LeapFrog LeapStart Interactive Learning System for Kindergarten & 1st Grade

I am one of those lame parents who tries really hard to minimize screen time, so of course I LOVE that the LeapStart has actual paper pages instead of a screen, and my kids love that it talks and is interactive. I call that a win-win. I really thought my 5-year-old would enjoy this and get more use out of it than my younger one. My 3-year-old is high energy and has a hard time sitting still, but he surprised me and will use this for 30 or 45 minutes straight. It is teaching him his letters, which is something he has refused to learn from me (my strong-willed child). And of course, my 5-year-old enjoys it as well. I work from home, and the LeapStart has been really helpful at keeping my kiddos busy while I focus on my work.

This is another home run from Leap Frog. My son has taken to it immediately and is engrossed in the books. The unit is simple to operate and sturdy enough to feel like it's going to last well. The latch helps keep the book inside when not playing, and there's a pocket on the back that will hold one book as well. The stylus is chunky and easy for his little hand to hold. It is also attached and has its own storage spot. It took three tries for him to realize how to pop the spiral part of the book into the system to hold the book steady. The book didn't always sit level, but it didn't affect game play. There isn't a huge selection of books for his age yet but it's LF so hopefully more will come as times goes. The ones currently available cover a good range of topics and have lots of pages. These are less like Tag books in that there isn't a lot that it reads to you. They're more interactive and have games and spots to touch which guide you through the books. Happy and planning to order the other books for birthday!

This LeapFrog Leapstart is so awesome! My mother bought three of these Leapstarts. She bought one for me as well as for each of my sisters for us to give to our children for Christmas. None of us had any problem at all with batteries, or downloading, or signing on to the website. It was so easy and fast! I would recommend this Leapstart to everyone. We got the Leapstart that clicks closed. It says it's for older kids but only because the sample book comes with sample pages geared to older kids. And we wanted to get the book that clicked closed so it wouldn't flap open. The one that says it's for younger kids opens and closes without clicking closed and we didn't want it flapping open. This is the one to get no matter what age the kid is. Thank you LeapFrog for a great product! :-)

My almost-6 year old said "it's really fun! I like trying to find the strawberries on every page." When I asked her how it's different from the LeapReader that we already have, she said "it has more games and more things to do" (she means activities versus reading) and then added "it's like the "get ready for kindergarten" book for LeapReader more than the other LeapReader books" (which was good point). Then she added, "I love this so much more than the iPad and will never ask to use yours again" <--- HAHHA JUST KIDDING, SHE DID NOT SAY THAT PART AT ALL., but I was surprised she didn't ask for the iPad the whole time she was using this (we were on a long car ride). For background, she'll be 6 in September and will first be starting kindergarten then and can read a few sight words (somewhat reluctantly).My thoughts:Setup: It was a little bit of a pain to set up. I needed to find a screwdriver and batteries. I had to find a time when my 1 year old was sleeping. Although I'm 38, my dad had to help me figure out why it wouldn't let me download the LeapFrog Connect onto his (!!) computer. Once LeapFrog Connect was downloaded, it took about 10 minutes for me to download the books I wanted -- and I downloaded more than we bought just so I wouldn't have to go through it again (but I'm super impatient with these types of things). It let me download 9 books plus the starter book (why wouldn't they have preloaded it with at least the starter book???) and I didn't try to add more, but maybe it would have let me.Price: Wait for it to go down! I paid 33 bucks during prime day, but I am guessing this will end up around 22 in the next few months. The books were 13 but I am guessing they will end up around 7.Content: It seems really good! I gave it to my daughter before a 2 hour car ride (so she would be a captive audience) and she played with it for more of the time (and then used the hard cover as something to lean on to do drawings). I learned some things I didn't know about various countries and animals listening to her play while I drove. The activities seemed both engaging/fun and educational (but again, she was trapped in the car). It was more than just learning to read -- it had content to help navigate social situations, deductive reasoning type questions, critical thinking/planning/logic games.Why buy this if you have a LeapReader? I think this might be best for kids, like mine, who are on the brink of reader or are reluctant readers with shorter attention spans who are using the device for more than just reading. If your child, like mine, loves learning little facts (watches shows like Wild Kratts, for example), this would be the better choice. My daughter is more of a "math" person (unlike me!) and loves puzzles and logic games. This appealed to her on that level more than the LeapReader did. I love the LeapReader (except for loading it!!!), but it's always getting lost. It's too soon to tell, but I think we will be less likely to loose this device as it's huge. It is a pain to have to install batteries though, so LeapReader has the advantage there.My verdict: If you can get it less than the MSRP and if, like me, you have frequent long car rides, I recommend it. If you have more than one child (say a 2 year old and a 5 year old), buy this one because the younger kids' books would work in it too and the pen is large enough for even the smallest hands. I also recommend the LeapReader which you can find really cheap right now (and recommend buying the books to that used as a lot on e bay). I bought the "amazing animals," "cooking math," and kindergarten reading books. My daughter tried the first two in the car and really did love them both. (She didn't realize there was a third bc I had placed it in the "secret compartment" where you can store an extra book in the device). My daughter also liked it that once you complete the first level, the device rewards you by saying you earned the next level (so then you use the same page but the activities get harder).

My 4yo loves this computer. He loves to play with it in the car especially. I like that you can download the sets you need and plan to purchase even before you buy them so you don't have to go they the hassle of getting the computer every time.Now we just need more books. I was excited to see on the LeapFrog site that they have reading books available for these too. I had been going back and forth between this and the Leap Reader pen for him, so I'm glad that this covers that too.My 2yo also likes it, so I might have to get him a book for it. Both of them like it more then the activity desk we purchased, which is similar, but not portable.However they love to drag it by the pen cord and throw it down like the rest of their toys. So we are using this as an opportunity to learn how to treat electronics.

This product is fantastic, it's helped my 4 year old daughter with her writing skills and makes learning fun. She has really progressed at school and her teacher recommends this boards. All preschoolers and primary children should have one. The books are expensive but I've managed to get them on offer.

My 4 yr old grandson absolutely loves this, easy to use, only down side unless you use rechargeables it eats batteries

Brilliant for my child.

Grandson has been using it and enjoying it

I bought this for my 4 year old son to help prepare him for primary school and to improve his writing skills.The case is sturdy and attractively designed with a space at the back to store 1 book.The Leapstart comes with one short sample book, has a headphone socket and takes 2xAA batteries. The books clip inside the case and the contents must then be downloaded through the leapstart app via a computer, phone or laptop.The books have several activities inside which can often be adjusted in difficulty, there are stories, puzzles and also sticker reward charts which my son loves. The books come with different age recommendations and different themes such as robots, school and exploring.My main criticism of the Leapstart is that it does not have the option to use a power cable or recharger cable instead of batteries. Another big negative is that the books are all read with American accents and occasionally use American words which my son was not familiar with. The books currently sell for £9.99 which is a little pricey as they do not have a lot of replay value especially once the sticker charts are completed.Overall I am happy with this product, my son has enjoyed the activities and has learned new skills. I hope there will be an option to use English accents in the future.