Lara is a perfect age for the brand new LeapReader by Leapfrog. The LeapReader builds on the success of the Leapfrog Tag reading system but now your child can not only start to learn to read with the LeapReader, but they can also learn to write and Lara, at 4 years old, is loving every minute of it.
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| Learning to read with the Leapfrog LeapReader |
Lara starts school this September and I suspect she is a little ahead of the expectations in terms of reading and writing skills for reception but to be honest, I can't stop her! She has this thirst for words that is uncontrollable and the LeapReader feeds that need while offering her fun at the same time. For us, the melding of technology and books works really well; Lara enjoys the ownership and the maturity that she feels with her own piece of technology and yet she finds great comfort sitting, browsing through a book.
The Leapfrog LeapReader is a brand new toy which also works with original Leapfrog Tag reading books. There are some shiny new LeapReader books such as Lara's favourite - a 3D Monster's University book packed full of games and fun which encourage her to interact with each page. I love seeing how hard Lara concentrates when she is absorbed in her books. Lara loves using her LeapReader pen to play "spot the monster" where the pen asks her a comprehension or observation question about the picture such as "which is the monster that has horns and fur and is sitting next to the red monster?" and then Lara has to point the stylus to the correct image.
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| Playing and Reading Monsters University 3D with the Leapfrog LeapReader |
Lara has learned to place the LeapReader on the words of her story books to hear the LeapReader read the words to her. I realise now that the understanding that individual words, or groups of words contribute to a story is quite a big step on the journey towards self-reading. The stylus nature of the LeapReader helps this process. The LeapReader came with a sample book which includes some first readers examples and, with a bit of encouragement, Lara accepts the challenge from me to try and read the words herself, without prompt from the voice of the LeapReader.
The biggest difference between the LeapReader and the old Leapfrog Tag reader is that the LeapReader also offers your child the ability to interact through writing. Lara received the "Learn to Write Numbers With Mr. Pencil" book with her LeapReader as part of the Leapfrog 2013 blogger panel; this book does feature story narrative but its main focus is to learn to write numbers and shapes. I was astonished at how quickly Lara picked it up. The book features paper leaves which your child can write on - they have to follow the instructions to trace the shape of a number, shape or basic mathematical expression. As they practice more, the guides on the sheets become less until they should be able to write the shapes of the numbers unaided. At first, Lara would get frustrated that the LeapReader would beep at her if she rushed the shapes of the numbers and I noticed, within minutes, that she slowed down and worked harder at getting the shape right. The paper sheets are not re-usable but the book does come with a pack of additional practice sheets and you can buy further practice packs. I'm definitely going to be buying Lara the matching "Learn to Write Letters with Mr. Pencil" book.
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| Learning to write with the Leapfrog LeapReader |
I'm impressed with some of the improvements that the LeapReader has over the old Tag system; the most appealing of these being a built-in rechargeable battery which is charged through USB when connected to your computer (you need to connect it to upload audio onto the LeapReader so you can charge at the same time). The LeapReader costs £40 and it is recommended for ages 4-8. Books cost around £10-£15.
