It does seem quite small and I particularly noticed when my son was playing on a Jake the Pirates game how teeny the characters looked. Bearing in mind how much I loved my Nintendo Game Boy as a child with its 2.
The actual size of the whole LeapPad3 is 19cm x 13cm x 2. No, the weight of the LeapPad3 is g which is around the same as a Kindle HD Fire Kids tablet, which weighs g with its kid-proof case. My son, who is three, absolutely loves it, but his cousin — who has just turned seven and had an older model LeapPad a few years ago — has all but grown out of using it. It connected using our home access code so as far as I could tell, it was as safe as using any of our other devices.
The limited internet capability was both a positive and negative. I felt totally happy letting my son browse the LeapSearch app as it is packed with pre-screened pictures and videos appropriate for children such as craft tutorials, animal videos and music. It comes with several apps pre-loaded but this includes basic features such as a calendar, clock, notepad and calculator. The more exciting apps are a music player, photo editor, art studio, voice memo, music player, and video camera.
For my son, the best pre-loaded app was without doubt the Pet Pad Party — which allows children to create their own cute monkey, dog, cat, penguin, unicorn or other pet, give it a name, colour and play a series of games with their new pal. He's gotten better - he knows to see if the battery number is less than 15 and to bring the tablet to me when it hits For many apps, he's not got the coordination to tap the smaller buttons.
I don't have a stylus for my iPad, so he's limited to using his fingers, causing him distress at times when he wants to color something but keeps drifting outside the lines or can't quite get the color inside a smaller border.
All of these issues will be resolved with age, but I can see the stress the iPad places on him at times when his desire to do something isn't matched by his logic, his coordination, or his patience.
I've been limiting him more and more on the iPad, but a few weeks back I heard that LeapFrog was going to be offering up their version of a tablet called the LeapPad. I wondered how Decker might react to something that was geared more to his age and, more importantly, how he would respond to something quite different in size, shape, and appearance to the iPad. LeapFrog graciously offered Decker the chance to take the LeapPad for a spin, and what I'm going to do here is simply give you some basics about the device and then tell you about Decker's experiences that I've observed.
Let's start with the device itself. The first thing you'll notice is the shape -- it's smaller than the iPad but it's most obviously designed as a tablet. The screen is larger than many similar learning devices on the market, and it's a touchscreen. Thankfully the LeapPad comes with two styluses one's a spare -- the stylus is held magnetically on the side, but you can also use the included tether-line to keep it from getting lost.
The device uses 4 AA batteries, two per side under small removable doors that don't come off accidentally. They're easy to remove, though, by pressing on a slot with the stylus -- a nice design. Unlike the iPad, the LeapPad does not rotate its screen completely degrees.
Depending on the app you open, the screen will display vertically or horizontally holding it like a Nintendo DS is the best way I can explain it. For me, this was a major bonus to the device because the ability to display horizontally allows a child to play apps and cartridges designed for the Leapster Explorer. The Leapster Explorer is a LeapFrog device that's been out for a while now, and the available cartridges for it are quite extensive.
That said, LeapFrog has already released a large number of apps designed specifically for the LeapPad. When held in the vertical mode, all the buttons your child will need are in reach but not where they might cause an accidental turning off a game mid-play. The power button is recessed in the top-left corner so just running your finger over it isn't likely to power down the device. The volume controls are easy to spot nice for parents , and the Home button which will immediately jump the player to the home screen where all the apps are displayed is in the lower-right corner and the house icon was easy to explain to Decker.
The speaker is on the front, too, so even in a noisy car or restaurant, Decker hasn't had difficulty hearing the instructions or sounds needed to play. You might also notice the large silver button near the bottom-middle of the device. This is what makes playing Leapster Explorer games possible. With the Leapster Explorer, the control buttons for games were on the left side of the device like a standard game controller and allowed you to move things on screen up, down, left or right.
When you play a Leapster Explorer game, the A and B buttons that would normally be on the right side of the Explorer are now displayed on the touchscreen as A and B buttons. Again, I love this feature because Decker has a friend with a Leapster Explorer and dozens of cartridges to share and Decker will be able to play them!
On the back of the device is the Camera and Video Recorder. Yes, the LeapPad comes with these features, and Decker has had great fun taking pictures of his family and applying patterns, drawing mustaches, and adding special effects more on this later. All the pictures he's taken are saved on the device and his videos as well -- with 2GB of memory, he's not going to run out anytime soon When Decker turns on the LeapPad, he's greeted with a sign-in screen that has his picture and name displayed two more users can have their profiles stored and game settings saved as well.
