Review: Hopster Children’s TV and Game App
For the past few weeks, Luke has been trailing out children’s TV and game app, Hopster. Hopster is a fun app aimed at children aged 2-6 which helps with their development and understanding of the world.
Hopster’s mission is to help kids learn through the stories and games that they love. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with an educational app from time to time; it can make screen time an absolute win/win for parents.
I have a few apps for Luke on my phone, however, this is the first one I have ever had that requires a subscription, so I was curious to see if the quality of content was actually better than the bog standard apps I already have.
What Does Hopster Offer?
In this one app, you’ll find a huge selection of TV shows, games and books as well as Hopster Create, a space exploration zone, music and a ‘grow’ section.
TV shows include family favourites such as Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, Pingu, Sesame Street, Story Bots and loads more. Luke’s a huge fan of the Story Bots and I’m so happy that he enjoys the show because it really is an educational gold mine.
The book section is also crammed full of eBooks that we all know and love, such as Mog the Forgetful Cat and Paddingtion Bear. These can be read to your child, or they can choose to read the books themselves.
Hopster Create is another of Luke’s favourite activities on the app. If you’re a regular reader of Lukeosaurus And Me, you’ll know he loves any excuse to get artistic and creative. Hopster Create allows you to draw pictures and even upload a photo of your face into an explorer’s photo frame.
The space section features a selection of videos and games from the characters you can find elsewhere on the app, but this time they’re solely focused on the topic of our universe. Under the ‘grow’ section, your child can learn about the growth cycle of plants and the importance of water and sunshine, and the music section is a selection of educational songs performed by the app’s characters.
Ad-Free
The first thing I noticed about the Hopster app is that it is ad-free. Sometimes those in-game adverts can cause a real nuisance, whether it be because of interrupted game play or an accidental (maybe on purpose?) in-game purchase. Having an ad free children’s app certainly puts your mind at ease and you don’t feel the need to hover over the kids every now and then to make sure they’re not pressing things that they shouldn’t be. I know that free to play apps make their money from placing adverts, which I think is a bit cheeky for children’s apps, so it’s nice to know that Luke is always going to be safe when playing with Hopster.
Safety
Speaking of safety, Hopster has been especially designed for little fingers. It’s easy to navigate and takes developing minds into consideration. The TV content is fun and wholesome, weeding out all of the TV rubbish that we may not be entirely happy with our kids watching. I remember having a YouTube playlist on in the background once that started of innocently and ended up being weird and completely unsuitable for kids. Moral of the story – choosing a viewing platform that is specifically designed for kids is definitely the best way forward. Hopster has been reviewed and certified by kidSAFE, meeting their high standards for safety and kid’s privacy.
Download and use offline
Along side the privacy theme, you are able to download your favourite content from the app and access it all offline. Perfect if you’re still worried about allowing your child free reign of the app, but also remarkably useful for long car journeys, the GP waiting room, or any other scenario where you may fancy giving your children a bit of a boredom buster. Additionally, you can view the app’s monthly stats which enable you to see what you’re children have been up to on Hopster – including what games and shows they have been interacting with.
Our Thoughts
Luke has been using this for about a month and a half now. Originally, I thought it would be a great app to download as it would give him something to do during the tricky times when his baby brother needs my attention. I thought it would be a good one because of the amount of content that the app offers, and I am happy to say that it has certainly delivered.
Luke is now in his last half term of Year R, so his little mind is constantly buzzing and he’s eager to develop his literacy and numeracy skills, even when he’s not at school. He loves a good challenge and so the educational games listed in Hopster have been great for him. His favourite game has been literacy based and is called Alphabet Hotel. Through playing this, he has learnt more about “special friend” sounds, such as ‘qu’ and ‘ch’.
Due to some of the rubbish weather we have had, Luke’s been using Hopster to learn more about his letters, get creative and watch videos during the May half term. Parents will know that cabin fever during the holidays can be killer, but Hopster has allowed him to go off for a few minutes and entertain himself, while I get on with writing, cleaning and attempting to drink a warm cup of coffee.
I’m Impressed
Overall, I’m really impressed with the amount of content that Hopster offers and the educational side of the videos and games is a huge bonus. It definitely helps me to feel a little less guilty about allowing him the odd bit of screen time. I can see Hopster being a massive part of our lives when Baby Number 2 is with us and I’m unable to give all my undivided attention to Luke. I won’t feel so guilty about not being able to be there for him 100% of the time when I know he’s happily playing some educational goals that are aiding his development at the same time as keeping him busy while I sort the baby out.
Availability
Hopster is available on both Android and ISO and costs £3.67 per month. You are free to cancel your subscription with Hopster at any time by heading to their website.
*I was given a voucher code to enable me to download Hopster for free in exchange for this honest review. Thoughts and opinions belong to me and Luke and we have been in no way influenced to write a great review for them.
Lukeosaurus And Me
Rachael is a 31 year old mum to 10 year old Luke and 5 year old Oscar. She lives in England and writes about family life, crafts, recipes, parenting wins(and fails), as well as travel, days out, fashion and living the frugal lifestyle.
