overall Rating: 4/5
Mom’s Rating: 4/5
Kids’ Rating: 4/5
Recommended Grades/Ages: Kindergarten, Grade 1
Skills Developed: Spelling, Reading, Sight Words
Available On/Price: iPad – $2.99
Reviewed on: iPad
App Description:
Sight Words & Spelling with Pixopop HD contains 240 of the most common sight words divided into 24 lists of ascending difficulty (10 words each). List 1 begins with words such as: can, run, red etc. and list 24 includes words such as: shoes, clothes, busy etc. You can also create your own customized lists and record your own audio for any word sets of your own choosing. Your child can choose from one of three anime-style characters (a bunny, a dragon, and a girl) to guide them through the app. Word lists can be drilled with flashcards, selected from a multiple-choice list, or presented by dictation for spelling practice.
Flashcards can be practice for any of the 24 (or custom) lists. With Quiz Mode on the flashcard will be silent, allowing your child to guess the word before tapping it to hear the word read. With Quiz Mode off the flashcards will be read as soon as they appear. Cards can be swiped between or the next button can be used to move between cards.
Once children are familiar with the cards for the list they are working on, they can work towards achievement rewards in Word Challenge. These levels are unlocked as previous levels are successfully completed (custom lists can be chosen at any time). Your child is asked to find a specific word from a list of four words. If correct, a piece of their cartoon guide appears in a blank outline. If incorrect, one of the three wrong answers is used up. After three wrong answers are selected, it’s game over. A score is awarded out of four for each word on the list – pre-programmed lists have ten words each for a total possible score of 40. Parents can choose easy difficulty where random words are chosen as the possible answers, or hard difficulty where all of the possible answers start with the same letter.
Word lists can also be practiced for spelling with the 24 levels being unlocked as previous levels are completed. Your child is asked to spell a word using the on-screen keyboard – corrections are possible before the word is submitted. Parents can choose between a qwerty style alphabet and an abc arrangement in the settings. Like Word Challenge mode, there are three possible wrong answers before the game is stopped, and a total score out of 40 is awarded.
Missed words in Word Challenge and Spelling modes will be added to automatically generated tricky words custom lists, and removed once they are mastered. A set of perfect answers in Word Challenge for a list gives your child a black and white trophy in the trophy room. A set of perfect answers on a spelling list gives your child a color trophy for that list.
Detailed results are compiled showing the lists attempted, scores, status (pass, fail, or incomplete) and the date and time the list was attempted. These overview results can also be expanded to show the scores given for each word, and the answers given by your child for each word.
Other Notes: This app does not include in-app purchases, advertising, social media integration, or external links.
What We Liked:
The ability to create customized word lists make Sight Words and Spelling with Pixopop suitable both for parents who want to use the pre-programmed sight words, and also for those who teach reading and spelling phonetically with customized lists. The customized lists can also be used to focus in on any set of study words for really any approach to reading and spelling – you just put your words in, record the audio, and choose the list you want your child to practice.
It is easy to see where your child is struggling with the detailed results and the automatically generated tricky words lists that help your child focus on the words that need the most practice.
The Word Challenge section of the app is my 6-year-old’s favorite part. She’s really motivated to complete her cartoon character successfully by choosing the correct words. The cartoon characters and colorful design make for a fun, child-friendly feeling.
What We Didn’t Like:
The app only allows the storing of progress, statistics, and tricky word lists for one child. There also isn’t a reset button to provide the parent with a way to easily prepare the app for a new child. Custom word lists with only a few words may not let your child successfully complete the outline of the avatar in Word Challenge before the game is finished. The keyboard buttons in Spelling Mode are also a bit small for little fingers.
Overall:
Sight Words and Spelling with Pixopop HD is a cute, well-designed app with characters and rewards that appeal to children. The ability to set up custom lists, track your child’s progress, and other helpful options set this app above your standard sight words app.
Buy this iPad app now for $2.99!
Have you downloaded this app? Let us know what you and your children thought – leave a comment!
Featured Sponsor
About Me
For homeschoolers, by a homeschooler. I'm Jennifer Bogart, a homeschooling mom of four, 8 months - 8 years. I'm an app-loving, aspiring geek dedicated to helping you hunt down the best homeschooling apps for your children. There are a lot of apps out there, let me help you narrow them down. 
