Common Sense Media Review
By Jinny Gudmundsen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Parents of preschoolers should dance right on by.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
In the somewhat convoluted storyline of DORA THE EXPLORER: DANCE TO THE RESCUE, Dora has to win a dance contest so she can free the pest Swiper the Fox from inside a bottle. Dora visits four locations to learn new dance moves. At each, Dora and the player must play a game with some character.
A character will show Dora a dance which she imitates while the player simply watches. For example, to learn the pirate dance, the player must push away a bad elf by rapidly moving the mouse back and forth to make waves in the ocean. Players don't get involved in learning dance moves until the very end, when Dora is in the dance contest and the player must remember the order of dance steps.
Is It Any Good?
Dance to the Rescue falls short because it doesn't have enough substance and it forces preschoolers to sit and watch instead of encouraging them to click and think. The games are very short and focus on minimal hand-eye coordination as kids move the mouse either up and down or back and forth.
The software does give kids a chance to make a dance video, but the process is somewhat confusing for the targeted audience of children ages 3 to 5. Likewise, preschoolers are unlikely to use the software's printable dance instructions.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about getting up and moving. They might try to imitate Dora's dancing. They also might want to discuss why Dora helped Swiper, a character who is always causing her trouble.
Game Details
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