The LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet is a brilliant way to disguise learning as fun. Your child can learn while they play.

The manufacturers recommend this toy for ages 4 to 9 but I would say that most 3 year olds would enjoy it, while 8-9 year olds might find it a bit young for them so the ideal age for the tablet is 3 to 7 years. If your child falls within this age range they will love it!

The LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet includes:-

• A library of 100+ cartridge games, apps, digital books, videos and flash cards (sold separately, works with all Leapster Explorer games and apps)
• Includes a built-in camera and video recorder, 5″ touch screen for use with finger or included stylus and 4 apps (Pet Pad, Story Studio, Art Studio and one app of your choice)
• 2GB of memory, enabling it to host a robust suite of apps including: innovative ultra eBooks that provide word-by-word support, a Story Studio to combine art, audio and writing, Art, Animation and Photo studios to inspire imaginations.
• A broad curriculum including reading, mathematics, science, geography, art, music, language and culture, health and more – skill levels automatically adjust the challenge to match each child’s pace and remember progress from game to game and book to book.

LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet (Green)

Price: $125.99

(346 customer reviews)

91 used & new available from $125.99

LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet (Pink)

Price: $139.00

(201 customer reviews)

68 used & new available from $139.00

When I was a child, kids fell into one of two categories at Christmas: those who loved receiving books and those who didn’t see a book as a ‘proper’ present.  Now I’ve always been firmly in the ‘my book’s my favorite present’ camp (but then I also love stationery, glitter and glue) but nowadays the categories have been crushed with the arrival of the new-look V tech reader!

Cleverly designed and marketed to appeal to children in the same way that the Kindle has been embraced by the adult book-reading public, the Vtech v.reader has a recommended age appeal of 36 months to 7 years.  This carefully targeted age bracket is sure to appeal to parents too, as this age group is the prime age at which most children begin, and then start to consolidate, their literacy learning and is the crucial age at which the joy of literature can capture a child’s imagination and be much more easily installed in a child than at any other time later on.

Although not cheap, with complete E-book systems starting around the $50 mark (for the basic touch-screen V reader device, V reader pen, V reader storybook cartridge, cleaning cloth, USB cable and user’s manual) and additional story cartridges retailing for around $15, most parents would consider this money well spent on a Christmas present which claims educational as well as entertainment benefits to their children.

The product does also have a memory card slot for expansion and a USB cable allowing the reader to be connected to the computer, so that additional story options at various levels can also be purchased and downloaded from the V tech website.  This also means that parents can have a role in monitoring and being involved in their kids’ reading (the joy of reading is great when shared and any struggle to learn to read always benefits from adult input), all of which again scores the product points with parents!

The robust, rubberized plastic reader is battery operated; making it easily portable for on-the-go kids but, as it is reported to be a bit juice-thirsty, there is also a DC power jack to save battery use as needed.  An earphone jack is also installed in the reader, so that the reading content doesn’t always have to be shared!

Although some of the popular parent reviews of the V tech reader do question the ultimate teaching and learning value of the product (particularly in relation to the cost of the whole system and additional story materials), there is still the argument that a product which actively engages children in the act of reading and engenders a love for literature is surely one of the most valuable learning tools around, for once you can read and have learned to love reading, then the world is your educational oyster!   If you are happy to purchase on this basis alone, then a V tech reader is an ideal present for both your own and your kids’ wish lists!

It’s that time of year again!  But before you get bogged down with the ‘what-shall-I-get-for…?’ stress, take inspiration from a gorgeous toy that’s sure to be a hit for the little (and maybe some not-so-little) ones in your life – Fisher Price Sing-A-Ma-Jigs!   Readily available now across US stores and on-line retailers, these great toys will really make someone’s Christmas for all the right reasons:

• Totally non-offensive cuddly toys, the Sing A Ma Jig range includes a pink bear,  blue dog,  red bear and a yellow bunny plus purple and green critters, all of whom sing their own little song and mutter their own little gibberish – some of which is oddly and cutely resonant of real words, just like a babbling toddler!

• Although in a standard range of colors, each Sing A Ma Jig is claimed to have a unique look, including the ears, which is why it is hard to decide if some of the creatures are meant to be a dog, bear or a rabbit!

• These toys are a great buy on a tight budget – with prices starting from around $11 and ranging up to about $17, depending on the color (hence popularity, hence price) although there’s no real difference in terms of what each Sing-A-Ma-Jig does. [These example prices are based on current availability on Amazon.com, but as with all purchases in the run up to Christmas, it really does pay to shop around to find extra bargains!]

• The toys are interactive in that they offer the sounds of unexpected laughter and excited exclamations, which toddlers readily respond to.  Each toy also has its own song to sing.

• Where one toy is placed alongside others in the range, the singing will harmonize together!  This seems to be based on the idea that the colors reflect an aspect of singing pitch, which loosely reflects as: pink for soprano; red for alto; blue for tenor and yellow for bass: it is claimed that each toy has its own unique singing pitch!

• The toys turn themselves off if not played with for a while, signing off with a cheery “see you later” (saving parents from the pain of repeatedly run down batteries)!  What’s more, the initial batteries are included!

• Whilst the advertised age range for the toy is from 36 months to 6 years, with the play value for the upper age group stems more from the idea of creating a collection that interacts and sings together, whilst for younger toddlers, the bright colors and ‘jibber-jabber’ chatter hold great appeal.   However, these toys are also proving popular with the young adult market, so these toys could also be the perfect present for a teenage soft toy enthusiast.

• Getting the toys to talk is easy – just a squeeze of the belly, whilst ‘control’ of the singing is by pressing each toy’s hand to inspire their little mouth to open as they sing!  There’s no fiddling about to get these toys to work, so they are very easy for a small child to enjoy playing with independently.

Sing-A-Ma-Jigs have been receiving excellent reviews, so it’s time to get out there and snap up yours before the Christmas shopping countdown beats you to it!