I received a LeapReader party hosting set which included two LeapReaders and an assortment of books and flash cards for hosting an in class party and for this post. Half of the party kit was donated to my son’s classroom as a thank you for participating in the classroom party. All opinions are my own.
This past week, I had the opportunity to host a classroom reading party at my son’s school with the new LeapFrog LeapReader! I brought in the LeapReaders and books from the party kit to share with the classroom along with a few of our Tag books from home so that we had plenty of books to share with the students.
We started off reading Disney • Pixar Monsters University 3D book aloud with the LeapReader pen. The classroom kit came with 16 pairs of 3D glasses to we gave each of the students a buddy so everyone could have a turn following along and seeing the pages pop out in 3D.
This book was really neat because it didn’t hurt your eyes or look strange without the 3D glasses on but made reading really fun and entertaining for the kids by having that element to the story!
We held the party on national “Talk Like a Pirate Day” so it was only fitting that we share the audio book story, Pirates! The Treasure of Turtle Island! The students did a great job being quiet enough that everyone could hear the story and they all were really interested and enjoyed listening along to the story.
When the story ended, we switched to sing along mode and played a few of the LeapFrog Learning Songs which the kids were bopping along to and then busted into song when The ABC Song came on!
After spending some time together as a class, we then broke the students down into their table groups and let each group take a look at a different book while one table had a turn with the Talking Words Factory Flash Cards.
The flash cards are pretty neat as you can use them to play a lot of different learning games with or without the LeapReader pen. Then, add in the pen to encourage sounding out words. This is a great way to teach rhyming as you swap out just the beginning sound or blends and other reading concepts.
The class really loved reading along with the stories using the LeapReader as well as exploring what other activities they could find on the pages. I was really pleased to see how well the students did at sharing and reading together in their small groups as they tried to read and sound out the stories.
The only thing we didn’t get a lot of time to try in a classroom setting was the LeapReaders writing guidance. Since the papers are one-time use pages and we had just the two LeapReader pens to work with for the party, we showed an example of the writing but didn’t spend a lot of time with the class giving them a chance to write. We wouldn’t have had enough time for them to each get a chance to write along with all the other activities.
How Does the LeapReader
Compare to Tag Reader?
Have you been wondering which system to pick, leapreader vs tag and how they compare? We wondered too!
We have been using LeapFrog Tag reading system in our home for a couple of years now. We all really loved the system. So, when I saw some of the changes that were being introduced in the new LeapReader Reading and Writing System, I was thrilled to get to check it out!
My biggest upfront question was: How will the new LeapReader system compare with the Tag pen we already use and love?
The LeapReader pen will feel really similar to the Tag system at first glance. It has the same capabilities for reading stories as well as playing audio books to learn by listening. However, the LeapReaders brings some really great enhancements. First, it introduces guided writing practice with words and letters that magically appear on the special paper. It is a bit limited in it’s use as it won’t erase but that hasn’t stopped my kids from tracing over the letters again and again.
The LeapReader does an excellent job at guiding your early writers to following the steps and drawing lines in the proper order, which is really cool! That is the one area my kids really struggle with in writing is getting their lines not angled, touching both the top and bottom lines, and sometimes writing the letters backwards. The talking writing instructions help correct your child and guide them to start at the top and to try again when they get too far off track.
Next, the LeapReader makes a huge improvement with a rechargeable battery pack! As all parents with kids know, this is a lifesaver! The built-in memory can accommodate up to 40 books or a combination of books and music and apps.
This lets you have a larger library without having to switch books on and off the pen. Finally, the button layout got an updated and feels much more user friendly and inviting with color changing back lighting!
If you already have the Tag reading system, you may not need to upgrade but there are certainly some great reasons to do so. A bunch of the Tag books are compatible with the LeapReader so you will be able to carry over much of your library!
The LeapReader system comes with a sampler book and three free downloads to get you started. If you don’t already have the Tag system, the LeapReader is my absolute top pick for Christmas this year! Even if you do have a Tag reader, it would still make a wonderful gift!