Educational video gaming for little ones.
married, buying for a preschooler, experienced parent, Every day computer user, a fan of educational toys, practical, buying educational toys, value conscious
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OCT
31
2008
Once I had my children, I learned instead to live by the good old-fashioned motto, "everything in moderation". Too much of anything can be bad for anyone. My children are ages 3+ years and 19 months at the moment, and yes, they watch TV everyday, for most of the day. But, they aren't glued to it. They alternate between watching, playing, snacking, and my oldest even gravitates to the other room to play educational games on my husband's laptop, where she has her own screen name and kid's browser.
A Travel Companion
My husband and I like to travel. Mainly we like to go for road trips and day trips closer to home. Sometimes, we will drive a bit further, and if it take us a few hours and it's during the girls' waking hours, we like to have something to entertain them. We don't have a car with a built-in TV or DVD player. We also don't yet own a portable DVD player. Our 19-month-old is more likely to doze off in the car at her age. But, our nearly 4-year-old is more likely to get bored and impatient. It was time to think of something that would hold her attention a little longer than a coloring book or toys.
My greatest worry, was when we had a 6-hr+ flight to California for our family vacation this past summer. The last time I had flown with both girls, my youngest was about 2 months old and it was a very short flight. I only had to pay attention to my eldest while the baby slept. This time, we were travelling with an antsy toddler and a preschooler, so it was imperitive that my eldest could be kept occupied for as long as possible so that my husband and I could put more energy into keeping the little one happy while trying not to disturb the other passengers.
I did some shopping around and found my answer. The LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System sounded like a good idea. This handheld game system is made for children from preschool through 4th grade levels. It comes with two built-in learning games, but you can also buy age-appropriate game cartridges. Along with a few other activities, the Leapster really helped to keep our daughter busy. She was so well-behaved on the airplane, we didn't have one meltdown from her, there and back. We were very proud of her.
What We Like About The LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System
Who can argue with the fact that anything that's educational is a plus? While I still hold to the idea that nothing is better than one-on-one training, if my daughter is going to be playing video games either on the computer or on a handheld system, it may as well be educational. The system has a stylus pen attached to it for use with the games where she can draw and color with it. It can also be used for practicing her letters, for example, for the game cartridge, Mr. Pencil's Learn to Draw and Write my daughter can trace letters and shapes, to help with her writing motor skills. When she steers the pen too far off the line, "Mr. Pencil" pops up and corrects her and asks her to try again.
The buttons are well placed, the system is easy for small hands to hold and it's not difficult for little ones to get used to using the buttons and functions, even if they can't yet read.
We appreciate that this is a game system that will "grow" with our child. As she gets older, we can replace her "younger" game cartridges with new ones that are more fitting for her age group.
Suggestions
The best thing I did when I bought the system, was to purchase the LeapFrog Leapster and L-Max Recharging System. This is a recharging base and battery pack that replaces the use of ordinary batteries. I learned, through my research, that it is best to buy this in addition to the system, so that you don't find yourself buying tons of batteries. The recharging system also comes with an AC adapter, which is how it is charged, but you can also use it directly on the Leapster and your child can play with it while it is plugged into the wall. This will not recharge the battery pack, however. It is just an additional option.
You might also want to invest in one or two age-appropriate game cartridges. The games built into the system may entertain your child for a little while, but they will soon get bored. I actually purchased 4 games for my daughter. I, of course, saved a bit by purchasing used ones on an auction website (*wink,wink*).
My Biggest Complaint
I noticed that my daughter's system came with built-in advertisements of the other games we can buy. Aren't our children inundated with enough ads everywhere we go? So, of course, she was introduced to some games which included some of her favorite characters and excitedly pointed them out to me. At first, she thought they were additional built-in games and called me over to "help" her access them. I was annoyed that she found the ads so easily, and so I had to explain to her that these were games that had to be bought in the stores.
All in all, it wasn't a bad purchase. Of course, there are additional accessories that you can buy, like a screen protector and a carrying case, but I don't yet see a use for these. I've taught my daughter not to leave it lying around, to always put it back on the charging base, to keep a cartridge inserted to protect it from dust and to keep her extra cartridges in a safe place (I have her keep them all together in one zip-seal bag and stored in one of the drawers in her jewelry box).
Take It From a 3-Year-Old
My daughter actually doesn't play with it as much as I thought she would. Every now and then she'll pull it out and play a few games and then she'll put it back. I've no doubt that she loves it though. For her age, she has learned to take such good care of it. Perhaps the problem is that they do get bored with the games after a while, and that is the allure in buying them new games every now and then.
Last edited on Oct 31, 2008
Leapster Learning System is recommended by mhew
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