We were sent a Moff Band and were allowed to download the new PBS KIDS Party App a couple of days early. Opinions of the app are entirely ours.

When I heard about Moff Band I wasn’t that interested in it. Maybe it was the name or maybe it was because I didn’t take enough time to actually find out what it was all about. However, once I looked into what the Moff Band was I was interested and thought that it would be a fun toy and app for my son, Andrew. Andrew is a spirited (almost) 4-year old. He’s super active and excited to play and do all sort of things. He also loves music and sound and exploring his world. With the PBS KIDS Party App and the Moff Band Andrew can play a bunch of fun games on the iPad and be active at the same time.

The Moff Band is a cross between a slap bracelet and a motion sensor. As a player you wear the Moff Band on your right or left wrist and then you can either dance, smash a piñata, remix sounds or do some counting. So far Andrew likes the Sound option. He can record his voice and then wave the Moff Band and it will change the way the sounds come out. He also likes Freeze Dance and he does his signature move of getting onto the floor and putting his feet up on the couch, then lifting one hand up, he’s a strong kid.

The app has the four games so far but promises that more are on the way including some games that help develop early math skills. Read all about it below.

PBS KIDS ENTERS KIDS’ WEARABLE DEVICE SPACE WITH INNOVATIVE NEW FREE APP FOR MOFF BAND

Designed in partnership with award-winning start-up Moff, PBS KIDS Party App helps kids learn through movement and creative play

ARLINGTON, VA, November 19, 2015 – Today, PBS KIDS enters the kids’ wearable tech space with the launch of a new app. The leading educational children’s media brand has partnered with Moff, makers of the award-winning kids’ wearable Moff Band, to launch the new, free PBS KIDS Party App, which provides a unique digital experience that encourages movement and creative play. The app can be played with a mobile or tablet device, and is enhanced even further with the use of a Moff Band, a wearable smart toy that enables kids to play games and make sounds through movement. With the debut of this innovative app, PBS KIDS extends its commitment to using leading-edge technology to help kids learn in new and groundbreaking ways.

“PBS KIDS looks for learning opportunities in every new technology, leveraging cutting-edge innovations to help children build key skills,” said Sara DeWitt, Vice President, PBS KIDS Digital. “As we launch PBS KIDS Party, we’re proud to be working hand-in-hand with the Moff team, who are experts in kids’ wearable technology. We are excited to leverage this new tool to help kids stretch their imaginations, flex their creativity skills and accelerate learning through active game play.”

“The Moff Band brings wearable technology designed for kids,” said Aki Takahagi, Co-founder and CEO, Moff. “Collaborating with PBS KIDS allows Moff to partner our wearable expertise with the compelling content of America’s leading educational children’s media brand. As a result, we have created one of the most educational kids’ wearable apps — the PBS KIDS Party App.”

Designed for 5- to 8-year-olds, PBS KIDS Party uses the latest advances in wearable tech to help kids learn through imaginative play and movement with interactive games that integrate dancing, counting and more. The app connects to a Moff Band via Bluetooth for an enhanced experience, enabling kids to play through four different sections, including movement- and creativity-focused activities that encourage them to move away from the device and be imaginative in how they play. PBS KIDS Party is also playable without the Moff Band, using a mobile or tablet device.

PBS KIDS Party includes the following four games, designed to foster learning through active play. Additional games will be added in the coming months, including a motion number game focusing on early elementary math skills, as well as more interactivity throughout the app.

• Dance: In this game of Freeze Dance, you can freestyle to eclectic country, disco or hip-hop tunes. You can also play the Follow Along game and master dance moves to the beat.
• Your Sounds: Get creative and record your very own sound. Move your arm to play back your sound and let the endless amount of creativity and imaginative play begin.
• Piñata: Play two modes of Piñata, where you can swing to break piñatas or race against the timer to break as many as you can.
• Numbers: Play with numbers through movement or a tap of your finger to pop balloons, blast off a rocket and more.

PBS KIDS Party is now available for free on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as Android mobile and tablet devices in the Google Play store.

About PBS KIDS

PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, digital platforms and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including digital games and streaming video. PBS KIDS also offers mobile apps to help support young children’s learning. The PBS KIDS Video App is available on a variety of mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One and Chromecast. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.

About Moff

Moff is the maker of the award-winning Moff™ Band, the world’s first wearable smart toy. The Moff Band enables kids to play sounds and games through movement. Powering the Moff Band is a cloud-based motion and position recognition platform that analyzes and learns users’ real-time behaviors and patterns. For more information on the Moff Band, visit moff.mobi, or follow Moff on Twitter and Facebook. Developer partners interested in more information on the Moff Engine software development kit can contact info@moff.mobi.