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Which Leapfrog tablet is best?
Leapfrog makes products dedicated to encouraging children’s curiosity, feeding their imagination and supporting their love of learning through engaging play.
Tablets are the platform that delivers the Leapfrog learning curriculum that prepares kids for school and beyond. If you are looking for a tablet that gives your kids a head start by getting them ready for school, take a look at the Leapfrog LeapPad Ultimate Ready for School Tablet.
What to know before you buy a Leapfrog tablet
In addition to its interactive toys and reading and writing systems, Leapfrog makes stand-alone and Wi-Fi tablets:
- Stand-alone tablets are best for the youngest kids because the interactions are simple and the concepts are easy to grasp. Two-year-olds can learn foundational skills without being connected to the internet.
- Wi-Fi tablets allow kids to connect with the entire Leapfrog library of learning activities. They all come with parental dashboards that allow adults to set time limits, expand content as the child grows and learns and set unique profiles for up to five children. You can follow their progress on colorful charts and discover activities and tips you can use to reinforce the lessons they learn.
Just-for-me technology
Leapfrog tablets personalize games for the children who play them, remember their progress in all activities and automatically adjust the learning levels to the child’s abilities.
Age
Leapfrog tablets come with suggested age ranges. Because kids develop at different speeds, use these age ranges only as suggested guidelines. If you make learning at this age too easy, kids will get bored. If you make it too hard, they will become frustrated. Start slowly because the tablet will adjust to the child’s learning pace and not go too fast or too slow.
What to look for in a quality Leapfrog tablet
Leapfrog Academy
The academy is at the heart of an interactive learning program filled with more than 2,000 games and activities for kids. Connect any Wi-Fi-enabled tablet to the internet and access these things:
- My world: Kids customize avatars with pets, outfits and accessories and develop school and life skills with the learning lab.
- Learning adventure: Kids embark on guided adventures personalized just for them. Along the way, they collect certificates of achievement.
- Gameplay: Kids enjoy unlimited play with games, puzzles, videos, e-books and more alongside more than 60 characters.
- Learn to read: Kids build confidence along with early reading skills using the sound-it-out method with activities and e-books.
- Preschool basics: Kids get a head start on school by developing early fundamental skills with colors, shapes and numbers.
- 350+ essential skills: Kids learn all the skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.
Core and life skills
The Leapfrog Academy is a well-rounded curriculum that blends traditional school subjects with creativity, social and emotional skills:
- Reading and writing: Kids learn letters and sounds, upper and lowercase letters, syllables, rhymes and more.
- Math: Kids learn pattern recognition, 2D and 3D shapes and how to sort. They learn counting and numbers to 100 along with the concepts of more and less.
- Problem-solving: By using simple machines, kids learn about observations and predictions. They learn about memory, what processes are, and how to think critically.
- Science and the world: Kids learn to think like scientists. They learn about earth and space, maps and countries and the human body. They learn to operate simple machines and understand life cycles, science, technology, engineering and math.
- Creativity: Kids learn how to use and mix colors to draw and paint. They learn about musical instruments, their sounds and how music is written.
- Feelings and health: Kids learn facial expressions, where food comes from and how to set and follow daily routines. Alongside health and wellness, they learn about feelings and social and emotional development.
Extras
- My learning lab adds additional practice in areas where your child needs help.
- Printables let kids practice their new skills off the screen with activities such as counting crayons, building together by the numbers and a full day of fun at school.
- Rewards and certificates that children earn can be printed for proud display and used to earn clothing, accessories, collection pieces and more.
How much you can expect to spend on a Leapfrog tablet
Leapfrog’s 16 tablets cost from $20-$140, depending upon the tablet’s technical specifications and the adventures that come pre-loaded on it.
Leapfrog tablet FAQ
What is the LeapSearch web?
A. It’s a kid-friendly browser that limits your child’s access to only areas of the web where the content is approved as appropriate for children. As your children mature, you can expand their web universes safely.
Does Leapfrog make any products other than learning tools and devices?
A. Yes. Leapfrog makes music players, headphones, microscopes, books, globes, dictionaries, maps, interactive plush toys and baby monitors that play soothing lullabies.
What’s the best Leapfrog tablet to buy?
Top Leapfrog tablet
Leapfrog LeapPad Ultimate Ready for School Tablet
What you need to know: This tablet has a durable plastic bumper built around a 7-inch shatter-safe multi-touch screen.
What you’ll love: It comes with apps for school readiness as well as apps for reading, problem-solving, music and creativity. The just-for-me technology adapts to the speed the child learns to keep them engaged and motivated.
What you should consider: The download space is limited.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top Leapfrog tablet for the money
Leapfrog LeapPad Academy Kids Learning Tablet
What you need to know: This bright green 7-inch tablet comes with 8 gigabytes of memory, works right out of the box and features extensive parental controls.
What you’ll love: You get 20 educational apps, creativity tools and a free three-month trial of LeapFrog Academy. Kids play with educator-approved apps that build their reading, math and science skills when they use this tablet that grows along with them.
What you should consider: The preset volume is too loud for some places and situations.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
LeapFrog 2-in-1 Touch and Learn Tablet
What you need to know: Kids 2 and up twist and flip the tablet to change modes and play activities on six pages with more than a dozen learning areas per page.
What you’ll love: Kids read along with pet pal puppies as they learn animals, shapes, numbers, emotions and scientific concepts.
What you should consider: This stand-alone tablet does not connect to the internet.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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David Allan Van writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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