At three-and-a-half going on 40, Lily loves to “read” books, type on the computer, write her name and talk. And talk and talk.
We’ve been reading to her since she was born, and it astounds me how she can remember so many stories VERBATIM. Like, if I miss a word or use an incorrect one (or skip a sentence or two in an effort to speed up bedtime), she totally calls me out.
She also loves to play the educational games loaded on my iPhone and quickly became adept at powering it on, finding the correct icons, starting up the games and controlling the volume by herself. Insert worried mom face here.
My kid is going to be more technologically advanced than I am, in like three more months.
So it’s no surprise that I jumped on the opportunity to review the new LeapFrog My Own Story Time Pad. LeapFrog is big in our house. Lily has been playing with a hand-me-down My First LeapPad since she was two, and she loves the Scribble & Write. We love that she’s learning while having fun. A win-win.
And this newest gadget from the brilliant minds at LeapFrog? Totally rocks.
In about five minutes, using the USB cable that came with the pad, I had personalized it with Lily’s name; her favorite color, food and animal; email messages from Marc, me and her cousin/BFF Olive; five stories and five of her favorite songs.
I wish I had captured on film the look on her face when she opened her first “email.” And, when she played the alphabet game for the first time, pressed the letter “L,” and her name popped up on the screen? Pure delight. Scout greets her by name each time she turns it on, which to her, is totally rad. And she can’t get enough of the “make music” feature. Each letter key makes a different sound (including cowbell, FTW) so she jams to the beat of her own drum. Literally.
My only complaint has more to do with (my) human error than anything. I got confused with the LeapFrog Connect interface and accidentally chose the “toddler” learning level for Lily, when she should have been “preschool.” I had a hard time going back in to change this, and then discovered that it didn’t really matter, in terms of the content of the pad. I’d convinced myself that I’d have to re-sync the pad to “upgrade” the learning level, but that isn’t the case. The product is developed for kids 2-4, so the content is relevant for that age range (duh, Suzanne).
The bottom line? Lily loves having her own “computer.”
And we love how it’s helping her little mind grow.
What are your favorite “techie” toys for your kids? Anyone else worried about being technologically outpaced by a preschooler? Just me?
Thank you to LeapFrog for sponsoring this review. While LeapFrog provided the product to me for this review, the opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest point of view. #MyOwnStoryTimePad #spon