33 Comments
JenNY
Oh that sounds like an interesting app – I just wish I had a device to use them on (I’m waaay behind with technology!). But it is good to see that developers are thinking of content and developmentally appropriate buttons as well when designing these. More than once I’ve been on YouTube and had to quickly shut it down before my kids heard a thing!
Lukeosaurus And Me
I don’t have a tablet or anything like that for Luke. I just installed it on my own phone and let him have a play around with it. 🙂 It’s really great that even the navigation through the app has been so well thought out – the children can use it with independence which is just as important as all the rest of the developmental features Hopster has. 🙂
Talya
I love the fact that you can download and use offline – that’s very handy especially for example if you’re on long car journeys over the holidays and that it is ad free – hurrah!!!
Lukeosaurus And Me
YES! It’s such a great idea, isn’t it? I don’t know why there aren’t more apps like this, it makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, so many apps are focused on making money from in game purchases or ads, that they lose sight of the children’s interests.
Kate
This app sounds like a great balance of fun and education. The monthly subscription is small and sooo good that it’s ad free.
Lukeosaurus And Me
I love that it’s ad free! And it’s also really great that you can cancel the subscription at any time.
Jenny
There are so many apps for kids it must be hard to make them stand out for parents to want to spend money on them. This sounds really reasonably priced.
Lukeosaurus And Me
I think for the price and how much content you get, it’s a really good deal. It’s hard, like you say, to find good apps for children as the market is so huge, but this one is ad free and safe, with kid’s in mind, so it seems like a no brainer really.
Erica Hughes
It’s great to hear about an app that has really put some thought into what will work well for its audience.
Lukeosaurus And Me
It’s really refreshing, isn’t it?
Rhian westbury
Sounds like such a good app, especially as you know it’s going to be safe x
Rebecca | AAUBlog
I definitely think screen time can be a good thing when they’re looking at the right things. Hipster sounds great!
Sadia
This sounds like a perfect app for children and well worth the money. I do not have children but will defiantly recommend it to my sister for my niece and nephew! My personal favourite would be the book section I mean who does not love Mog
Lukeosaurus And Me
It’s got a great mix of books, they’re really fun and it’s nice for Luke to read something different. Glad you’re going to recommend it – I have really loved it.
Suzy McCullough
That seems like a really good value for money app as there’s a lot more expensive alternatives out there. I love apps like this and my son has loads of ‘learning’ apps which he loves and I love because of the benefit he gets from them. We will have to check this one out thanks
Sophie's Nursery
We seriously love this app – it’s brilliant. SO many things for the kids to do on it. Love that there are no adverts as well x
Lukeosaurus And Me
It’s really great isn’t it?! Being ad-free is probably one of the best features.
Michelle Kellogg
That sounds like a fun app to have for little ones! I’m not one for subscriptions either but if it proves worth it then I say go for it:)
Emma
I love that you can download this app and use it offline. It would be perfect for when you are travelling somehwhere. Also brilliant that it’s ad free too. Looks like a brilliant educational app
Natalie
Sounds like such a great app, both fun and educational. Will have to check this one out for our holidays.
Dena McGuinness
Oo this sounds like a very interesting app!
Emma Raphael
Love all the little extras in this, and the educational angle. This would be great for when we are travelling for my youngest, definitely going to be looking in to it! 🙂
Louise Joy
Ah I’m going to have to tell my sister about this – unfortunately my niece sometimes relies on screen time a bit too much to calm her down! It would be good for her to use an educational app rather than just cartoons etc x
Mel
I’ve never heard of Hopster and it sounds great. Anything that can help my kids learn through stories and games is a winner in my books. Love the fact it can be played offline too!
Ami
I absolutely love the idea of this. The download feature alone sells it to me as it’s perfect for car journeys!
Laura dove
Ooh this looks like a great app! We love an app, especially for travel, and this looks both educational and fun too!
Kara
This is one of my kids favourite apps and there is a great range of things for different ages to enjoy
Mudpie Fridays
I am really not a fan of the adverts and in app purchases. It’s realky good this game doesn’t do it. Also that you can cancel at anytime is good. Will have to look into it!
michelle twin mum
Mine are all a bit too old to use Hopster but I have looked at it before and been impressed. I do like apps that are geared toward a specific age and don’t try to be everything to everyone. Mich x
laura - Dear bear and beany
This sounds great. I like that you can download and use it off online that is really handy and the no ads is brilliant!
Su (Ethan And Evelyn)
This sounds like a really useful app. I have a son at school and my daughter will start in September so they would love to play on an app like this.
Becky O'Haire
Hopster sounds like a fabulous app. I love that there are no ads and the monthly fee is quite reasonable when you get so many shows and educational materials too! My daughter will love to try this x
Mackenzie Glanville
kids safety is so important so this sounds great and no adds even better! Thank you for sharing this post #ablogginggoodtime