Customer Reviews

Educational Insights Phonics Firefly

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Too bad they have raised the price some (only about $10.00 though), However - I would pay that price as it is one of my favorite learning toys for children. My daughter played with this for years and eventually taught herself to read starting with Charlotte's Web at age 5 (her comprehension was low, but her ability to sound out the words was excellent for her age - and she persisted to the end). Of course, we didn't watch much T.V. when she was younger, but I really feel this toy deserves a great deal of the credit, and worked well for how my daughter prefers to learn. I highly, highly recommend it!

In order to begin, just press the "ON" button and then turn the large red dial to the mode of play you want. The further right you go on the dial, the more difficult the games and activities are. For instance, the very first option is for singing the alphabet song only while the letters light up in time with the tune. The next two modes deal with letter recognition, the two modes after that deal with letter sounds and then finally, the last two modes are the Word Explorer game.

In the Word Explorer game, early learners can make their own three-letter words. Phonics Firefly's word bank speaks nearly every common three-letter word (over 500) in the English language! Convenient features include built-in speaker with volume control and automatic shut-off so as to conserve battery power. If you are looking for the perfect toy to help your youngster become more alpha-savvy, then I highly recommend the Phonics Firefly from Educational Insights. This fun and portable educational tool will keep your child engaged and entertained whether at home or on the go!

I have 5 children ages 14 to 2, and the older 4 were homeschooled when they were small and all got a solid foundation in phonics from this toy. The games proceed in a logical progression of skill levels, from singing the alphabet song for your child while the letters light up, to identifying letters when they are pressed, to quizzing the child to find letters, then letting the child try to spell 3-letter words, and finally challenging the child to spell words it chooses. Particularly for boys, who are often ready to begin learning to read long before they are interested in developing pencil skills or otherwise sitting quietly, this is a fun, blinking/talking yet entirely educationally sound way for them to work on skills and be ready to tackle books sooner rather than later.

Our first Phonics Firefly was a much-beloved toy that went everywhere with us for 5 years, and worked perfectly all that time in spite of constant heavy use and a fair amount of abuse. It only died after a juice box accident in the back of the van. I'm here to order a replacement for my 2.5yo, who already knows all the letters from the LeapFrog: Letter Factory dvd (also highly recommended) and shows signs of wanting more information. And of course, being a boy, he has a particular love for buttons and lights :)

I recommend this for all kids ages 2 and up, or as young as they enjoy listening to the alphabet song and press buttons on their own. Happy learning! This is the kind of toy you will be happy to have in your home.

Purchased this for our granddaughter who lives in another state so my comments are
from her Mom who told us she loves it and can see the value of all the levels of
learning this toy offers. Says she looks forward to working with it and our granddaughter enjoys doing the exercises.