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As many of you, I have a lot of childhood memories that make me smile. Some of them exist in some form today, but very few are almost exactly like they were when we were growing up. One of my favorite things while growing up was sitting in a doctor's office and looking through the Highlights Magazine. It seemed to distract me from why I was in that doctor's office. One of my absolute favorite parts of the magazine was the Hidden Pictures page. I always felt like I had hit the jackpot when I got to look at it before someone else had circled all the hidden objects.
Fast forward a bunch of years and I am a grownup (for the most part) and I am asked by one of my goddaughters to support her magazine drive. The first thing I ordered was the Highlights Magazine and have been getting it ever since for my daughter. Quinn, who just turned 6, loves it and especially loves the Hidden Pictures page. So a few weeks ago, when someone reached out to me and asked me to take a look at the new Hidden Pictures app, I jumped on it. I am always looking for new apps, especially ones that are more appropriate for the older kids and this app definitely fits that description. While they say that it's ideal for children ages 6-8, I think that it can be used with younger children who have strong visual skills, especially if an adult is playing it with them.
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Unlike the older version of the app, the updated one acts more like a subscription plan. You sign up and each month a new set of puzzle packs are available. When you first download the app, there are already 60+ puzzles! You unlock puzzles as you complete others and there are even special items in the puzzles that need to be collected. One of the things I like is how there are different modes to choose from so you increase or decrease the level of difficulty/challenge for each kid you work with. The three modes of play to choose from are:
Free Play-find the hidden objects in whichever order and in however long it takes you
Timed-find all the hidden objects before the timer runs out
Directed-you find the hidden objects in a the order in which they are listed
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As I have been getting to know the app, I have to admit that I have been sucked into playing it all by myself for long periods of time. It brings me back to my childhood in the best possible way. It's been fun to play this at work and at home and makes me happy that something this simple still brings hours of entertainment to kids today. If you are on the lookout for a new app for your little ones, I highly recommend Hidden Pictures. It's not only something that will help strengthen your child's visual skills, it's an app that you won't mind playing with your children. If you have any questions or want to know more about the Hidden Pictures app, I am always a click away and love hearing from you all!