LeapFrog Leaptop Review

The design of the Leaptop is similar to a real laptop with some enhancements that make the laptop more attractive to toddlers. The Leaptop comes in two colors, which are green and pink and the pink is a bit more expensive of a purchase. Both laptops are exactly the same regardless of the color. The screen is a lower grade screen with animation that is reminiscent of early handheld video games, but the animation and graphics are not where the real learning is located. The Leaptop talks to your child and helps guide them through the process of learning letters and animals.

The device is easily turned on by an on/off switch that is located to the left of the screen and then along the bottom of the screen is a toggle switch that allows you to toggle between four different modes of learning. The four modes of learning are listening to and learning the sounds of the letters of the alphabet, learning how to receive and listen to emails, playing games that help further learn the letters of the alphabet and identifying animals by their picture, and hearing songs played out of the device. The keyboard is not designed like the traditional QWERTY keyboard that is custom on all American-style laptops, but rather, the keyboard of the Leaptop is in alphabetical order so that children can learn the alphabet properly and in the correct order of letters. The rest of the Leaptop has colorful pictures and buttons that kids adore.

One of the most effective ways of learning is through role playing. Many children learn how to act and learn and speak and play by mimicking what they see in real life. The Leaptop gives children that opportunity by allowing them to role play through technology. In today’s digital world, children are constantly exposed to adults who are either on their phones or on their computers doing work, learning, and entertaining themselves. The Leaptop give a child the opportunity to join that way of life in a fun and creative way. Kids can open their Leaptop and receive emails just like their parents do and they can press the buttons and have their laptop talk to them and teach them. Parents can go to the LeapFrog website and program the Leaptop so that their child’s name appears on the screen and the child can begin to recognize their name and learn how to spell their name. By pressing the buttons on the keyboard, children can also learn how to type on the keyboard and recognize the letters and where they are located in the order of the alphabet. Role playing is also a great way for children to be able to interact with their parents and play with their parents as they learn.

The first mode of the LeapFrog Leaptop is the ABC mode. In ABC your child will learn all they need to know about the letters of the alphabet. When ABC mode is turned on, your child can then press any letter on the keyboard and learning will begin. When the letter is pressed, the letter will appear on the screen. This will enable your child to start recognizing the letters of the alphabet right away. When the letter appears on the screen, the computer will begin to talk to your child and will repeat the name of the letter so that your child will become familiar with the names of the letters. The computer will also sound out the sound that the letter makes. Not only is your child getting to see the letter, but they are also getting to hear the letter as well. As a bonus, the computer will do a third letter recognition exercise, and that is placing an animal that starts with that particular letter into the mix. For the letter “A” for example, the computer will show the letter, sound it out, and then show a picture of an alligator. That way, your child will also associate the sound and the letter with an animal that they know and can associate their learning with something familiar. The letter “B” is a bumblebee and so forth. Your child can visually pick a letter and then aurally understand it and visually understand it. The sounding out of the letter plus the visual recognition of the letter will help your child be more advanced when it comes time to learn how to read.

The second mode of the LeapFrog Leaptop is the messaging mode. The button has a picture of an envelope on it and is your child’s version of an email. Because your child will not know how to type or spell or be able to send a message, this mode is more receiving messages than sending them. Scout is the cuddly green puppy dog that is the mascot of the Leaptop. When the message button is pressed, Scout will send a message to your child. The messages are accompanied by an animation on the screen so that your child will be able to visually place the meanings behind the words. One particular message that Scout sends is that he is playing with his red ball. The animation that comes across the screen when that happens is Scout running after a ball. This visual pairing of animation and sound helps your child develop their skills at understanding the language and associating it to real life scenarios. The email function also plays a pivotal part of the role playing process of learning as parents and adults are constantly receiving emails, and now parents and children can receive their emails together.

The third mode of the LeapFrog Leaptop is the play mode. In play mode, children get to associate what they have learned in ABC mode. One of the games that gets played in this mode is identifying animals based on the clues that are given by the computer. For example, the computer may ask what animal is green, and the answer would be alligator, and your child can solve that question by pressing the letter “A”. It’s almost like a quiz of sorts for your child as they begin to take what they have learned and begin to place it into a question and answer program that helps them grow their understanding of the alphabet. Play mode is a great way for parents to sit with their child and help them learn in a one on one quality time way that helps parents understand and see how their child is developing and learning, and in a way that creates bonding between the parent and their child.

The last mode on the LeapFrog Leaptop is the music mode. The music mode provides sixteen songs for your child to listen to and learn. Most of the songs are the most popular songs that all toddlers learn during their early stages of development like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “The Wheels On the Bus”. The music mode helps your child further learn through the power of music. It has been noted in science that music helps children concentrate and learn, and through the music mode, your child will be able to stimulate their brain cells through the power of sound. The Leaptop touches on your child’s senses when it comes to learning by allowing them to touch, see, and hear their way through the letters of the alphabet. Music mode is also another great bonding experience with parent and child as they can sing the songs together and learn them together.

One of the non-educational benefits of the LeapFrog Leaptop is that it is completely portable. In the spirit of keeping true to learning through role playing, the Leaptop comes built with its own handle so that your child can feel as if they are taking their laptop on the go just like adults do. With the handle and your child’s role playing fun, the Leaptop can go anywhere you go so the learning never has to stop. The Leaptop is small enough to fit into any size bag and is great for long road trips and car rides. The Leaptop can entertain your child while they are on the go and the entire time they are playing with the toy they will be learning as well.

The toy can also be used when at someone’s home or if there is a playdate all the kids can play with the Leaptop together listening to music and learning the letters of the alphabet with their parents. Learning never has to stop and being entertained never has to stop as long as the Leaptop is present and ready to go.

The LeapFrog Leaptop is affordably priced and can fit into the budget of most parents. The device is marketed as coming in hassle free packaging, so for the price that you pay, not only do you get a toy that is extremely educational and can help your child learn and develop in a positive way, but it also pops right out of the box and is ready to use. The Leaptop is also available at most major retailers, so the toy is easily accessible to all and is not expensive at all. For the amount of learning your child will receive plus the role playing plus the quality time you get to spend with your child as they are learning, the price for the LeapFrog Leaptop is right on the money and the long term benefits will have a greater and more positive effect on your child’s learning and development.

The LeapFrog Leaptop is a great learning toy for the toddler who is ready to know their ABC’s and role play. The toy allows for children to fully immerse themselves in the fantasy world of working on a computer and communicating. The toy also helps your child understand the alphabet and put into action all they are learning through visual learning and listening learning as the computer sounds out letters and associates those letters to well known animals that your child will recognize and this three layered way of learning will help your child when it comes to learning how to read and understand written language. The LeapFrog Leaptop is the perfect buy for the parent who wants their child to learn in a creative way while also building the skills necessary to critically think and figure out language on their own. With an affordable price and the fact that the toy can be found at all major retailers, the LeapFrog Leaptop is a no-brainer purchase for the parent who wants to be a part of their child’s learning experience.