Educational Toys > Leap Frog Educational Toys > 3 Years + > Electronic Learning

Advantages: Learning essential skills while playing
Disadvantages: Expensive

I bought the Click Start computer for my son for Christmas ( I have reviewed that also) So when people asked for ideas for pressents the games seemed like an obvious option. There are three different games on this cartridge, each teaching different skills. Each with two levels of difficulty, depending on the age of the child. "Really useful Engine" Help the Fat controller - Using the mouse, First the child must choose the correct crates by recognising ...
...the crate using phonics, pick one crate to complete the three letter word. In level two the say the letters name, and also spell longer words. Thomas then moves on and the child must help him pass some obsatcles by working out the correct tool for the obstacle ahead. Click on the correct picture and Thomas can move on. "Making tracks" Direct the engines - Using the mouse The train enters the screen where the track splits into different directions. ... Read review

Advantages: Favourite characters in the book, same story as film, great learning games
Disadvantages: If your kid doesn't like the film Disney Pixar ' Cars' don't bother

...books for the My First Leap Pad are "two in one" flip books with one story side and one activity side. The cover is fairly thick shiny card and the pages are thinner but still durable. The cartridge has a matching picture of McQueen so easy to find the right one to go with the book. The pictures on and in the 'Cars' book are cartoon-style rather than the flashy pixar computer generated characters from the film which I found a bit disappointing to ...
...recognisable it just lacks the flashy pixar film style 'something'. Not too important as my son didn't seem the least bit bothered by it...it's still 'Cars' On the front it says" Preschool " and that this book teaches: Car Facts and Parts Numbers 1-10 Short Vowels Shapes Pre-Writing skills The story in the book is the same as the film, so it provides a familiar story for your child to go through- assuming they have or have seen the film which ... Read review

Advantages: Helps Improve Concentration, and general PC skills
Disadvantages: Batteries essential,

My son will be starting school in September so we decided to buy a useful product that could be educational as well as fun. I'm usually against electronic games for toddlers due to the lack of imaginatio, however in this day in age computer skills are essential and all schools teach pc skills from a young age so the ClickStart computer seemed like a good choice to get a head start. The computer itself was on offer at Toys R Us so it worked out cheaper, ...
...came with some simple games that teach recognising letters and numbers, general mouse and keyboard skills, co-ordination, colours and perserverance. When the child does well they win a bone which they can then use in the dogs house. Give the dog a bone and watch him do a trick. At first my son found it difficult to co-ordinate the mouse to use the curser and if the mouse button is pressed the curser will not move, which my son found a little frustrating. ... Read review

Advantages: Teaches writing, drawing & sums
Disadvantages: Costs a lot on batteries

I got the Leapster for my daughter when she was just over 2 years old. She is now almost 4 and still enjoys it. There are a variety of games which get more advanced as the child gets older. My daughter especially enjoys the drawing games which show her how to trace over pictures. As a result, she has become great at drawing all sorts of things. The batteries lasted well but we also bought a plug in adapter which helped. We got it because it plugs ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap to start a little collection; hours of entertainment; will bring out the child in you!
Disadvantages: Ever so slightly addictive!

Geomag is a toy made primarily of rods with magnets at either end and little metallic balls (you can also get panels that fit in the gaps of square shapes and so on). They come in a range of bright and fun colours and you can also get glow in the dark pieces! Each rod is approximately 2 cms long but you can make massive structures out of them! Geomag came on the scene back in 1998 and has become a modern day lego (not that lego does not exist any ...
...to almost 8000 pieces! Geomag is an excellent toy that is great fun for all ages. It has a more adult feel than lego and is very tactile. It also looks like an more 'grown-up', executive toy - so big boys and girls can leave it out around the house without embarrassment! Indeed, it is fun to make up a structure and leave it on a mantelpiece (and of course much tidier than leaving all the bits around the living room!). Like lego, Geomag as the advantage ... Read review