Jolly Jingle - Christmas Carols for Kids, Sing Along Songs - Fun Educational Apps for Kids: Reviews, Daily Deals and Giveaways

Christmas is almost there and kids always love to sing some the Christmas classic. With Jolly Jingle by Hompimplay your kids will get a chance to learn and sing some of the most famous Christmas carols. It's fun and interactive so have a look.

This Xmas apps has been reviewed by various reviewers at Review for Dev. Overall it is a cute musical app where children and learn and sing along. For each song kids can select if the want to listen to c children choir or a female vocalist. While the song goes on, kids can interact with and play with all the interactive object on the screen. The best comments includes "The music is delightful and the animations are engaging.",The recorded songs are very professionally made" "a great christmas app, with great spirit for holy time."

Some of the downside were the graphics, although they are cute and colourful, the render on the iPad3 os not the best, missing a bit of crisps! and some users found too many many ways for kids to exit the app!

Christmas Carols for Kids, Sing Along Songs - Jolly Jingle Free is available for download via the ITunes App Store:

Note that Jolly Jingle FREE is free to download and give you the chance to listen and learn to only one song. All other songs can be unlocked via in-app purchase!

Or you can purchase the full version - FREE on Dec 8 Only! -

Overall it received a 4 star rating from Review for Dev and follow are all the comments:

Libby C.: I am a special education teacher working with elementary students with a wide range of disabilities, including speech language, physical, emotional and learning disabilities. I use apps with my students to motivate and engage them as we'll as to improve skills and remove barriers to learning.

Rating
What I liked	Each song offers the option of a children's choir, female vocalist or instrumental accompaniment for a sing-along experience. The music is quite professional and the illustrations are bright and cheerful. Lyrics are displayed at the top of the screen and appear nicely in time to the music. The snow globe on the opening screen is a cute way to display the different songs. I enjoyed the animation of Santa jumping from house to house in Up on the Housetop.
Suggestions	99 cents per additional song is a little expensive.There were too many ways children were encouraged to leave the app. Tap on the cute penguin, saying "Knock!" and you go to the App Store. Tapping the reindeer postcard led to a Facebook link and email icon. I thought children could send a greeting card to a friend, but instead it was to send a recommendation for the app. I would have liked the animations to tell the story of the song but except for Up on the Housetop, they didn't match the lyrics. Jingle Bells had Santa with his reindeer up in the sky instead of a one horse sleigh in the snow.
General opinion	This could be a very nice app for children and families. The music is delightful and the animations are engaging. There could be a closer connection between the images and the lyrics. However, the developers should remove the multiple ways children are encouraged to leave the app to make in app purchases, go to the app store to purchase additional apps, send promotional emails and visit Facebook.

Marc Edward D.: I am a regular beta tester on an iOS gaming company named AppsAsia. I've also beta tested a lot of iOS games. 54 iOS games/apps in total. I'm also a hardcore gamer who also owns all current generation consoles and portables. I also own an Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S3).

I also has a 5 year old son and he loves playing on his iPad2.

Rating
What I liked	I like the professionally recorded songs in this app. I like the female voice and my son like the choir voice. I also hear him sing a long specially in the Frosty's song. I also like the addition of an instrumental in each song. Me and my family can easily sing a long thanks to the instrumental and lyrics built in the app. I bought Jingle Bells, Frosty and We wish you. All are great.
Suggestions	I wish to see a Retina feature in this app. The current doesn't look that sharp or good on my iPad3. I also would like to see an option to change the Screen Orientation and lock it on my desired position. This way, I can easily use my iPad3's cover stand. I cannot use my iPad3's cover stand because it is locked on an upside-down position. Maybe adding a playlist or play next song feature would be nice. Current version only plays the same song again and again after it finishes. Maybe adding a feature to make your own playlist and or play the next song automatically would be nice.
General opinion	This is a nice app specially for Christmas. The recorded songs are very professionally made. My son is having fun singing while playing with the interactive background. All the songs available in this app is great and most of them are my personal favorite. Just wishing to see "O Holy Night" and "12 days of Christmas" in the future update. Those are also my favorite Christmas songs. Also wish to see a Retina support for the New iPad.

