Product Review of Dexteria Jr
This is the same thing as Dexteria, but it is designed for kids between the ages of 2 and 6.
What Users Love About the App
“Although this app is described as being for preschoolers, I have found that many of the children that I work with (ages 4-7) really enjoy using this app. There are three different activities in this app: squish the squash, trace and erase, and pinch the pepper. Squish the squash is good for developing speed and dexterity and has cute animations and sounds to motivate the user. In trace and erasing, I have the child use a stylus to help with pencil hold and motor control. A series of increasingly complex paths must be traced and then erased. The child’s picture is then taken using a variety of special effects. Pinch the pepper helps develop the pincer grasp and strengthens the webspace (between the index finger and thumb) for writing. Each activity provides reinforcement for motivation. The child’s progress is recorded and the app starts at the level where they left off at in the previous session. The report that is provided can be emailed. This is a great app, but I would like to see the ability to choose the starting level, to modify the difficulty within levels, and to have multiple users.”
“I am an occupational therapist working with students who have difficulties with visual-motor skills. This app has really appealed to both my students and me. My students enjoy the tracing activity the best. They first have to trace the lines within a specified area and then erase the lines they have drawn. After erasing their lines, the app takes a picture of the student, but each level/picture is different. Some pictures look like what you would see if you looked in a mirror at the carnival; some pictures are swirled, etc. The kids really love seeing what they are going to look like at each level. I like it because it is a motivating way to practice pre-writing skills. I also appreciate how it tracks accuracy. The only thing I don’t like is that you can’t choose which level you enter at. But I am guessing that that will change with an update.”
“Thank you, Frank Jensen and company! The Trace & Erase feature has been enhanced, with 29 options that you can access in any order. The other two features of this app, Squish the Squash and Pinch the Pepper, are great fine motor tasks as well that also address visual tracking. As an occupational therapist working with children through age 5, I am impressed! And last but not least, I appreciate that you responded to my initial email and then contacted me when the upgrade was available. Great customer service! I will check out your other apps.”
“My son struggles with fine motor movements. This app has been so helpful in strengthening these skills. He especially enjoys the Hot Pepper game. I have seen such an improvement in his ability to hold a pencil and manipulate the pencil with his fingers. He used to use his arm to control his hand while writing, but with the use of this app, he has learned how to control the smaller muscles in his fingers. He is now able to make the letter /o/ without the use of the larger muscles in his arm. I’m amazed at his progress. We like to use this app to warm up his fingers for writing.”
“This is a wonderful app, with fun characters and features! Strongly recommend for any pediatric OTs and addresses the fundamental skills for writing/pre-writing in a fun and engaging way.”
What Users Dislike About the App
“So far, I really like this app and will use it with my kids at school. I would like to see a feature that lets you choose the starting level for the tracing. I have some kids who can do the starting levels very easily. It would be nice to have them start at the more challenging levels. It would also be nice to see letters and numbers added. I know these are in the other Dexteria app, but it would be nice to have them here using the same kind of images and graphics that appeal to younger children.”
“Once you open, you can’t exit. Not worth it.”
“I like the activities in this app. However, it is quite expensive for just these three simple activities. My three-year-old gets bored in just a few minutes. I wish I hadn’t spent the money.”
“It would be nice if there were sections for tracing letters and numbers as the adult version has.”
