The LeapPad options are as follows:
"Little Touch LeapPad" is for children ages 6 months to 3 years.
"My First LeapPad" is for younger children ages 3 to 5 and can not grow with the child.
"LeapPad" is for ages 4 through 10. It grows with child accepting "Quantum" books.
"LeapPad Plus Writing" is the same as LeapPad, but the pen can switch to a writing mode and you actually write in the books and then erase them to do it again. You don't have to use the writing books, you can just use it as a regular LeapPad.
"LeapPad Plus Microphone" is the same as LeapPad, but it can record and playback child's voice. You can use microphone-enhanced books for this feature, but you don't need to.
"LeapPad Plus Writing and Microphone" is the same as LeapPad, but it incorporates the writing tool and microphone if desired.
"Quantum Pad" is for ages 8 through 11.
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Our first foray into LeapFrog was when our oldest turned three. She both loved and learned from the My First LeapPad (ages 3 to 5) we got her. So when she turned four, my mother bought her the full-fledged LeapPad Learning System that you see here. According to the box in which it came, it is suppose to be age appropriate for kids 4 and up.Compared to the My First LeapPad, my daughter finds this version for older kids more difficult to manage. Not so much the activities and learning activities, but rather the larger sized activity pad, activity books that are not as durable, cartridges that are more difficult for a four year-old-to handle, and basically a host of other small things.
So while my four-year-old will use this system when my wife and I (or other adult relatives) are around, on her own she prefers the My First LeapPad that she finds much more manageable as a four year old.
That being said, I still give it four stars because some of my daughter's friends, who are a year or two older than her, love this this system and handle it just fine. Also, month-by-month my daughter is starting to handle this system a lot better.
Anyway, if your child is over and four and you don't have the version for younger kids, it would probably be worth it to start them on this system. If you child is only three, however, get the My First LeapPad. And if you have the version for younger kids and are thinking up upgrading to this version, wait until your child has outgrown the first one.
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I just purchased this Leap Pad for my 4 year old son. We have 2 other leap pad systems, the My first leap pad and the original leap pad system. When I previously bought those systems for my son he was'nt ready to learn to write. Now however, he is old enough for this system and after a lot of attempts to get him to practice letters and practice writing his name I could'nt get him to really pay attention to me to write his letters, he would get bored and be ready to quit trying. I then decided on getting the Leap Pad System Plus Writing.When I went to purchase it, I saw the Leap Pad Plus Writing Plus Microphone System that also included 2 books. I could'nt find a price, so I picked it up and put it in the cart to see how much it cost, to my great surprise it was the same amount of money as the Leap Plus Writing. (I don't think any other store carries the Leap Pad Writing and Microphone system except Toys R Us) So I was even more pleased that it had an additional feature of the microphone.
When I got home and opened it up for my son to start writing and playing with it, I was really surprised at how easy it was for him to hold the pencil stylus and he quickly traced the letters on the pages almost flawlessly! He loved it, he loved how the letters made sounds, for instance the letter I will say I-I-I-ICKY as you trace over it. He laughs each time a letter talks as he is tracing over them. Then we began playing with the microphone feature I never dreamed how much enjoyment he'd get out of this feature! It is a huge plus to have the microphone! One of the starter books that came with it has several pages that you can use the microphone on it, there is one page that you make a car sound and it uses your voice to sound like its starting the car on the page. Its really funny to get the sounds on the page with my son's voice. He laughs and giggles and it keeps him occupied for at least an hour at a time! Learning letters and learning to write has never been more fun until we bought this system. It is a WONDERFUL system and I can't say enough good things about it. If you are thinking of getting a leap pad for your child, go with the writing and microphone. If you think your child is not old enough yet for the writing feature, just take out the lead in the pencil. Another really great thing about the leap pad writing system, if you purchase any of the leap pad writing books they come with a new pencil with lead.
Another thing about this system, its more compact than the original leap pad, its very sturdy and it also comes with an eraser storage pocket and an eraser for the writing books. I figured the pencil would have an eraser on the end of it, but they don't instead they made a big eraser, easier for smaller kids to erase off their pages to re use them or to correct thier mistakes and a handy storage pocket to keep your eraser handy at all times.
Another thing I noticed about the system is the pencil stylus stays put once its snapped in the system, the other leap pads we have the stylus is hard to get to stay. They made this leap pad very durable and I agree with another reviewerthis is the "cadallic of all leap pads!"
This system is worth every penny I paid for it. My 4 year old is already mastering writing words and has learned to spell several new words because of this system. I am so pleased with this leap pad, I would highly reccommend it!!!
Honest reviews on Leapfrog LeapPad Learning System with Microphone and 2 Books
My 3 year old daughter received this as a gift. It's the same as the LeapPad, except that it has the added writing feature and microphone feature. The writing pen is the same as the LeapPad, except that you can twist the stylus to allow real pencil lead to come out, and then you can write on certain LeapPad Plus Writing books. The downside of this is that after they write on the book, you have to erase it! But you can also opt NOT to use the pencil lead. (You don't need it for the large majority of books). I simply took the stylus out and let my 3 year old play without it. For those who already own the LeapPad Plus Writing system, you can buy a separate microphone attachment. But this system has both already.I would say that 3 years old is the youngest age that I would try this system, and probably 4 years old is better. My daughter knows all the letters and their sounds already, but she still enjoys the simpler books, like the Princess Book, over the more academic books, like the Phonics program books.
It's a pricey toy, and I still think that reading old-fashioned books is more important. But for a certain subset of kids, having the electronic features makes it more interesting. If you're trying to save money, then just get the systems without the writing or microphone features. You will still get a lot of benefit.
The younger kids, like ages 3 and 4, will still need parental supervision, although they seem to learn how to use it quickly. My 3 year old knows how to insert the cartridge, press ON, and tap on the "GO" sign on every page.
We're very happy with this item, and I would buy it again!
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We bought the LeapPad Plus Writing and Microphone for our 4-year-old's birthday. We had read other reviews and thought it would be a great purchase. We were wrong! Here are the many ineffective, poorly designed problems with this. First, and most irritating, it comes with flimsy, paperback books that are impossible for a child to use the provided eraser to erase everything they write with the actual lead pencil. It ends up with a mess and the cheap paperback book tears easily from the rings when you try to erase not to mention the lack of durability after erasing the same page several times. Secondly, and almost as irritating, when you turn the page you are supposed to push the "Go" circle with the pencil yet it inevitably starts giving instructions for a different page since the alignment is rarely on track. The microphone has yet to work correctly and the instructions don't explain what we should be doing. We thought he could use it on the plane but the volume wouldn't turn up enough to even hear it. The cartridges are all the same color so it's hard to find the right one that goes with each book. And, of course, there was no money back guarantee so we could return it once we bought it...so we're stuck with this ineffective, cheap (although not that "cheap")learning device. Please don't make the same mistake we made by having high expectations of this product.
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