Christy S.: I am an elementary school teacher who is currently attending graduate school for educational technology. I am interested in all types of apps especially those in productivity, education, and games.

Rating
What I liked	In this app, I liked the festive songs that were offered. The different playback options were a good feature as you could hear the kids choir, female solo, instrumental, and piano solo. In all the playback features, the captions allowed you to sing along with the song and you could turn off the lyrics by pulling up the Santa and click on the lyrics. You can also press on the various characters on the screen and watch them do a variety of things.
Suggestions	I would like to see vibrant graphics as the current graphics were fuzzy. Also, if the characters did more actions or incorporate it into a story. I would also increase the number of songs to choose from and perhaps include games. Also, if the Santa at the bottom of the screen was a little more obvious in the screen. I was having difficulty finding out how to exit the song and was tapping on everything until I figured it out.
General opinion	I enjoyed Frosty the Snowman, Up on the Housetop, Jingle Bells, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I played the songs for my children and they enjoyed singing along with the kid's choir as well as instrumental as they could sing by themselves. I liked the current song selection but would like to see an increase in the number of songs offered. This is a great app for the upcoming holidays and the children will enjoy singing along to the songs.

Anne P.: kinder teacher, geek, iPhone5, ipad2, articulate, critical. I have purchased many apps in the past 2 years and I demand quality out of the apps that I choose. I appreciate developers who respond to critique and praise. It is vastly important for developers to listen to users, especially when those users are kids and teachers.

Rating
What I liked	Jolly Jingle 1.1 has really cute graphics, The drawings are all clear and child-friendly, using a mixture of bright, vibrant colors with softer tones. The music is also perfect for kids. The lyrics are all accurate and are timed to match the songs. I especially appreciate the Christmas-y feel of the songs - lots of jingle bell sounds.
Suggestions	I'm a bit confused about some of the taps. For example, when you tap on Rudolph in the free song, there is a "boing" noise and the image of Rudolph is enlarged to fill the screen. This happens each time you tap. Tapping any of the images results in the same result over and over. Maybe there could be a variety of reactions when an image is tapped - a sort of randomization - to make tapping more kid-friendly. This change would make the app more interactive and less repetitive. Another wish would definitely be additional songs in the purchase section. The choices are very limited.
General opinion	While the graphics and soundtrack are very cute, the replay value of this app is limited. Randomizing what happens when a user taps on an image would help to make the app more enticing. Additionally, increasing the number of available songs for purchase and bundling them in less expensive packages would make me a happier customer.

Samantha M.: I am a mother to an adventurous two year old! I am always on the lookout for educational and creative apps for him. I am also a Kindergarten teacher looking for great apps for my all of my students whether it be for students with special needs, English language learners, or even struggling readers.

Rating
What I liked	What a fun app! I like that you could chose between a kids choice, a female solo, instrumental, a piano solo. I also liked all of the interaction that goes on during the song. My son enjoyed taping the bubbles and the creatures that were floating around. Finally, I liked that you had the option to turn the lyrics on and off.
Suggestions	It was somewhat difficult for my son to exit from a song. He had a hard time catching Santa before he went away. Also, it would be great if the words in the song could be highlighted as they are sung. In addition, I wish that "Deck the Halls" was on this app! It would be so fun!
General opinion	Overall, this is a very fun app to sing and listen to classic Christmas carols. The interaction with each song keeps my 2 year old very entertained! I even found myself listening to it on the way to work with the instrumental playing. I would highly recommend this app! My favorite songs were "Frosty the Snowman" and "Jingle Bells"!

Charlene E.: I am currently a teacher at an all boys high school. I teach Information Technology with an emphasis on Java programming. I hold a MSc in computer science from the University of Cape Town and a teaching diploma. I am married with 2 young children. I love my iPad and seeing how I can use it to enhance my life!

