A child's journey through Ignite encourages them to learn and grow while having fun. This article will walk you through how a child experiences Ignite. Remember Ignite recommends 30 minutes of play per week per child for optimal growth. 
At Hatch, the importance of independent play starts before the play even begins. Hatch’s patented log-in system, uses children’s pictures and a two-step authentication process that allows a child to log in without the support of a teacher. No need for usernames and passwords, or QR codes that can be lost, The child simply selects their picture twice and they're in.
When they play Ignite for the first time they will also get to create a Buddy. Studies have shown that avatars increase the length of time children play, so we use this to keep them motivated and attentive. After this they proceed to the Magic Tree House where all play begins.
The child will first tap a doorway to begin play. They will then go through a set of 3 games with topics related to our domains and subdomains, which you can learn more about in our article here. The games are designed to only take 2-5 minutes, this is intended to match the attention span of our young learners, which helps them stay on task. We use child-friendly mechanics to make sure that a child’s lack of fine motor skill development doesn’t get in the way of our ability to accurately assess their cognitive skills.
Some other features of Ignite that we'd like to point out include:
- Automatically repeating the instructions if a child does not submit an answer in a certain amount of time. This provides just-in-time support.
- Children can also tap their buddy or the animated host to hear the instructions repeated. This provides on-demand support.
- When the child gives a correct answer, we provide positive reinforcement. If they give an incorrect answer, we provide gentle redirection and the opportunity to find the correct answer by trying again (though the opportunity is still counted wrong.
As they complete each game they earn a star in their star tracker and when they complete a set of three games, the child is presented a choice between two new gifts for their buddy which they can then apply in the Dressing Room.
When they are done in the dressing room, they return to the Magic Treehouse to choose their next starting experience or exit to allow another student to play.