Making learning fun with Osmo

Before I had kids I had lots of big ideas about the kind of parent I would be. And then, five children later, it all went out of the window! I think the biggest one for me was allowing my children to have tablets, something I always said would never happen, and yet now you can find them on a Sunday morning, glued to their devices, whilst Gaz and I grab an extra fifteen minutes in bed before facing the day.

I find it hard as a parent to get the balance right, and even harder to cope with the inevitable guilt I feel when I’m tired or unwell and I use the children’s tablets to entertain them, and so discovering that you can combine screen time with learning is the perfect solution. And that’s where Osmo comes into play.

What is Osmo?

Osmo is “an interactive children’s toy that uses innovative technology to bring physical tools into the digital world.” It perfectly creates a hands-on learning experience combined with digital trends and honestly, it has completely blown my mind!!

Available in different packages – the Genius Starter Kit aimed at children aged 6-10 years which comes with 5 games including problem solving, spelling, puzzles and maths, the Little Genius Starter Kit aimed at children aged 3-5 and other options on their website. We were sent the Genius Starter Kit and couldn’t wait to try it out.

Inside the box is everything you need for hands-on learning – the Osmo Base for iPad, 5 Game Apps, 7 Tangram pieces, 40 number tiles, 52 word tiles and handy stackable storage.

Now I don’t know about you but I’m a bit useless with new technology and whenever the children get a new toy that requires any kind of assembly I pass the instructions straight to Gaz to deal with. But, with Gaz away, I had to take control and actually I was amazed at just how simple it was to get started. I absolutely loved how clear and concise the instructions are as well as “Grown-up Instructions” in three easy steps!

Once you’ve position your tablet in the stand (Osmo is compatible with both iPads and Amazon Fire Tablets) and positioned the red reflector over the camera of the iPad you can register your details and set up accounts for each child who will be using it, in our case Eva, Megan and Harry. And it is literally as simple as that!

The Games

I think the big test of any toy like this lies in the games and with the Osmo Genius Start Kit coming with 5 games you really do get your moneys worth. The first game we tried was Osmo Numbers focusing on counting, addition and multiplication.

The key message with Osmo is that there are multiple ways to solve a problem and, when kids figure that out, maths becomes creative and fun. The games are designed in a way to encourage children to challenge themselves and grow in confidence and, when they have mastered one mode, they can move on to the next. I love this style of learning, particularly as a Mum of more than one child, as each of my children learns at their own pace and I think it’s important to really support and encourage them on their own individual path.

Using the number tiles to solve maths problems you simply push your chosen tiles towards the Osmo base, they appear on the screen, and if you’ve got the right answer one of the bubbles bursts! I love the underwater setting, I think it’s great for maintaining a child’s interest and imagination and, with over 90 fish to collect, it gives children a goal to work towards.

 Osmo Tangram is probably my personal favourite out of the games and is such a great problem solving activity. The idea is simple, you must recreate the shapes on screen with the Tangram pieces and when you’ve got it the shape lights up and you move on to a more advanced level.

With over 500 different puzzles to master including shapes, animals, numbers and more, I imagine this is a game that will never grow old. My children get very competitive they play together, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and trying to beat each other to complete the tangram in the fastest time is a sure fire way to get their brains into action as quickly as possible!

Osmo Words is perfect for all ages, from children just starting out with their phonics and those who are ready for a tougher challenge. You can play alone, as a pair, or with your family and there are so many fun ways to play.

As soon as we started playing these games I completely understood why Osmo has already been adopted in over 30,000 classrooms in 42 countries around the world. For me, with a child like Harry who literally has zero attention span, I could not think of a better way for him to learn, practice, and grow in confidence.

Using the letter tiles children can choose the right letter to complete the word which helps with phonics, spelling and letter recognition. There are also anagram games, puzzle images, and adventure mode where every puzzle you solve takes you further into an imaginary land. I find having more levels and characters to unlock is such a great focus for children!

  What did the kids think?

As much as I enjoyed playing Osmo (who said it’s just for kids?!), the real test is seeing how the children will take to it and, most importantly, whether they want to continue to play with it, week after week, without the novelty wearing off. And let me tell you, when the children burst through the door after school and scramble to the kitchen table to set it up, you just know that it’s a hit!

Megan’s absolute favourite game is the 4th game included in the Osmo Genius Starter Kit, Masterpiece. With children spending so much time using screens these days there is a real danger that the next generation of children will have lost the art of handwriting and drawing and so, combining technology with traditional drawing methods, Masterpiece is the perfect way to encourage children to improve on their art skills and in turn, their imagination.

With a huge selection of images to choose from, you simply place a piece of paper in front of the screen which is mirrored back at you, and then follow the red outline to create your very own masterpiece. It takes a little practice to get used to looking at the screen and not the paper but once they had mastered that it was fascinating to see the images take form.

 We found that Masterpiece has a really calming effect on the children (now there’s a win if I ever saw one!) and for a child like Megan who often just needs her own space, it has been a real life line. Fiercely independent, but always eager to learn, I have loved seeing her confidence in her art work grow and grow and afterwards, when they have finished their images, Osmo plays back a speeded up video of their design and you can “hang it” in your virtual art gallery to look back on. 

The 5th game, Newton, in something very new to our children, and focuses on physics combined with problem solving. The exciting thing is that Newton will use whatever you place on the playing field so whilst you can start with a pen and paper, you can then introduce other household objects or toys and use your imagination to solve the problems in infinite ways.

With 60 levels of fun the more you succeed the harder it gets, something a child like Megan absolutely thrives upon. In all of our difficulties with Megan, every health professional we have ever seen has been in agreement that she is just far too intelligent for a child of her age. I don’t say that to be boastful (although gosh, I am so proud of her!) but she simply needs to be permanently challenged or she releases that frustration in negative ways. So for us, Osmo is going to make such a big difference to Megan and all of our lives at home.

I love that Osmo has included a game such as Newton, encouraging our children, and particularly our girls, to enjoy STEM subjects. Newton is great at challenging children with bouncing balls and accelerating platforms that force you to think fast, in new ways.

We’ve also found Osmo Words to be really useful in practicing spellings, playing games and just making learning so much more fun. Megan will sit her SAT’s this time and although we haven’t told her that, and thankfully nor do our children’s school, Osmo is actually going to help her prepare for those exams by refreshing her literacy and numeracy skills and the more she practices, the greater that knowledge will be.
Obviously Harry and Eva have been using Osmo too and the great thing for us is that with three children, one Osmo kit can be used by them all. Osmo Genius Starter Kit has a recommended retail price of £99 (although is currently on offer at £69.30) and although I personally think that’s an amazing price for something so innovative and supportive of our children’s education, I know that for many this can feel like a large investment. What I will say is that honestly, I truly believe this is worth every penny. 

I love that all three of the children have fallen in love with Osmo, from Megan and her masterpieces, Eva and her tangrams,  and Harry and his love of maths, each of them have their favourites but are flourishing across the board. It’s also given me some time to breathe in the evenings, lessened my Mum guilt, and earned me some serious brownie points for allowing the kids to play on their tablets that little bit longer than before!

Osmo is available to buy from Playosmo.com 

** We were sent Osmo for the purpose of our review and compensated for our time. All words and opinions are my own.**