Rating
What I liked	I found the graphics for the App colourful and appealing. The music in the songs was clear and pleasant to listen to. I also found that it was nice to choose betwen the children singing and the lady singing. The concept of using the christmas ball is clever. In all the songs that I reviewed, I thought it really cool to be able to move the characters around and have them add sound effects to the music already been sung. I liked that each song had its own unique way that you could manipulate the objects on the screen - Rudolph was Bubbles, Santa jumped from house to house.
Suggestions	When the song is playing, the lyrics need to be highlighted as each word is sung. This is how small children learn to identify the words that are sung with the written words. While the songs are being sung, I would like to change the voice over without having to start at the begining of the song. It took me a while to work out the navigation on the first page. Perhaps the music button to play that song, needs to flash and there should be some animated icon which shows you how to go to the next song in the christmas bulb. - more traditional christmas carols, rudolph bubbles should also pop
General opinion	The app is for children aged 2 and up and is a really entertaining way to learn Christmas songs. The songs that are available are the enjoyed by children and the sound effects that you can add to the songs are fun and addictive. The graphics are festive. I feel that the App is great and there are just few things that need to be tweaked to make even more engaging.

Eileen L.: I used to be an oncology research nurse by day and a hospice nurse at night. Then I became a mom of a child with ASD and now I'm just Antonio's mom, a taxi driver, and a backseat BCBA/OT/SpPath/Allergist/Homeopath... He is 6 with HF ASD. He is reading at a 4-5th GL. Slightly below GL in Math, difficulty w/ fine motor. Will dive into any app. Thanks

Rating
What I liked	Things I liked with this app: 1. The ability to change between kids chior, female voice, instrumental, and piano version on all songs. 2. The ability to have the lyrics visible to follow along while singing. 3. The interactive graphics, from Rudolph popping up out of know where, Frosty throwing a snowball at you, Santa jumping from house to house, snowflakes falling and gifts popping out of presents.
Suggestions	Things I had problems with: 1. Trying to purchase the in app extra songs. In my case it was difficult to purchase the apps and when it said I made the purchase on all of them, they did not show up. I had no way of knowing if I bought them. I had to actually go back to Itunes and download the app again and they did come up. Not until I clicked on the snowglobe again did I realize they were there. 2. The exit santa is very obscure. I found it by accident as I clicked around the page to find all the animations. I think a child would have a hard time knowing where to press to exit the page.
General opinion	My son and I loved this app. He loved learning the songs and playing with the animations. We bought all the songs. One of the songs was not a song that we knew or was very popular but was very pleasant. It would be nice to have a few more traditional/classic songs in the mix. The graphics I thought were spot on to a TV Christmas special feeling. I did thing having an in app purchase for Egg Knock did not belong.

Courtney D.: My name is Courtney and I am an SLP. I love working with children of all ages, but find I have a particular passion for children with special needs. I love technology and the impact it can have on the students in the therapy room.

Rating
What I liked	I like that the user can participate with a variety of objects throughout all songs. There are humorous pieces that the kids really love such as the snow ball leading to a white screen, making Santa jump to each house, and interacting with the boxes in a pop-up fashion. I love the hidden Santa that can lead back to the main menu, or shut off lyric view. I love that the user can select different recordings to fit personal preference. I enjoy the graphics throughout the app and feel it can be utilized for a variety of language tasks within the speech therapy room.
Suggestions	For this review purpose, I appreciated the ease of purchasing within the app; however, it could cause frustration to parents if charges are made by their children with such ease. I wish the song would play, even if just a snippet or small portion, when hovered over before selection of song play on the main screen. I wish there was a play/pause button. I think this would be a great additions that could aid in reading and letter identification throughout the app. I do not like in-app, so I wish there was a free "lite" version & a version that had all available songs for a certain price.
General opinion	Looking for an app for entertainment or education? This app can be used for both! There are great interactive moments within each song that can be fun and motivating for students. There are great learning pieces throughout the app in regards to both receptive and expressive language. There are in-app purchases, but a great song with all access is available with the free version.

Michelle W.: I am a mother of two children ages 5 and 7. I like to see what educational and fun apps that are out for them to play. Puzzle apps are a big hit with our 5 year old right now, while my 7 year old likes educational or art type apps.

