If you own a cell phone, then you may have heard of text messaging. Text messaging has really become a popular way for many people to communicate with other people. You can even get weather updates, Facebook updates and notifications about bills through text messaging. By far the largest user group is teens. Teens easily send thousands of text messages each month. It is natural for small children to want to experience that as well but you do not want to hand them a cell phone. You can try the LeapFrog Text and Learn.
The LeapFrog Text and Learn is not a cell phone nor is it a real texting device. The truth is that it is a hand held gaming device that allows small kids to pretend to text. It even features a QWERTY keyboard just like your own cell phone has provided you have a newer model cell phone that is designed for texting. Your child gets to pretend to text.
The games your child can play on the Text and Learn are primarily focused on them learning the alphabet, improving their typing and learning rhyming. Those are beneficial as long as they do not pick up the "text talk" that is so prevalent among text users. An example of texting language is "U R gr8" which translates to: you are great. It may not seem like a big deal for some but for many it really does hamper spelling skills.
A huge downside of this toy is that it is specifically designed to communicate with the LeapFrog My Pal Scout. Scout is a stuffed puppy that receives the texts and the child can have online adventures with but you have to know up front that the Text and Talk does not come with this pal. You will have to pay an additional $20.00 to own him.
Another downside is that you cannot download or buy any additional games. So this makes this toy pretty much a one shot wonder. It is not expensive, though, which is the bright side. You can easily find this toy for around $24.00 which makes it pretty inexpensive as far as electronic gadgets are concerned.
It really is a toss up on whether the LeapFrog Text and Learn is truly an educational toy. Granted it does have games that teach your child his or her alphabet but truth be told...there are a lot of educational toys that do the same thing. Leap Frog has a wide assortment of toys that may be better suited and far more practical than pretending to send text messages. Your child will have ample enough opportunity when he or she gets older to send plenty of text messages. - 31483
The LeapFrog Text and Learn is not a cell phone nor is it a real texting device. The truth is that it is a hand held gaming device that allows small kids to pretend to text. It even features a QWERTY keyboard just like your own cell phone has provided you have a newer model cell phone that is designed for texting. Your child gets to pretend to text.
The games your child can play on the Text and Learn are primarily focused on them learning the alphabet, improving their typing and learning rhyming. Those are beneficial as long as they do not pick up the "text talk" that is so prevalent among text users. An example of texting language is "U R gr8" which translates to: you are great. It may not seem like a big deal for some but for many it really does hamper spelling skills.
A huge downside of this toy is that it is specifically designed to communicate with the LeapFrog My Pal Scout. Scout is a stuffed puppy that receives the texts and the child can have online adventures with but you have to know up front that the Text and Talk does not come with this pal. You will have to pay an additional $20.00 to own him.
Another downside is that you cannot download or buy any additional games. So this makes this toy pretty much a one shot wonder. It is not expensive, though, which is the bright side. You can easily find this toy for around $24.00 which makes it pretty inexpensive as far as electronic gadgets are concerned.
It really is a toss up on whether the LeapFrog Text and Learn is truly an educational toy. Granted it does have games that teach your child his or her alphabet but truth be told...there are a lot of educational toys that do the same thing. Leap Frog has a wide assortment of toys that may be better suited and far more practical than pretending to send text messages. Your child will have ample enough opportunity when he or she gets older to send plenty of text messages. - 31483
About the Author:
Learn more about Educational Toddler Toys. Stop by Tim Frazier's site where you can find out all about board games and what it can do for you.
