Do you use anything like LeapPad?

[crazychemist]

Hi there,

Wondering if anyone uses LeapPad or similar for educational games/activities? If so, do you like it?

Was given an old LeapPad (original) by a friend who said her children loved it. She only had one book/cartridge for it that she could find, but she thought I could have a look and decide if I liked it. I was really impressed by the quality and thought it’s definitely something my DD would enjoy for a bit of reading practice/basic science etc (I’m looking for something to keep her entertained a bit more independently than me looking at books with her as I’m expecting twins in the autumn).

BUT as it’s a very old device, you can’t buy the cartridges etc new any more. I’ve looked on eBay etc and there’s very little range available, and mostly not the ones I was interested in.

I’d be happy to get her one of the newer devices that is still supported so we could get games for it. But in all honestly, the educational quality looks much lower for the newer ones! Lots more emphasis on having Disney/CBeeBees characters and less on actual content. I don’t really want to get it for her just as a distraction, I was hoping for something that is educational at the same time. So, if you’ve got one - are there decent games for it that you actually like and have good content? Or has it just evolved to be a bit more commercial and not as educational?

We got 1 for dd and it's quite limited imo. Not because of the characters but just that there's not that much challenge once she's done the activities once. I also think that the recommended age ranges are really off, and the content is very very easy.

I don't give dd much tablet time at all, but if I was looking at something like this, I'd get her something that could download a variety of apps such as a kindle as they're much more versatile

@Thriceisnice ahh, thanks. Yes, I thought the age ranges were off too, but thought I could just aim off for that. The original one is a different format - you get interactive books for it and a pen, which I quite liked. I suppose they’re just having to compete with modern tablets/apps and have probably sacrificed educational quality to be a bit flashier. Ah well.