Rating
What I liked	Cute graphics and great sound. I like that there is a variety of sound choices instrumental to choir. I like the interactive graphics and that you can have lyrics on or off. Great way for the kids to learn the correct lyrics and sing along. My favorite song and graphics have to be from Frosty the snowman! Great idea to have different graphics for each of the songs, it makes it fun for the kids to tap the pictures along with the songs.
Suggestions	When I purchased the additional songs I tried to play them from the wreath where I purchased them and it just kept saying unlock Frosty when I tapped on the icon to play the song. One thing that would help is for you to be able to play the song from the wreath or once the song has been unlocked to take you back to the snow globe to play the songs there.
General opinion	Fabulous free app my kids and I have fun singing along to this app. They played each song several times and laughed together at the different things, whether it was Frosty throwing snowballs at them or characters popping out of presents, etc. Nice variety of sound choices and option to have lyrics on or off for kids to learn the words.

Nathalie C.: I'm a digital publishing consultant involved in apps for kids conception and improvment. I run an app review website, www.declickids.fr. I'm also a mother of 2 kids, the eldest one, Ulysse, helping me out with reviews. My secret plan is to make app's world better for kids all over the world, on app at a time (and your's is next !) ;)

Rating
What I liked	> The spirit of Christmas quite well conveyed by the app. > The little interactive elements spread everywhere in the app (quite nice, and pleases kids) > The 4 different choices of ways to listen to each of the four songs (interesting, indeed)
Suggestions	> I thinks graphics and colors could be "crisper" . > I'd like to see texte highlighted, especially during the intrumental option with lyrics, which can easily be used a a karaoke option. > I think you might be willing to introduce an easier shortcut button to karaoke options. > You might want to improve the ergonomics. It took time for my kids to understand you could change songs by taping the main character
General opinion	Overall this is a great christmas app, with great spirit for holy time. Of course, after 3 hours of testing, all these nice and beautiful songs might stay stuck in any head :) I'd change the navigation for songs, to prevent people from thinking there is only one.

Have Fun With Apps!

If you want to discover more Fun Educational Apps make sure to subscribe to our RSS feed and our news letter to receive regular update on great Fun Educational Apps and for great offers visit our kids apps deals

Follows us on Friend Feed Twitter or Facebook … and if your are looking for the latest kids apps deals make sure to visit:

And if your are looking for more great apps for kids … Discover AppStar Picks, a kids apps catalogue with hundreds of apps reviewed!

Jolly Jingle - Christmas Carols for Kids, Sing Along Songs

Rating
What I liked	Each song offers the option of a children's choir, female vocalist or instrumental accompaniment for a sing-along experience. The music is quite professional and the illustrations are bright and cheerful. Lyrics are displayed at the top of the screen and appear nicely in time to the music. The snow globe on the opening screen is a cute way to display the different songs. I enjoyed the animation of Santa jumping from house to house in Up on the Housetop.
Suggestions	99 cents per additional song is a little expensive.There were too many ways children were encouraged to leave the app. Tap on the cute penguin, saying "Knock!" and you go to the App Store. Tapping the reindeer postcard led to a Facebook link and email icon. I thought children could send a greeting card to a friend, but instead it was to send a recommendation for the app. I would have liked the animations to tell the story of the song but except for Up on the Housetop, they didn't match the lyrics. Jingle Bells had Santa with his reindeer up in the sky instead of a one horse sleigh in the snow.
General opinion	This could be a very nice app for children and families. The music is delightful and the animations are engaging. There could be a closer connection between the images and the lyrics. However, the developers should remove the multiple ways children are encouraged to leave the app to make in app purchases, go to the app store to purchase additional apps, send promotional emails and visit Facebook.

Rating
What I liked	I like the professionally recorded songs in this app. I like the female voice and my son like the choir voice. I also hear him sing a long specially in the Frosty's song. I also like the addition of an instrumental in each song. Me and my family can easily sing a long thanks to the instrumental and lyrics built in the app. I bought Jingle Bells, Frosty and We wish you. All are great.
Suggestions	I wish to see a Retina feature in this app. The current doesn't look that sharp or good on my iPad3. I also would like to see an option to change the Screen Orientation and lock it on my desired position. This way, I can easily use my iPad3's cover stand. I cannot use my iPad3's cover stand because it is locked on an upside-down position. Maybe adding a playlist or play next song feature would be nice. Current version only plays the same song again and again after it finishes. Maybe adding a feature to make your own playlist and or play the next song automatically would be nice.
General opinion	This is a nice app specially for Christmas. The recorded songs are very professionally made. My son is having fun singing while playing with the interactive background. All the songs available in this app is great and most of them are my personal favorite. Just wishing to see "O Holy Night" and "12 days of Christmas" in the future update. Those are also my favorite Christmas songs. Also wish to see a Retina support for the New iPad.