You use the built-in camera to shoot the picture and an on-screen keyboard lets your child tap out his or her own name. When Decker taps his name, he's taken to the Home screen that will hold nine apps -- additional apps are stored on extra home screens that are reached by tapping a large arrow at the bottom of the screen. On a side note, Decker loves seeing his name and picture at the top of the home screen as well One benefit I've already seen is how he treats the LeapPad.
He's much less rough with the device, and I've seen him carefully set it on a table or put it back in the small bag I've given him to hold his tablet, cartridges, and extra batteries. I've talked to him about taking care of his LeapPad and how disappointed he would be if it broke, and I think it sunk in.
That said, he did drop it once when getting out of my truck fell about 3 feet and the device powered up just fine. LeapFrog states that the LeapPad is designed to take some abuse from its young users -- good to know. I want to tell you more details about the individual apps that Decker plays on the LeapPad but before I do that I want to cover two more items that are probably going to be of more interest to parents than kids -- the App Center and the LeapFrog Connect service.
This is a program that installs itself on your computer and communicates with the LeapPad via the included USB cable. When you first install it and run the program, you'll be asked to create a profile as a parent -- this will allow you to move apps on and off the LeapPad, buy new apps, and a few other features that I'll talk about shortly. After creating the profile, you'll see a standard interface that's easy to navigate -- there's the App Center where you'll go to browse and buy apps of interest to you.
You'll also find the Creativity Gallery which is really cool -- you can share photos and videos your child has taken with the LeapPad via email and even on Facebook. The files are transferred from the tablet to your computer and then they're yours to archive, email out, post online, etc.
A nice feature for those of us with grandparents who are somewhat computer savvy. The LeapPad will also auto power off when the batteries are very low. When the player hears a horn honking, followed by "Time to change your batteries! This message sometimes alters between games. It is extremely popular as an educational system, with an average rating on Amazon.
The LeapPad has since been supplanted by The Tag System, a iPad version of it, and LeapStart - a device that is similar to it, but remains generally available for purchase. Of course, he will have favorite apps or games that he will play more than others. But it is important that he splits his time among gaming, educational, and reading apps. While there are certainly games that require your child to shift his gameplay strategy usually following a failed attempt or low score , alternating between different types of games also exercise your child's flexibility skills.
It could be useful to allow your child to use his LeapPad for an hour and a half per day. Rules as simple as this, can keep your child from the monotony involved in extended play of one game, and introduce a "freshness" with each new use of the LeapPad.
Have your child think critically about his own strengths and weaknesses. He should be honest with himself, and determine a goal content area to work on. Then, you should both work together to select games and activities that target those weaknesses.
For every few academic games and activities, leave room for one entertainment-only game, for when your child just needs a break. With the "share" feature, you can monitor your child's progress, making note of areas where your child excels, or falls short. You can set up your e-mail account to receive notifications that include helpful tips for guiding your child's use of the Leap Pad. Once you feel as though you have a grasp of your child's learning progress, be sure to use positive reinforcement to keep him from a plateaued or stagnated progression.
Explain to you child how he can monitor his own progress, and implement Leap Pad's helpful tips by himself. LeapPad is essentially a child friendly tablet. While it may be limiting as the child gets older, it lack of internet access, helps to block out distractions that otherwise might interfere with your child's ability to learn. It is important to encourage your child to explore the various downloadable children's books, and set aside time each day for silent reading.
Whether your child likes dinosaurs, cars, or mystery stories, LeapPad's library of e-books will have something that will spark your child's interest. On car rides, or bus rides home from school, your child might find reading an enjoyable pastime - and develop an interest in literature that will make him a better, more informed student. When downloading games and apps with your child, make an attempt to make a choice that mirrors what your child is learning in class.
For example, if he is learning about multiplication, or even simple addition and subtraction, be sure to search though LeapPad's library of applicable educational games, paying close attention each game's description, in an attempt to choose an appropriate app that reinforces classroom content.
For elementary school-aged children with ADHD who struggle to thrive in the traditional classroom environment, LeapPad makes for a great learning alternative.
Children with ADHD sometimes find it hard to remain mentally involved in a lecture or classroom discussion, as their hyperactivity makes it difficult for them to maintain focus. Because LeapPad makes learning interactive, children with ADHD will find themselves absorbed in the various educational games and apps, helping to keep them engaged.
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