Leapfrog introduces the Leap TV system

Just like they do every year, Leapfrog is all set to conquer the holiday season!  Their latest product, the LeapTV gaming system, has already been recognized as one of the hottest holiday items for children by top retailers including Toys”R”Us, Walmart and Target on their Top Holiday Toy Lists. What's more, LeapTV has already won awards from known and trusted organizations such as Dr. Toy, The Toy Insider and the National Parenting Publications Awards program.

We recently reviewed LeapTV, and we can see why LeapTV is sure to be on every child's wish list -- it's educational, it's fun, it gets kids off the couch as they play... and it's available at your local retailers for $149.99.  Check it out!

So what is LeapTV?  LeapTV is an active, educational video gaming system specially designed for kids ages 3-8.  Kids can play a variety of fun, educational games that grow their minds and their bodies.  Families with older children playing on Wii U, Playstation or XBox will recognize the LeapTV's components easily:  a game console, a game controller, a camera, and game cartridges kids and insert into the console, or download via the internet. At this point in time, there are 9 LeapTV games, created by educators and tested by parents and kids; by the end of the year, there will be over 100 games available for the LeapTV!

Kids can play on the LeapTV gaming system in 3 ways:

Body Motion: Kids control on-screen action via physical movements.  The LeapTV camera captures kids' motion as they dance, jump, twirl, and hop.  These video games definitely don't turn kids into couch potatoes!








Classic Control: Kids use the LeapTV controller in its classic position -- with handlebars pointing down -- to control on-screen action.  The buttons on the controller allow them to toggle between selections on a menu and select items.  They can also shake and tilt the controller for games like Kart Racing or the Disney Pixar Pals learning game.

Pointer Play:  The LeapTV controller's handlebars swivel out to 180 degrees for even more motion-controlled fun! Kids hold the controller in pointer position like they would hold a tennis racket or play sword (great for games like Jake and the Neverland Pirates!).

Here's what I love best about LeapTV:

It's easy for little kids to play
Kid love to be independent, and LeapTV helps them do things on their own. The controller is sized and shaped so that little hands can hold it easily.  Simple visual interface and audio instructions makes it easy for pre-readers to follow along. And kids who own other Leapfrog products will welcome familiar characters like Leap and Tad, the pet characters on the Leapband, and more.

It's educational
My favorite feature in all Leapfrog products is the educational components. All Leapfrog games help kids develop important skills in reading, math, science, and problem solving, not to mention fine and gross motor skills.  Leapfrog works the educational component in so subtly and skillfully that kids barely realize they're learning.  For example, in the Kart Racing game, players have to solve math facts in order to build their race cars, then on the race track they have to figure out simple patterns in order to steer their race cars through the correct gate.

It's a system that grows with the child
Each child in your family can create an account to play with on LeapTV, so parents can keep track of what their kids are playing and what skills they are learning.  The games adapt to your child: they level up or down to keeps learning at levels that challenge them.  Two children (siblings! friends!) can even play the same game and are given challenges for their developmental level -- so for example, player 1 might be given addition problems while player 2 might be given simple number recognition problems.  Your child won't be outgrowing LeapTV for a long, long time!

I do have a few issues with LeapTV. First, game loading can be slow.  Second, my sons found the game consoles difficult to get working properly. The toggle switch requires a very light hand, otherwise you'll end up selecting something that you didn't want.  Other than that, I think it's a great system, and the sooner you buy it for your child, the better!


Disclosure:I received sample product to review. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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