Well, it's been several days since I went through the process of signing up for ABCMouse. There's tons of commercials on Disney Jr. and Nick Jr. every day for it, and I've heard about it through word of mouth and online mommy groups for years. Here's what we've found so far. (Note: I was not in any way paid or compensated for this post-- just a regular parent who'd like to share her experience in case others are curious!)
Tickets
I grew up with Neopets and other kids-games sites. Speaking from experience and vividly remembering the other side, ABCMouse is doing it right. Negi is pumped to turn on his tablet or use the desktop computer to play games to earn tickets to decorate his room. He can also take care of his virtual pets, which I honestly think helps form a sense of responsibility. Lord knows I always logged on to PonyIsland to feed and care for my ponies as a preteen. Negi gets great practice picking and choosing to do new activities and games, or the same one he enjoys over again. He still gets a reward. We're working on the math of it ("How many tickets do I need to get this?" vs "How many tickets do I have?"), but that's a great, realistic way to do it. It helps reinforce the lessons we're trying to teach him with chores in real life to earn coins for toys. Oli only plays with the ticket system occasionally (usually with mom or dad's help), but he's excited to take care of the kitty and thoroughly spoil it. Negi just wants to have the coolest room.
Videos
If the boys are winding down for Quiet Time or Bedtime, I might hear them put on a video. The videos are very well produced (my dad's a techie video/audio dude, so I was taught to appreciate a well-edited video). They explain the lesson in a clear and engaging manner. It's easy for the kid to repeat or move on from the video. And it's got none of the trappings of YouTube (ie whoops that let's player is swearing)-- now if it had Minecraft and Paw Patrol, I could erase the other apps from the tablets entirely. :P
Puzzles and Games
Negi loves puzzles. He'll actively search them out and has a blast putting them together. They have a lot of creative games, too. If I were a kid I'd be all over this. They've given Negi a great way to practice using a mouse, especially as they have large buttons that'll talk if you hover the mouse over them for a moment. Oliver will get to practice this too when he's older.
Coloring Activities
Negi doesn't have much time for coloring, but Oli will color for hours. There's tons of coloring pages, and the app makes it very easy for even little kids to color, fill, or scrawl all over with cool effects. This is something I liked about Amazon Freetime, but this is so much easier to use!
Overview for Parents
If you switch the profile to the parent (and enter in the password), you can see what your kids have been up to. How they are progressing in different areas and subjects, what they've been playing/watching/reading, etc. It's so useful! I was surprised as how user-friendly the whole site is-- major props to the designers. It's both pleasing to the eyes and useful!
Easy App
So many apps aren't actually little-kid-friendly. This genuinely is. It's very clearly marked, kids can easily find what they want to do, and don't have frustrating fat-finger moments nearly as often as in other apps (looking at you, Starfall ABCs). If Nedge wants to play the A is for Apple puzzle forty times in a row, he can. If Oliver wants to watch a video about kitties for an hour, he can. The buttons are large, the art clear and well-defined... good job, designers!
Overall Thoughts
I like it. It's got everything I liked about FunBrain, BrainPop, Starfall, PBSKids, Moby, and half a dozen other apps and sites-- all in one. Yes, I'd say that's worth the subscription, and we've started with the first year's worth to see how it goes. Thus far, it's working out great. I hope it prepares Negi for preschool, and helps Oliver get ahead. I can see sticking with it even as the boys go into kindergarten through second grade (which they have the full cirreculim up through second grade and are working on adding more grades), as a "well do half an hour of ABCMouse and then you can watch Youtube if your homework is done," sort of thing. I grew up homeschooled with parents who were very technology-savvy and always looking for new ways to teach kids, especially over the internet, so I actually played all of the aforementioned sites and tooooons of edutainment PC games growing up. This has definitely given me tons of useful experience (and plenty of random education). We may still dabble in other edutainment apps/sites, but I think I can safely say this is our main one. Cautiously optimistic!