Available in the App Store

[appimg 492805472]

StoryLines For Schools is a drawing game app with an educational component, creating appeal for kids, parents, and teachers. It is reminiscent of the old school “Telephone” game, and is sure to cause fits of giggles during play.

The game allows for 3, 5, 7, or 9 players. It begins with a player typing in a phrase or choosing an option from four different categories: elementary vocabulary, intermediate vocabulary, SAT words, or quotes. This allows the game to have an educational purpose, as players then have to visualize and draw out the phrase for the next player. The next player types in what they think the phrase is, based on the picture. Then the next player draws a picture of the new phrase, and so on until all players have taken a turn.

As anyone who has played Telephone knows, this leads to all kind of hilarious alterations of the original content. There is no winning or losing – it is simply about playing with words and having fun. It will, however, make players use some brain power and put to use a variety of words and phrases in a way that will leave an impression & increase knowledge.

The game is appropriate for anyone who is old enough to read, draw, and type. However, younger players will likely put in their own words or phrases to start the game, as the elementary vocabulary is fairly advanced and may prove frustrating.

StoryLines has two different versions to choose from. For this review, we used the For Schools (FS) version. The benefits of For Schools are that it has no outside play, so kids can only play with people who are physically sharing an iPad with them, there are no social media links, and educational vocabulary and phrases are built in to the app. It also only requires a WiFi connection on the first use – after that, it is not required. The other version allows for random play with strangers and media sharing. Although the app store shows some customers reporting bugs, the developer assures me that they are very committed to addressing any problems that show up, and I have had no issues with it myself.

The Bottom Line

StoryLines For Schools is an entertaining telephone-style drawing game with an educational twist that will provide both learning and laughs.
StoryLines for Schools is an award-winning game of ‘telephone’ with pictures. Featured by KQED’s MindShift in their “10 Awesome Apps for Learning”, and by Apple as a “New & Noteworthy” education App.
Learn new vocabulary and language concepts that are grade-appropriate, and spark your creativity in a safe, enjoyable manner.