Rating
What I liked	In this app, I liked the festive songs that were offered. The different playback options were a good feature as you could hear the kids choir, female solo, instrumental, and piano solo. In all the playback features, the captions allowed you to sing along with the song and you could turn off the lyrics by pulling up the Santa and click on the lyrics. You can also press on the various characters on the screen and watch them do a variety of things.
Suggestions	I would like to see vibrant graphics as the current graphics were fuzzy. Also, if the characters did more actions or incorporate it into a story. I would also increase the number of songs to choose from and perhaps include games. Also, if the Santa at the bottom of the screen was a little more obvious in the screen. I was having difficulty finding out how to exit the song and was tapping on everything until I figured it out.
General opinion	I enjoyed Frosty the Snowman, Up on the Housetop, Jingle Bells, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I played the songs for my children and they enjoyed singing along with the kid's choir as well as instrumental as they could sing by themselves. I liked the current song selection but would like to see an increase in the number of songs offered. This is a great app for the upcoming holidays and the children will enjoy singing along to the songs.

Rating
What I liked	Jolly Jingle 1.1 has really cute graphics, The drawings are all clear and child-friendly, using a mixture of bright, vibrant colors with softer tones. The music is also perfect for kids. The lyrics are all accurate and are timed to match the songs. I especially appreciate the Christmas-y feel of the songs - lots of jingle bell sounds.
Suggestions	I'm a bit confused about some of the taps. For example, when you tap on Rudolph in the free song, there is a "boing" noise and the image of Rudolph is enlarged to fill the screen. This happens each time you tap. Tapping any of the images results in the same result over and over. Maybe there could be a variety of reactions when an image is tapped - a sort of randomization - to make tapping more kid-friendly. This change would make the app more interactive and less repetitive. Another wish would definitely be additional songs in the purchase section. The choices are very limited.
General opinion	While the graphics and soundtrack are very cute, the replay value of this app is limited. Randomizing what happens when a user taps on an image would help to make the app more enticing. Additionally, increasing the number of available songs for purchase and bundling them in less expensive packages would make me a happier customer.

Rating
What I liked	What a fun app! I like that you could chose between a kids choice, a female solo, instrumental, a piano solo. I also liked all of the interaction that goes on during the song. My son enjoyed taping the bubbles and the creatures that were floating around. Finally, I liked that you had the option to turn the lyrics on and off.
Suggestions	It was somewhat difficult for my son to exit from a song. He had a hard time catching Santa before he went away. Also, it would be great if the words in the song could be highlighted as they are sung. In addition, I wish that "Deck the Halls" was on this app! It would be so fun!
General opinion	Overall, this is a very fun app to sing and listen to classic Christmas carols. The interaction with each song keeps my 2 year old very entertained! I even found myself listening to it on the way to work with the instrumental playing. I would highly recommend this app! My favorite songs were "Frosty the Snowman" and "Jingle Bells"!

Rating
What I liked	I found the graphics for the App colourful and appealing. The music in the songs was clear and pleasant to listen to. I also found that it was nice to choose betwen the children singing and the lady singing. The concept of using the christmas ball is clever. In all the songs that I reviewed, I thought it really cool to be able to move the characters around and have them add sound effects to the music already been sung. I liked that each song had its own unique way that you could manipulate the objects on the screen - Rudolph was Bubbles, Santa jumped from house to house.
Suggestions	When the song is playing, the lyrics need to be highlighted as each word is sung. This is how small children learn to identify the words that are sung with the written words. While the songs are being sung, I would like to change the voice over without having to start at the begining of the song. It took me a while to work out the navigation on the first page. Perhaps the music button to play that song, needs to flash and there should be some animated icon which shows you how to go to the next song in the christmas bulb. - more traditional christmas carols, rudolph bubbles should also pop
General opinion	The app is for children aged 2 and up and is a really entertaining way to learn Christmas songs. The songs that are available are the enjoyed by children and the sound effects that you can add to the songs are fun and addictive. The graphics are festive. I feel that the App is great and there are just few things that need to be tweaked to make even more engaging.

