LeapFrog Leapster

I always encourage parents to stay involved with their child's learning, and avoid 'pressure cooking' them to achieve levels unnecessarily, ie go at the child's pace and follow their energy and excitement 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 homesick 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!

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 the Explorer versions.

Learning Outcomes with LeapFrog Leapster

• 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

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

Leapster Explorer Auction Listings