Available in the App Store

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In this digital age, it’s important that we pay a bit of extra attention to developing fine motor skills in our kids. So I was more than happy to see Chalk Walk come my way. This app for iPad acts like a virtual sidewalk, and challenges kids with increasingly difficult chalk patterns that they use a real pinch action to trace. The results? They’re pretty darn cool. Let’s see how the app held up under mommy and, more importantly, kid critique.

As a mom, I love this app. Oh sure, we have sidewalk chalk stuck up on a shelf in the closet somewhere. But after an unseasonable cold weekend, the kids didn’t miss out on their chalk fun. Chalk Walk also really requires a pinch motion, much like what children use when they start to write their letters. As the game progressed, kids collected letters to create fun words and be-bopped around to tons of different music tracks. They also learned that they had to keep the correct pinch hold, or their hard work was for nothing. It was pretty cool to see.

On a downside, the kids actually got a bit bored with the game. The neat characters, fun music and word spelling did help, but it only managed to hold their attention in short spans. So, I suggest cueing up this bad boy with a planned activity session. Don’t forget to show the kids a video of their tracing every time they finish a level. That was a big hit with my clan.

Also, I highly recommend having some of the real stuff handy. The kids were really interested in chalking up the driveway after playing Chalk Walk.

Bottom line

Chalk Walk focuses on a necessary skill, and serves a great purpose. Just remember to administer the app in small doses.

The first app to help children to develop the pincer grip needed at school.

Many children are coming into kindergarten unable to properly hold a pencil. As time spent drawing on paper or coloring with crayons is swapped for screen time, key fine motor skills remain underdeveloped. But screen time can also solve the problem and prepare kids for the pencil-and-paper tasks they encounter in school. Mrs. Judd’s Games’ new app, CHALK WALK, is designed to fill in the blank: young hands get needed exercise as they use a thumb & finger pincer grip to play this fun, innovative, teacher-designed game.

Typical iPad tracing games ignore this need for children build awareness of hand positioning required for success in school. CHALK WALK helps focus a child’s attention on this skill and offers clever tracing lines that bend and twist before the player’s eyes. Players collect alphabet puzzle pieces and chase prizes as they make their way to Silly Town. Regular Price: $2.99