Parents like me can never go wrong with Leapfrog products; its electronic products for children are just so good. And when even preschoolers keep on asking for their own iPad, I tell them: “It’s not the time yet.”
Instead, I hand them their very own My Own Leaptop by Leapfrog. It is a personalized pretend laptop for kids, but it not just pretend like a laptop, but an actual learning device that requires Internet connection for some features to work.
My Own Leaptop comes with six modes of pretend computer play, introducing my kids and yours (aged 2 years and above) to animals, shapes, letters, and music among others. It comes with an appealing, kid-friendly design and encased in a durable, lightweight plastic case.
Above the alphabetically-arranged keyboard are buttons for opening email, music playlist, and blog functions. The Play modes, meanwhile, can be accessed using a moveable mouse switch. Each game is hosted by one of two adorable puppies namely Violet and Scout (depending on which My Own Leaptop version you buy), accompanying our kids through all activities. They can even read Violet’s or Scout’s “personal blog” by pressing the blog button.
The Alphabet mode teaches young users letters and how they sound like; Music mode converts the keyboard into a music sampling machine that makes musical animal noises and funny audio effects; the Animal mode teaches them to identify animals using their sounds.
The Email, Music Playlist, and Blog modes help the kids build their vocabulary, practice listening, and acquire reading skills. My twins enjoy receiving emails, as well as singing along with Leaptop’s preset and downloadable songs.
I could even personalize my children’s My Own Leaptops by connecting them to my computer using the included USB cable. I created a parent account over at Leapfrog’s website, then created a profile for each of my children, and customized the toy laptop from there. I do this by creating a music playlist and set up personalized emails from Scout or Violet.
The Leapfrog My Own Leaptop is available on Amazon, starting at $24.99.