App Review: Toca Tea Party

Toca Tea Party

By: Toca Boca
Recommended Age: 5 and under    I think it's best for: 3 to 4 year olds
Price: A$4.99
In App purchases or Ads: no

Toca Tea Party allows children to host a tea party on their iPad.  They set the table, invite their friends to tea, serve drinks and desserts and wash hte dishes when they are done.
The app is intuitive to use with prompts for children so that they know what they need to do.  Speech bubbles containing pictures pop up during the tea party to prompt children to refill drinks, wipe up spills or add another treat to their guest's plate.
The app encourages children to play together or with an adult by setting multiple places at the table, but there is still an opportunity to play alone by inviting toys to be the guests.

How would I use this app in a preschool classroom?
This app is perfect for children just beginning to engage in co-operative play.  It provides a structured play scenario with prompts for the children as to what they could say or do to interact together.  The tea party is easily taken off-screen once children are familiar with the conventions of having a tea party.

Learning promoted

• oral language skills
• co-operative role play
• early numeracy concept of one-to-one correspondence
• manners

How could you extend the play?

• join in to add more opportunities for oral language. 
• host a real or pretend tea party off-screen.  Make tea and treats.  Or use salt dough or recyclables to make treats for a pretend tea party.
• have a silly or bad-mannered tea party - eat off one another's plates, spill the drinks, mix different drinks together and try to break the rules
• this app could be used for older children learning a second language - can they host the tea party in their second language?