Blindfold Simon logo and text
Article

Blindfold Simon: Educational App Review

This fun memory app can be used to teach spatial terms, listening skills, gestures, auditory patterns and increase memory!

Students love the classic Simon Game, an electronic memory game. The classic Simon uses a series of tones and lights and requires the player to repeat the sequence. If the player succeeds, the sequence becomes longer and more complex. Blindfold Simon, a free app with in-app purchases, is an iOS auditory game that is similiar. Listen to a word or sound sequence and then try to repeat the sequence. Blindfold Simon levels start with two gestures (up swipe and down swipe) and progress through 9 levels to six gestures (up, down, right, left, single tap, and two-finger tap). Even number levels are “easy” meaning the action is named. Example: “up, up, down”. Odd number levels are “wacky” meaning a sound or wacky word is associated with each action. Example: “Frog, Frog, Cow”. 

Blindfold Simon has a free, limited version which enables perspective players to play the practice levels of the game. The sequence is random and the gestures are up swipe and down swipe. There are several paid upgrade options which will unlock levels 1-9, traditional sequence and two-player (same device) mode. Blindfold Simon can be played with a refreshable braille display or Bluetooth keyboard. There are several options available under Settings. As with all Blindfold games, Blindfold Simon has simple user-friendly directions and is fully accessible with VoiceOver. 

Play

Educational Goals

The classic Simon is designed to be a memory game – but Blindfold Simon is so much more! For young students, Blindfold Simon teaches/reinforces:

For many young students, Blindfold Simon also teaches speed/faster reaction time and independence (no prompting each step).

Suggestion

My only suggestion with this app is to add an option to choose the number of moves within a sequence. Young students initially are only able to remember a few moves within a sequence. Currently, when you successfully complete a sequence, the next sequence automatically adds an additional move. Young students quickly “lose” as they are not yet able to remember too many moves. Young students learn best by repetition. Adding a setting that allows the student to stay at the same number of moves would help the student remember the patterns and build his memory skills before moving up to higher moves per sequence. Example: The student/teacher could determine when to transition from three-step sequences to four-step sequences. Currently a swipe up starts a new sequence with an additional step. Suggestion: add a swipe down to start a new squence with the same number of steps.

Conclusion

This game is highly addictive! Students (and adults!) love listening to the pattern and repeating the pattern. The game does a great job of building in more gestures and harder sequences to make the game fun for all ages. The wacky levels are fun and motivating for students. Educators use Blindfold Simon to teach educational goals – making learning fun!

Collage of Blindfold Simon

By Diane Brauner

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Photo of Kate explaining the tactile telescope model to a high school student.
Guide

Accessible astronomy: Tactile telescope

A smiling child holding a toy eagle
Activity

Bird song book and bird-related activities

EPIQ logo
Event

EPIQ (Experience Programming in Quorum) 2024