LeapFrog 2-in-1- Leap Top Touch
(LeapFrog $24.99)
Part pretend and part teaching machine, the 2-in-1-Leap Top Touch keyboard is more about role play than school skills. Yet, it responds when a key is struck by saying the name of the letter or number as it appears on the screen. It also shows an animal on the screen whose name starts with that sound and letter. It’s simple phonics without any serious heavy drill. We know kids will like the pretend part best, making things happen on their own personal computer. It really does look like a computer with its keyboard and screen. It even delivers pretend emails that are read aloud. It then encourages kids to respond. By hitting any letters the child get a thanks for answering. There are other games onboard this pretend prop with two volume settings. It will play music of sorts and you can program your child's name into the machine. One of the number games shows the same number of objects on the screen as the numeral on the key that's been struck. Then the objects are counted, one by one, so concrete meaning is given to the numerals. For the toddler who wants to play with a keyboard, this is a fun choice. It's available in pink but the green is neutral and can be passed along to younger sibs of different gender. 2 & up.
Ages: Toddlers, Preschoolers
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award 2017
