Leapster - Arlington Heights,IL

My niece is 6 and got the Leapster Explorer, and she LOVES it! It has the touch screen like the other 2, but the games practice writing, etc. I disagree about the damage is could do developmentally if it's used as an educational tool. Just like TV.

TAG is another good one for helping with reading, and the books that come with it can be read at any time with or without the TAG pen. So, you could still sit down with him and read with/to him.

I LOVE Leap Frog!! Their products have boosted learning in this household! From the fridge farm teaching animals, matching and sounds to the Alphabet toy teaching letters and sounds to the Word Whammer teaching about 3-letter words and lower case letters... I love them all, and I'm certainly NOT a lazy parent!

There is some learning involved with every cartridge. But there's no built in system for keeping them on the learning tasks. They can choose to sit there and do the easy games and forget the learning. In my opinion, it really is mostly just another gaming sytem. On top of that, the games choices are limited. It's mostly licensed products. So it's expensive and rare to get any kind of decent sale on cartridges. They also don't hold up to a lot of use if your child would be using them a lot.

Don't do it! The main stream media and hype would want you and all of us to believe this is educational but it's anything but. It actually does the opposite. There is a lot of research out there that tells of the dangers of these things. It's too much stimulation and causes sporadic behavior. If you want him to read read to him and tell him stories. Read stories that speak of courage and goodness. The old fairy tales are living stories to children and even adults. We first learn to read from hearing, the richness of language is ever so cruical and magical. Did you know that Baby Einstein was sued for claiming their toys and such make babies and children smarter? It was proven they didn't make them smarter and actually had the reverse effect and so they lost and had to pay a handsome sum. There are so many toys for children that enrich their imagination and this is the aim.
C.

My kids have a whole bunch of the systems that Leapfrog has put out over the last 10 years. Yes, they do learn from them. I do not just give it to them and ignore them. I follow what they are working on and learning and expand on it. There are games that don't have a lot more educational value above manual dexterity or hand-eye coordination but, they need that too. I know that eye doctors will actually prescribe video games to help with eye issues and some other issues. I knew a young child that was to put the eye patch over one eye and play for a set amount of time and then switch for the other eye.
I find a lot of Leapfrog products annoying but I enjoy these.
I use them to compliment our schooling all the time.
The different models are because they come out with newer models every couple years or so. The Leapster is several years old now, the Leapster 2 came out a couple years later, the Leapster Explorer came out last year or so. The newest one I saw in the store was the LeapPad. They are all the same basic idea they just make improvements and upgrades. Some games from different systems are interchangeable and some are not.
My kids are of course eyeing the LeapPad and have put it on their Santa list :)

I loved the leapster! My son got his when he was 4 and played with it until he was about 9, when we finally broke down and got him a DSi. He used to actually learn when he played games, now he just blows things up! I wish they had made games for older kids, too! you can get great used cartridges on Ebay!

I have a almost 5 yr old and a 3 yr old and they have a leapster and love it. They tend to only play it in the car or before bed as a quiet activity. I gave it to my oldest when she was 4. I am going to get her a leap pad this year and give the leapster to my 3 yr old. It is amazing how much they caught on and learn from it. My family is all for the leap frog products because they are educational. We are not going to the DS because most of the games are like video games. I feel that the kids are on computers in kindergarten so the technology is how they are going to be learning. Do what is best for your family. I would do the leapster Exployer over the leapster because then you can download books and other apps. You can not download on leapster.

GAMING SYSTEM. What will help him with reading is reading with him. Go to the library and let him pick out books. Start reading the comics with him - my 5 year old LOVES comics and knows we only read them once a day (yes, this is a commitment to daily comic reading) so he works through them on his own. If you've gotten this far, why start with the screens now?

We've had products from Leap Frog since my daughter got her first Little Leap 13 years ago. Both of my girls have Leapsters. I put them in the garage sale box this past summer and my 9 year old had a fit. She pulled it out and played with it for a few weeks. She has a DS and also an ipod touch with tons of apps. And she had a blast with the Leapster. It is now in the garage sale box again. Hopefully I can sell it before she sees it again. That said, I highly recommend any Leap Frog product. They are well made and have amazing customer service. My dog chewed the pen for the Leapster and I contacted Leap Frog. They sent me not one, but two pens at no cost. The games are both fun and educational. Do I believe they will completely a child reading or math? Absolutely not. Do I strongly believe they are a great addition to traditional teaching? Absolutely. When a child chooses to play these games, they are "forced" to do some type of learning. There is reading involved in almost every game and math in many. I've also found great sales on cartridges, especially around the holidays. And I bought a number of them on ebay. And the Leapster is great for car rides. Certainly better than watching a movie.