Leapfrog Toys Review
I’m a Leapfrog ambassador, so they recently sent us a whole bunch of their new toys and LeapTV games to review and test out. Here are the items they sent us:
- New LeapTV Console
- LeapTV game–Doodle Craft
- LeapTV game–Blaze and the Monster Machines
- LeapTV game–Frozen
- LeapTV game–Letter Factory
- LeapTV game–Disney Princesses
- Number Lovin’ Oven
- Scout’s Build & Discover Tool Set
- Word Whammer
LeapTV games
I wrote a full review of the LeapTV game console here. The newest one was sent just to ensure ours was up to date…it doesn’t seem any different.
Doodle Craft: We were excited to try this game because it’s loosely modeled after the popular game Mine Craft which my boys love. This game, however, is geared towards younger kids and easier to play. It doesn’t have the more dark and scary elements that are in MineCraft, rather it’s got upbeat happy music and you basically just spent the entire time customizing buildings for a city where happy little doodle people live. My five year old was really good at this game, but he is well on his way to being an awesome gamer so I’m not surprised. However it did hold his attention for quite awhile.
Blaze and the Monster Machines: This game is for slightly younger kids, so we were hoping this would work well for my 3 year old. She still struggles to learn her letters and numbers, but I think these games are something that she will grow into and will reinforce concepts she learns at preschool which she starts in a few weeks. This game was really easy and she played it fairly well. You race the car on a track, avoiding obstacles and trying to collect ‘golden tires’. There are various questions that you have to answer that have to do with physics. The words they use are a little advanced but once they play it several times, they get use to it. Hopefully this will actually help them build vocabulary for when they learn physical science concepts in school.
Frozen: I was a little worried when getting this game that it would be too hard for my 3 year old who loves Frozen. But it wasn’t too bad–she is not very familiar with her letters and numbers but she can tell that a letter is a letter and a number is a number. I played this with her and she loved the different games, and that you just answer a few questions and then get to play. We especially loved the sledding with Olaf and jewelry making. It’s also nice that some of the games are body interactive, to get your child moving but it’s also easier for the little ones to do than using the controller but sometimes they motion is a little too sensitive and causes them to get an answer wrong unnessarily. This game also seemed slightly similar to Disney Princesses. But it is really fun and perfect for all Frozen lovers!
Letter Factory: True to all the other Letter Factory games and videos, this reinforces letters over and over. I was hoping for a bit more gaming in this game, but it is mostly just letters–great for a kid who needs to learn them (like my three year old.) There’s a game where you practice tracing the letter but we sometimes have trouble using the lightstick so we didn’t play it. It’s also meant more for Multi-player so make sure you have more than one controller. Overall, a really great app for kids who need to work on their letters!
Disney Princesses: I played this with my three year old daughter since she is still learning how to use the controller and it was SUCH great mother daughter bonding time. It kind of felt like we were going to visit princesses at Disney and play games with them and dress up like them! She loved the different games, and that you just answer a few questions and then get to play. We especially loved how you unlock new dresses and accessories and hairstyles and then you can take your picture wearing those. It really made her feel like a princess. Like I mentioned before in my Frozen review, it’s also nice that some of the games are body interactive, to get your child moving but it’s also easier for the little ones to do than using the controller but sometimes they motion is a little too sensitive and causes them to get an answer wrong accidentally. There are lots of games within this cartridge and well worth it.
Number Lovin’ Oven: My 3 year old is a girl and she LOVES the Number Lovin’ Oven. She loved playing with the little food it comes with, putting it on the customized tray and then baking it. The oven asks you to set the time to a specific number so it will hopefully help her learn her numbers. It sings and makes sound effects. It’s fun to fry the egg on top. It’s a great toy for any little kid this age.
Scout’s Build & Discover Tool Set: As an avid DIYer and tool user, I was a little fascinated by this toolbox. We’ve owned several sets of kids play tools and so many of them are just for looks and don’t actually do anything. This one does! And it doesn’t have forty billion pieces that get lost all over the house. I love that the screwdriver, which color matches the screws to lessen confusion actually screws them in and out. Same for the wrench. The saw doesn’t do much but I don’t actually want my kid sawing things lol. The toolbox comes apart and Scout encourages them to put it back together as well as do some other activities. It’s really an awesome tool box toy.
Word Whammer: In this world of full color ipads it’s hard to compete with full color awesome graphics–however ipads cost hundreds of dollars and do way more than just run kids games. This is a simple toy that emphasizes short words, short vowels, and spelling. And it repeats itself so much that your kids are bound to remember something. It’s not the most entertaining, but it really is educational. The games are all basically the same and the levels don’t seem to advance very much. However if your child is struggling with basic early reading concepts, this is a great toy to help them.
Overall, you really can’t go wrong with LeapFrog toys and games. It always helps ease the conscience when you know that at least it’s educational, right?
