Customer Reviews

LeapFrog Phonics Writing Desk

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

My 3 year old was having trouble remembering the "ABC song" until she got this toy for Christmas. After playing with it for a few weeks, she could sing her ABC's. Her little brother now knows all the letters of the alphabet by sight, and I think this toy helped him with that.

The letters are very bright, the toy is really pretty and the plastic is nice and shiny. The letters are affixed, so there aren't any pieces to lose. Attached to it is a sort of a pen (not sharp, the point is rather rounded) which is used to write the letter on the little writing pad (it's magnetic - no ink!) There is also a little display where the computer directs the child as he or she writes the letter -- it will say, "A" then the letter "A" is written in the display, so the child can see HOW to write it. You can choose upper or lower case.

There are several levels here - just touch a letter and the voice says it's name and writes it for you. Or the voice says the letter, and you have to find it and push it. The voice is very pleasant, as well.

We are very happy with this toy, but the writing pad has become difficult to use, but honestly, we have 6 kids here and no toys last forever. We had this one about 6 months before the writing pad got messed up, and it has been played with a great deal.

All in all, I think it's a wonderful product. The only thing I would complain about is that it doesn't do letter SOUNDS at all - only letter names, hence the 4 stars for educational value.

We bought this toy 3 Christmas's ago, for Joseph our 2 1/2 year old (He is now 5 1/2). He had personally asked for the Phonics Writing Desk and he has played with it for hours on end. I think it was an assest in his ability to read before going to Kindergarten. He now has renewed interested in it since his 3 year old brother Benjamin is constantly playing with it. Ben especailly loves it that he can write his name BEN with it and then it actually says his name. He has learned to write about 30 three letter words in the past two weeks. Some of his favorites include; Mom, Dad, jet, jam, eye, ear, hid, and bed. Ben has learned how to write a lot of his letters from watching the toy. The place to write on has been ruined for quite a while - but he tries it on paper after watching the machine show how to form each letter.

From a mother of 5 boys

This toy was an enjoyable gift for my daughter who is currently engrossed in learning to write her letters and spell anyhow and likes toys with buttons in general. My only complaints are that the toy often turns itself off before she has a chance to complete writing her word-it does not really provide enough time for a beginning writer to complete this task. Also it talks to her non-stop while she is working on it which she finds annoying.

My son (just turned 3) has been using this for about six months now. I originally bought it as he knew his upper case letters, but couldn't seem to understand that the lower case were the same letters. Now he has that (calls them Mommy letters and Baby letters), knows both upper and lower case letters, can spell EAT, MOM, BUG, HUG, BUS, BIG, and CAT, and he is beginning to actually write letters with it! His OT (occupational therapist) had been urging us to get him to work more on his writing and drawing at home, but we couldn't seem to grab and hold his interest for more than a few minutes. Now I just say, "Hey, let's do some ABC's," and he RUNS to get this out! I draw the same letter on a piece of paper next to him while he works on the little screen for up to forty-five minutes. I cannot tell you how happy we are with this! Even my mother, who LOATHES electronic toys, can't get over how great this one is! I look forward to graduating to future Leapfrog products as he gets older.

My daughter got this in February for her 4th birthday. It has really helped her to learn to write her letters and she is even now spelling 3 letter words by herself. The only drawback is that it will accept any 3 letters as a word, even if it is just a "sound". Overall I think it was a great investment. She loves it and plays with it almost daily. It is durable..we take it in the car, to grandmas, etc. Her 1 year old cousin is even drawn to it and starting to repeat letter sounds with her!

This toy is wonderful. The item description provided is exact. It teaches letters, phonics, spelling, and writing. It even teaches BOTH lower case and upper case letters! Especially neat; when your child presses a letter, for instance D, it says the letter D than the phonics sound (if you have the switch set to phonics) and then the little screen clearly shows just how to write the letter properly. I plays a couple song notes as it shows the first line being drawn downward then up and into the curve for the letter D. Then, it invites the child to write the letter D in the writing space below. As the child writes, it continues to display the correct motions to write the letter D properly so that the beginner child can easily copy the motion. My 3-year olds first attempt was definately messy but you could see her concentrating on copying the screen and you could see the 'rough outline' of the attempted letter. This is a great toy. Traditionally, these electronic toys have not been taken out much at our home. However, I feel this will be used. And I have recently discovered that the electronic toys like this that fit on a lap work perfect in the car. They don't have to compete there with trucks and little 'busy toys', your child is occupied and learning something without much to divert him/her, and you can travel in peace-for a time. You simply can't go wrong with this toy.

Excellent toy! Letter sounds and voice are extremely clear. There are a variety of phonics games for a variety of learning levels. The writing strip is a plus, too, as is the digital demonstration of how to write the letters. My 4 year old loves it! It has definitely taught her to begin to read. She is already spelling 3 letter words on her own and beginning to read simple books thanks to the help of this toy. It's proven durable, as well, surviving several falls down the stairs and drops off the couch without any problems.

My father bought this toy for my four year old son's birthday. It is the best toy I've seen out there for teaching children their ABC's and to read 3 letter words and write them. It has several levels of learning fun and the kids love it! I love it too because it also encourages children to make up their own words and won't pronounce words that may sound inappropriate. When they designed this toy, they thought of EVERYTHING! I Highly recommend it!!

We got this for our 4 year old son last Christmas. It was one of those, we need one more gift for him - lets give him this. It is his favorite toy. He knows ALL of his letter sounds and repeats them from memory. He loves the function that lets you spell a 3 letter word. He will try it on his own and also look through books for 3 letter words. Our 3 year old daughter also loves to play with it. It is the only toy that they have consistantly played with all year.

We were looking for a toy to help with the identification of letters and correct formation. Sometimes a child listens better to a toy then to Mommy;) My oldest was 4 and has sat with this toy for countless hours and is doing great with her phonics now that shes 5 1/2yrs and in K. My youngest is 3yrs and can already identify 90% of her letters and is writing at least 10 of them. I am now buying a 2nd one because they fight over the one we have they love using it so much. I highly recommend this. You can sit and help them with it, they will amaze you:)It wont correct spelling but a parent should be involved with seeing them write correctly and cheering them on so that does not bother me. GREAT LEARNING TOOL!