Elmo Loves ABCs – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Elmo Loves ABCs

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app2015

81%

WISE Score

4.1

App Store

Elmo teaches ABCs through games, videos, and tracing—solid educational foundation, but only three letters come free.

Elmo Loves ABCs

app

Everyone, 2015

81%

WISE Score

4.1

App Store

Elmo teaches ABCs through games, videos, and tracing—solid educational foundation, but only three letters come free.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

This is a solid, safe, educational app that does exactly what it promises: teaches preschoolers their ABCs with Elmo's help. Sesame Workshop knows what they're doing, and the combination of videos, games, tracing, and coloring provides enough variety to keep little ones engaged.

The catch? You only get three letters for free, and unlocking the rest requires a purchase. It's not predatory, but it will definitely lead to some pleading from your kid. The app is also nearly a decade old at this point, so don't expect cutting-edge design or the kind of polish you'd find in newer educational apps.

For parents of 3-5 year olds who love Elmo and need alphabet reinforcement, this is a reliable choice. It's not going to blow anyone's mind, but it gets the job done with Sesame Street's trademark warmth and educational rigor. Just be prepared to either buy the full version or deal with a very limited free experience.

Age Fit

Perfect for preschoolers ages 3-5 who are just learning their letters. Kids up to age 6 or 7 might still enjoy it if they're working on letter sounds and early reading skills, but beyond that, they'll have moved on to more advanced literacy apps.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Elmo's gentle, encouraging narration creates a positive learning environment. Sesame Workshop's educational mission ensures age-appropriate content with kindness and cooperation modeled throughout. The pacing is appropriate for preschoolers, though parents may find the repetition a bit much.

Imaginative

The app offers variety with 80+ Sesame Street clips, 75 coloring pages, and four hide-and-seek games. Tracing, coloring, and music activities provide some creative expression, but the structure is fairly guided and traditional. It's more about reinforcing letter recognition than open-ended exploration or building something new.

Safe

Sesame Workshop's strong privacy policy and kid-friendly design provide solid safety. The lite version is free with only three letters; full unlock requires a one-time purchase (not aggressive IAP). No ads, no social features, no unmoderated content. The main safety concern is the freemium model where most content is locked, which can frustrate kids, but it's not predatory.

Enriching

Strong educational foundation for letter identification (upper and lowercase), letter sounds, tracing, and early literacy skills. Appropriate for ages 3-8 according to Perkins School for the Blind. The app delivers genuine skill-building for preschoolers learning their ABCs, with music appreciation and art creativity as bonuses. It's functional and effective, if not groundbreaking.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Trusted Sesame Workshop pedigree with Elmo's encouraging, positive narration
80+ classic Sesame Street video clips and 75 coloring pages provide variety
Strong educational foundation for letter recognition, sounds, and tracing (ages 3-8)
No ads, no social features, kid-safe design with solid privacy protections
Multiple activity types (tracing, coloring, hide-and-seek, music) keep it from feeling too repetitive

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What to Watch For

Free version only includes letters A, B, and C—full alphabet requires purchase, which will definitely lead to "Mom, can we unlock the rest?" conversations
Originally from 2015, so the interface and design may feel dated compared to newer apps
Elmo's narration can get repetitive for parents sitting through multiple sessions
Primarily Android availability noted in provided data

Conversation Starters

""Which letter did you learn about today? Can you show me how to trace it?""
""What was your favorite Sesame Street video? Who else was in it besides Elmo?""
""Can you find things around the house that start with the letter you just learned?""
""Do you want to color one of the letters we learned? What colors should we use?""

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