LeapFrog Leapster

The LeapFrog Leapster learning system is an educational handheld electronic toy, designed for ages 4 - 8 year olds. There are over 40 different games, all with a variety of learning outcomes, that you can use with your child's Leapfrog system. Once you have registered online, kids can also have access to different games and a variety of rewards, and there is heaps of support, forums and printable activity sheets.

I always encourage parents to stay involved with their child's learning, and avoid 'pressure cooking' them to achieve accede levels unnecessarily, ie go at the child's pace and follow their energy and exciton for learning. The Leapster learning systems are also used in schools, and have been developed with early school learning outcomes as their basis.

I see LeapFrog educational toys as a great tool for homeschooling. Having breaks from round the table learning and switching to a Leapster game or activity can definitely enhance your homeschool program. I know a lot of parents use these activities as a reward tool for homeschooling, or as a learning activity itself.

If you keep the emphasis on fun, kids learn so much better, and don't even realize they are graduating through formal learning stages! I know of one homeschooling group that clubbed together to buy a variety of the games, and have a rotating lending library so the kids all get access to a wider range of LeapFrog educational toys. You could do the same with a group of friends or family members!

There are earlier versions of LeapFrog Leapster: Leapster classic, Leapster L-Max, and the Didj Gaming system. The newest line of Leapster hand held games is, the Explorer series. This new range is not compatible with the earlier versions, as the technology is far more advanced, such as more sophisticated touch screens and 3D graphics. I think with the exception of LeapFrog Didj, Leapfrog are continuing to support the older versions of Leapster, releasing new games, so buying a second hand version is still an excellent idea. They have also released upgraded versions of popular games, such as the Toy Story activities, in Explorer versions.

Learning Outcomes with LeapFrog Leapster

Leapster Literacy Skills

• Learning the phonetic sounding of letters and words
• Understand consonants and groupings such as TH having a thth sound
• Recognizing words and expanding reading skills
• Learning to understand when vowel sounds change, or are paired, skills needed for spelling
• Learning words that cannot be phonetically sounded out, like THE
• Developing the motor skills and practicing writing by using the stylus

Maths Skills

• Addition
• Subtraction
• Recognizing shapes, triangle, square etc

Art and Design

• Representational Art is a process of learning to see objects broken down into shapes; there are activities built meet that aim
• Children can upload their artwork via the Leapfrog Creativity Studio

Parental Involvement

• Parents can log online and view their children's progress
• Based on the child's activity, the Leapster system will suggest activities to extend them
• Plenty of support for parents, such as forums and blogs

Great Deals Buying Leapster Games in Auctions

I've covered the advantages of buying Leapfrog educational toys via secure online Auctions in this general Leapfrog Games Article. Compare the Auction prices below, with the Amazon Prices in the right hand column to get the best deal. Scroll to the bottom for a link to more Auction Listings.

Some listings will have a buy now price if you can't wait until the Auction finishes. Of course you can usually get a better deal by bidding, but even so, often the buy now price is cheaper than normal retail. Many Leapster 2s are available in Auction are brand new, though of course you would get a used one at a much cheaper rate.

Leapster 2 Auction Listings

For more listings, click the link at the bottom - there are hundreds!)

Leapster Explorer Auction Listings

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