Ages 3-6: Getting a Head Start With My First LeapPad

By Michele Blandino

Hoping to capitalize on the enormously popular LeapPad Learning System which helps children from ages 4-7 work on their reading skills, the folks at LeapFrog have introduced My First LeapPad, an interactive learning toy for those in the age 3 and over crowd.

My First LeapPad looks and works very much like the original version. Essentially, it is a one piece electronic unit with an attached "magic pen". To use the unit, you place one of the dozens of available interactive flip books on top of the unit and insert the corresponding cartridge in its side. A voice narrates the story to the child. The child can use the pen to touch and re-hear individual words. Each page also includes two or three different games which focus on the recognition of shapes, colors, letters and numbers.

The speakers are of good quality, which allows for ease of listening. There is also a volume control which can come in handy if your child is playing with the toy in a confined space such as a car. There is also a headphone jack, although the headphones do need to be purchased separately.

Available Titles

While there are significantly fewer titles available for My First LeapPad as compared to LeapPad, there are certainly enough to keep even the most inquisitive child occupied. Children can choose among books that feature many of their favorite cartoon characters including: Dora the Explorer, Winnie the Pooh, Jay Jay the Jet Plance and Thomas the Tank Engine.

What You Should Know

Unfortunately, the design of the my First LeapPad unit is dramatically different from that of the LeapPad. Consequently, books are specifically made for each unit. So, as your child progresses to more difficult material, you will need to invest in a new unit as well as new books.

Similar to LeapPad, each time the child moves to a new page, they must touch the green "Go" circle on the page in order to activate the proper narration and instructions. While the actual process is quite simple, some children have trouble remembering to take this step. When the circle is not touched, the narration and instructions will not correspond with what is on the page which will result in a great deal of confusion.

The unit operates using 4 "AA" batteries which, under normal use, can last several months.

Overall, this is a good educational toy at a reasonable price. The unit retails for around $25 with the corresponding books and cartridges costing an additional $12 each.