LeapFrogLeapreader Reading And Writing System, Green

Update in 2020:I ***would*** like to purchase one of these for each of my niece/nephews as this has best learning toy we've found so far. This is especially since all parents of little kids right now are looking for screen free activities to engage their kids during COVID lockdown!!! Unfortunately, leapfrog is no longer supporting products for this pen. So you can't easily purchase the books/activities that go with the leapreader. So frustrating! I know they have a new "pen" called LeapStart Go, but my impression from briefly looking at reviews of that product suggest it's just not the same. The leap reader is completely screen free and encourages a lot of interaction with books (even for kids as small as 3.5 years old).==========old review=============We have used leapreaders in our house for approx three years now. The oldest one I had finally gave out b/c the optical scanner malfunctioned. Even so, I think it's a great value and I purchased new ones for both kids. (And really, I cannot blame the company, my kid was NOT particularly careful with his LR).******Why do I love it? It's a great way to keep young kids entertained without the use of a screen!!!******You can download audiobooks and music via their stand alone computer based app. My older kid (approx 5 yrs) listened to a geronimo stilton mouse mystery on constant repeat during our last car trip and it kept him very engaged. (we had to beg him to listen to a stink and a junie B jones story to give us a break sometimes). My younger kid (approx 3) listened to a laurie berkener song on constant repeat during that same car trip.Of course, it is not just a mini MP3 player for kids. The interactive books you purchase are GREAT, it's not just about having the pen "read the book" for your kids. Each page of the books is interactive, so when your child touches an image there will be a corresponding sound or dialogue. It really brings books to life for them. Furthermore, there are great games/activities in some of the sets, we particularly like the body board "book" that includes a fun song about brushing your teeth and a game naming different parts of the body. Pretty much every book has an activity associated with it - for instance the beginning reader books have activities that help them with phonetics.PLEASE EVERYONE LET LEAPFROG KNOW THAT THEY ARE BEING SHORT SIGHTED. I believe the company is focusing their efforts on tablets, which makes sense market-share-wise. But they could also provide the leapreader as a choice for discerning parents that are looking for screen substitutes. Right now I've decided to stockpile leapreader supplies in case they get harder to find in the future. Keep supporting the leapreader please!!!!!! Our family LOVES them! I want to be able to give them as gifts for nieces and nephews, but it's hard to do when I'm not sure about the future of the product! (you know, since some of them are still infants).

I purchased the Leapreader when my little boy was just 3 and it has been just brilliant. I wasn't sure if it would just be a novelty that would soon lose interest but I liked the concept of using real books rather than a Leappad tablet. At 3 1/2 he was able to use the audiobook function in the car on long journeys and with a bit of guidance quickly learned to touch the pictures of his favourite characters (Disney Pixar Cars book) to hear the sounds. The books entertained him for months. The only issue we had was that he pressed too hard and scratched the pages so I stuck some Sugru on the end of the pen then removed it once his skills improved. I agree with other reviewers that the software isn't great - struggled to install it, it only worked on our Windows 7 machine, and it's very slow to use. Also books can be difficult to source, they can be very expensive in some cases and my boy only uses the Leapreader occasionally by himself.That being said, despite the expense I absolutely love the Leapreader. The 5 stars are for being the best resource for starting to teach him basic reading skills now he's a year older. I bought the Learn To Read vowel book sets and we sit together and he tries to sound out simple 3 letter words then we use the pen to see if he's correct and to explore the sounds. Some of the books also make him laugh and he likes the puzzles at the end. I'm so glad I bought the Leapreader and have no regrets.Update: At 6 years old he can actually read all his Leapreader books but still enjoys using them with the pen when he wakes up very early to keep himself entertained in the early hours. The puzzles in the back of the vowel reading books are his favourites. His letter and number formation is a bit sloppy still so I am using the writing books with Mr Pencil to help him improve. He also really enjoys the audiobooks with his headphones on - they are a great introduction to longer story CDs that he isn't ready for yet but will be in the future. It is still a fantastic resource for us.

Why cannot connect to the update version of Leapfrog Connect?

Our 4 year old loves this product. I found it be exactly as expected. It is a great educational tool with the support of an adult but also suitable for self learning over time. In comparison to apps on a tablet or phone it involves more thinking and engagement with reading and writing. We look forward to expanding our library as our daughter grows. The only thing I didn't realise is that the 'special' pen for writing only lets you write once so need to keep purchasing the writing paper. I assumed it would be reusable.

This product is amazing!! My 7-year-old step son really struggles with his reading and writing so after speaking with some mom-friends I thought I'd give this a shot. Not only does it help him but he actually WANTS to read. For him, that's a huge success!! I ordered this and one book and ended up ordering more the next day. I didn't find setup to be complicated or long like some other reviewers.