As a family who owns quite a few educational DVDs I can attest to
the fact that what LeapFrog is doing with their learning movies is
both innovative and effective. Rather than focusing on repetitive
drills, or straightforward simplistic presentation of facts
accompanied by musical accompaniment, each of the DVDs included in
the LeapFrog: Learning DVD Set integrates simple phonics and math
principles into an engaging, and entertaining storyline. As a
result, our children ask for the LeapFrog DVDs more often than they
do any other educational offering we have available on disc.
The LeapFrog: Learning DVD Set incorporates three of LeapFrog's
best titles for preschoolers and provides a comprehensive
introduction to the basic preschool/kindergarten skills of letter
recognition (short consonant and vowel sounds), basic blending,
counting, and animal group recognition.
LeapFrog: Let's Go to School provides a typical storyline for
allaying the fears of children on the cusp of attending a public
school (of course, not all children will attend a public school).
In a dream-like sequence Tad and Lilly discover that the school
equipment is just as nervous about the incoming class as they are
about attending. The blocks teach some basic counting skills, the
alphabet book quickly goes through letter sounds, the calendar
introduces time-telling concepts, the animal figurines teach about
sorting and animal families, and so on. Because of the brief
introductions given to each topic, this general overview is the
weakest educationally of the set. Five sing-along songs and an
interactive alphabet book are provided as additional reinforcing
bonus features on the DVD.
However, LeapFrog: Letter Factory and LeapFrog: Talking Words
Factory more than make up for the lack of depth by focusing in on
introductory phonics and blending in DVDs of approximately 35
minutes each. In the first DVD Leap, Lily, and Tad need to go to
their father's Letter Factory where they produce talking letters.
While Leap and Lily provide a presentation for a very important
customer, Tad is left out due to his lack of reading skills. Taken
for a tour through the factory, he visits rooms, each dedicated to
a letter of the alphabet. The colorful, animated letters are
engaged in activities that embody their sound.
The A's scream, "Aaaaaah!" when frightened. The E's are hard of
hearing and ask, "Ehhhh?" whenever someone speaks to them. The M's
proclaim "Mmmmm!" as they devour delicious muffins. The set also
includes a full set of alphabet flashcards that depict the lively
letters in poses, settings, and costumes that represent their
sounds on one side, and directions to parents on how to use the
cards to teach their children on the other with a simpler
representation of the letter.
In LeapFrog: Talking Words Factory Leap, Lily, and Tad are
recruited to make more talking words for the very popular talking
dictionaries, and to assist Tad in the filling out of a contest
application for his father. Various fun machines make vowels
sticky, wham words together, and more. Rhyming songs and a fun plot
add to the appeal of this title. This is my six-year-old's favorite
of the three - she loves the neat word machines and inventions.
Both Letter Factory and Talking Words Factory include a simple,
interactive learning game as educational reinforcement.
Created with children from ages two through six in mind, I was
somewhat skeptical about the set's ability to reach younger
children. However, the animated, cartoon-style adventures of Leap,
Lily, and Tad have not only made her a fan, they've also been
teaching her the building blocks of phonics! My six-year-old
already has a firm understanding of the concepts presented in the
set, but she has also really enjoyed the discs for the story alone,
and reinforcement has never hurt anyone!
Our children are limited to bringing along one or two DVDs when we
travel to visit relatives, and they often ask to bring their
LeapFrog movies with them. Only a day or two after watching
LeapFrog: Letter Factory, my three year old made an 's' with her
wikki sticks and proudly hissed 'Sssss, this letter says ssss,
Mommy!" Right on.
The LeapFrog: Learning DVD Set is an excellent first step into
learning for preschool-aged children. If your little ones haven't
had any exposure yet the building blocks of phonics and blending, I
can't recommend this set enough. The associations are fun, lively,
and easier to remember in the context of a story-based plot than
they are through rote memorization alone. Above all, it's fun,
bright, and engaging - everything a small child could ask for with
all the educational value parents' love.
Reviewed at quiverfullfamily.com