Go with the Flow to Build Thinking Skills
You wouldn’t expect it, but take a grid and
a few colored dots, and suddenly you have
an app that provides hours of learning pos-
sibilities and hours of fun too! Flow Free by
Big Duck Games is simple in design and
concept, yet it really requires students to use their spatial
sense to think and strategize. The goal is to connect all of
the colored dots, covering all the spaces on the grid without
overlapping any lines. The levels get progressively harder
and thus more addicting. It requires players to think critically
and apply trial-and-error strategies. Flow easily becomes
one of those “just one more level” games that you can’t
put down, according to fifth grade students in Rebecca
Brooks’s class at Westwood Intermediate in Spring Lake
Park, Minnesota, USA. One student said, “It really gets
your brain going.”
Platforms: Android/iOS Cost: Free
Maureen Peters is a technology continuous improvement
coach for Westwood Intermediate School in Spring Lake Park,
Minnesota, USA. She helps teachers implement iPads in a
1: 1 environment. She previously taught fifth grade and
English language learners, and she is currently completing
a master’s degree in instructional technology.
Here are a few more strategy apps that our members recommended:
Airport Mania: Land planes and avoid delays at eight
amusing airports.
Android/iPad; $0.99–$4.99
Guess the Code: Crack the code before you run out
of guesses.
Android/iOS; free
Bee Bot: Test your directional language and program- ming skills. iOS; free
Puzzle Retreat: Slide blocks to fill all the holes in the grid and use all the blocks. Android/iOS; free–$0.99
Cargo Bot: Learn basic programming by teaching a robot how to move crates. iPad; free
Cross Me: Fill in cells or leave blank by deciphering numbers on the side of the grid. Android; free
Set Pro HD: Find the three cards with the same features or three cards with different features. iPad; $4.99
Solitaire Chess: Capture your opponents according to the rules of chess. Android/iOS; free
Dooors: Solve hidden mysteries by opening doors to escape rooms. Android/iOS; free
Ultimate Mastermind: Identify the order of the four to six colored balls by making strategic guesses. Android/iOS; free–$1.99
Egg vs. Chicken: Cluster armies of peppy eggs and launch an attack on relentless chickens. Android/iOS; free
Where’s My Water: Guide the flow of water around obstacles to maneuver it into the alligator’s shower. Android/iOS; $0.99
