I can’t be the only person who didn’t know there are twelve verses to the Hickory Dickory Dock rhyme– I never got any further than one, and honestly am not sure I’d ever want to keep the song going 11 more times. But, as an app, I’m mighty happy with what our friends at Mindshapes have done to interpret this classic rhyme into a fun, interactive game my kids can spend lots and lots of time playing.

Starring a funny little mouse, the Hickory Dickory Dock app for the iPhone and iPad includes a clock face’s worth of little mini games that kids can play as they work their way around the dial. The steampunk style illustrations remind me of a classic story book, though these pictures move and do things when touched, much to my kids’ delight.

Designed for preschoolers on up, I found that though my seven-year-old outgrew nursery rhymes around the same time as diapers, this game isn’t too cutesy for him. In fact, Mindshapes points out how much physics is actually being learned while kids play this game, from balancing weights on a scale, to playing pinball with the mouse. But my kids don’t care about physics, they just love that they are always discovering new things as they work through each screen –Christina

Get a copy of Mindshapes’ Hickory Dickory Dock app for the iPhone or iPad from iTunes.