New Leapfrog educational toys teach math
I have been familiar with Leapfrog since my little sister was a toddler 10 years ago. They are well known for their quality and technology in the toy field. Now they are just releasing 3 more products aimed at teaching toddlers the basic of math and counting. Let me tell you a little bit about each one, and I even have a cute little video of my darlings playing with their new toys.
Learn & Groove Counting Maracas
These maracas are said to be great for any child age 6-36 months. I have 2 children in that age range and can say that my 10.5 month old son really enjoys it more than my 2.5 year old daughter – even though she really likes to play with it too.
How it works : One maraca has all the music and sounds (and batteries) and the other one is a basic rice-in-a-tube sounding instrument. The electronic maraca teaches colors, numbers or just plays a song for them to groove to. There are two settings: English or Spanish and I really hope Lizzie learns basic Spanish because it is really needed for lots of careers. My favorite feature is how it teaches the colors. As each color flashes on the top to the beat of a song, a voice will say what color it is. Another fun feature is during the music part if you shake the maraca (or bang the top of it as Lizzie discovered) it will flash a color and make a drum noise. This taught David cause and effect and he got a kick out of it!
What Lizzie thought: She discovered that if she bangs it on something it will change (it counts with each vibration, or says a new color). I had to teach her how to just shake it for the same effect or hit it on her hand at least. Other than that she would lose interest in the electronic one. She really liked using the “rattle” sounding one to shake while we sang songs.
What David thought: There is plenty of places with textures for him to explore with his mouth. He also learned cause and effect as he would hit the top of the maraca with his hand and see the colors change! These maracas were more for his 10.5 month age level and he really enjoys playing with them.
Chat and Count Phone
The Chat and count phone has almost everything a “mommy or daddy” cell phone has – music, rings and an animated screen. Unlike the maracas, there is only one way to play with the cell phone, but there are two volume levels and an off switch. This is rated for 18 months and up but David sure like to play with it and it is hardy enough to take a few falls when he drops it from his high chair.
How it works: The on/off switch and volume control is on the right hand side. There is a button to push for songs and when you press the telephone button a puppy dances on the screen and sings a short little song. Every time you press a number it speaks the number too – great for number recognition.
What Lizzie thought: She likes having her own cell phone and will call her grandparents on it. The size was a slight problem since it wouldn’t fit in any of her pockets. She also really liked dancing around with it when she pressed the music button.
What David thought: He would be interested in the music and try and press a button or two, but his favorite thing to do with it is watch the magic of gravity from his high chair. For David the size was beneficial, making it able to take more rough play without breaking.
Math Adventure To The Moon DVD
Baby Tad and his sister star in this fun animated movie that takes place in outer space. Lizzie enjoys watching it and I feel great letting her. They cover counting, learning what a pattern is and addition. At the end of the DVD is a bonus ABC feature as well. We already have the Baby Tad that sings when you press his chest so Lizzie was delighted to see her first Baby Tad movie. You can learn more at www.leapfrogdvds.com
You can purchase any of these at Amazon.com or any place you purchase your LeapFrog toys, including Wal-Mart and Target.
Here is a quick and fun video I made of Lizzie and David playing with their new LeapFrog toys!
Each of these items was sent to me for my review. All opinions are 100% mine.
Comments (1)
We love anything by Leapfrog around here. So fun and educational too, you just can’t miss. If you don’t have the Tag pens yet, when you get them they’re just amazing. I’m not sure who likes them more in our house, the kids or me!