Rating
What I liked	Things I liked with this app: 1. The ability to change between kids chior, female voice, instrumental, and piano version on all songs. 2. The ability to have the lyrics visible to follow along while singing. 3. The interactive graphics, from Rudolph popping up out of know where, Frosty throwing a snowball at you, Santa jumping from house to house, snowflakes falling and gifts popping out of presents.
Suggestions	Things I had problems with: 1. Trying to purchase the in app extra songs. In my case it was difficult to purchase the apps and when it said I made the purchase on all of them, they did not show up. I had no way of knowing if I bought them. I had to actually go back to Itunes and download the app again and they did come up. Not until I clicked on the snowglobe again did I realize they were there. 2. The exit santa is very obscure. I found it by accident as I clicked around the page to find all the animations. I think a child would have a hard time knowing where to press to exit the page.
General opinion	My son and I loved this app. He loved learning the songs and playing with the animations. We bought all the songs. One of the songs was not a song that we knew or was very popular but was very pleasant. It would be nice to have a few more traditional/classic songs in the mix. The graphics I thought were spot on to a TV Christmas special feeling. I did thing having an in app purchase for Egg Knock did not belong.

Rating
What I liked	I like that the user can participate with a variety of objects throughout all songs. There are humorous pieces that the kids really love such as the snow ball leading to a white screen, making Santa jump to each house, and interacting with the boxes in a pop-up fashion. I love the hidden Santa that can lead back to the main menu, or shut off lyric view. I love that the user can select different recordings to fit personal preference. I enjoy the graphics throughout the app and feel it can be utilized for a variety of language tasks within the speech therapy room.
Suggestions	For this review purpose, I appreciated the ease of purchasing within the app; however, it could cause frustration to parents if charges are made by their children with such ease. I wish the song would play, even if just a snippet or small portion, when hovered over before selection of song play on the main screen. I wish there was a play/pause button. I think this would be a great additions that could aid in reading and letter identification throughout the app. I do not like in-app, so I wish there was a free "lite" version & a version that had all available songs for a certain price.
General opinion	Looking for an app for entertainment or education? This app can be used for both! There are great interactive moments within each song that can be fun and motivating for students. There are great learning pieces throughout the app in regards to both receptive and expressive language. There are in-app purchases, but a great song with all access is available with the free version.

Rating
What I liked	Cute graphics and great sound. I like that there is a variety of sound choices instrumental to choir. I like the interactive graphics and that you can have lyrics on or off. Great way for the kids to learn the correct lyrics and sing along. My favorite song and graphics have to be from Frosty the snowman! Great idea to have different graphics for each of the songs, it makes it fun for the kids to tap the pictures along with the songs.
Suggestions	When I purchased the additional songs I tried to play them from the wreath where I purchased them and it just kept saying unlock Frosty when I tapped on the icon to play the song. One thing that would help is for you to be able to play the song from the wreath or once the song has been unlocked to take you back to the snow globe to play the songs there.
General opinion	Fabulous free app my kids and I have fun singing along to this app. They played each song several times and laughed together at the different things, whether it was Frosty throwing snowballs at them or characters popping out of presents, etc. Nice variety of sound choices and option to have lyrics on or off for kids to learn the words.

Rating
What I liked	> The spirit of Christmas quite well conveyed by the app. > The little interactive elements spread everywhere in the app (quite nice, and pleases kids) > The 4 different choices of ways to listen to each of the four songs (interesting, indeed)
Suggestions	> I thinks graphics and colors could be "crisper" . > I'd like to see texte highlighted, especially during the intrumental option with lyrics, which can easily be used a a karaoke option. > I think you might be willing to introduce an easier shortcut button to karaoke options. > You might want to improve the ergonomics. It took time for my kids to understand you could change songs by taping the main character
General opinion	Overall this is a great christmas app, with great spirit for holy time. Of course, after 3 hours of testing, all these nice and beautiful songs might stay stuck in any head :) I'd change the navigation for songs, to prevent people from thinking there is only one.

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

Posted by: |

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Your comment could not be posted. Error type:

Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.