Preschool Reviews

After buying my daughter (will be 3 in one month) the Care Bears game and found that it was EXTREMELY difficult even for my 5 year old son (before he attended kindergarten), I decided to look for something with a character that is generally aimed at the 3ish age group. This game is excellent in that the 4 colored buttons are generally used instead of the joystick. The numbers sections are excellent and my daughter does really well with them. The only problem with the shapes section of the learning zone is that it really is about patterns, and not about shapes at all. The biggest problem I found is that for the letters section, Elmo assumes that your child already knows his or her letters. How many 3 year olds can actually differentiate between or identify a "b" and a "p" or a "c" and "g", etc. At this age, it's not going to help a kid to sit them down and walk away, an adult or older child needs to sit with them to help them out with the game until they have really mastered it. Overall, I definitely like this Elmo game compared to some of the other games we have. I have also heard the Barney game is similar in that the 4 colored buttons are the main controllers.

My daughter got this game when she was 2 1/2. She loves it! She can actually play it all on her own. We found that the Dora game was a little too hard for her because of all of the joystick use. A lot of the Elmo game can be played by simply using the jump button to move and the colored buttons for the small games. There are also harder levels that would be appropriate for her to grow into or for an older child. I think this game is much better suited for a child aged 2-3 than the game that comes with the Vsmile. She gets too frustrated with that one. I would have given it 5 stars, but the only flaw I see is that Elmo is very hard to understand. A lot of the times she can figure out what he is saying but no always. That's just Elmo though. He's always been a little hard to understand.

This is a good game for a 4 year old. not too easy, but not too challenging. but boy is elmo hard to understand!!! I love the music in this game, but the elmo narration could be better. i know my son doesn't understand half of what elmo is saying and he just figures out what he's supposed to do by trial and error. I love the animation - elmo runs into something and he bounces back and giggles. my son loves it and runs elmo into things on purpose just to see that. really cute. It did not get 5 stars just because the narration could and should be more clear for the little ones to understand. we love having to find the animals and then the letters.

My 1 year old son has never been one to play with toys. He'd rather play with the tv controller or the cordless phone. But a couple weeks ago we bought him this and he LOVES it. He's played with it more than he has ever played with any toy. He loves to put the blocks in and dump them out. He also likes to stick his head in the empty bucket and make noise! I've taught him to put the blocks through the shape sorter. This is great toy.

My Nephew received this block sorter.
Very few toys can claim to pass the tests of being interesting and educational throughout such a long span in the baby-into-toddler period.

The block sorter itself is a tub about the size of a half-gallon milk jug. The sorter lid sits atop the tub; it fits securely but doesn't lock down with any tabs or snaps that would frustrate a child. On the flip side, this means that turning it over dumps the blocks everywhere, although that's a primary means of enjoyment for our two-year-old now!

The set comes with about a dozen blocks in assorted colors (red, blue and green) and shapes (circle, square, triangle and star). All of the pieces are solidly constructed for lots of use. The blocks are sized appropriately to be easily grasped by baby hands without being so small as to present a choking hazard.

The baby/infant/toddler toy market is flooded with battery-operated, hyperactive button-pressing sound machines disguised as "learning" toys. It's great to find one such as this that takes a comparatively simple concept and pays big dividends in fun and learning. Its low price and quality construction make Baby's First Blocks an excellent value as well.

I Normally Say "put the block in the tub" or "put the car in here" and he does and he loves his blocks cause he can chew and thorw them at the floor and "dump" them all out and make me clean them up!

Over all its a great toy for any age infant/toddler!

We purchased this toy for our son when he was about 6 months old and he has played with it ever since. He loves to dump the blocks out of the bucket and put them back in again. He also likes banging them together. This is one of his favorite toys...and one of ours too because there is no annoying music!

We purchsed the L-Max for our son for Christmas 2005. He is in kindergarten and has enjoyed Numbers on the Loose and Letters on the Run. He just received the Sponge Bob game for his 6th birthday and really likes that. It is repetitive, but for his age, that is a good thing since they are learning about sequencing in school and I think it has helped with that. The only problem we have is that the "B" button has become jammed. Whether he has watched his older brother playing his gamecube and tries to push the buttons too fast or what, we are not sure. So far most of the games don't necessarily need the B button and we're not sure if it's worth another $100 to get him another one. It does give him a different way to review letters and numbers then just plain old practice which after a full day of kindergarten, they are not to thrilled on doing.

WE love this product for our 4 and 6 year old. We had the original leapster, but this makes it even better when they see it on the TV screen. Leapster now offers more games...they are great!

We purchased the LMax for our 4 year old for Christmas. It was an instant hit! Plus, it helped him to feel like a big boy like his older brother who enjoys other video games. Yes, the older model is cheaper, but my son loves to be able to plug it into the TV to "show off" what he knows and can accomplish. I particularly like Letters on the Loose and Numbers on the Run. I highly recommend this product. We also purchased the battery charger so we don't have to worry about dead batteries and ruining the environment.

We all had one of these with a pull string, but the new version is a little smaller (better for little laps) and has an easier to maneuver lever. My little girl loves it. And the quiz mode, where it asks the child to identify an animal by name or sound, is very educational. We love it.

I read others' reviews before ordering, and upon receiving this cute See 'n Say toy I am thoroughly satisfied. It is SO adorable and a great way to teach the animals and sounds. Haven't had any problem with the wrong animals speaking. Love the quiz part of its features. It IS a little loud, but I was able to fix that easily by opening it up and placing a piece of cloth over the speaker to muffle it a bit. I highly recommend this toy for all young'uns!

My 18 month old has been playing with this for a month. It really worked to keep her busy during a plane ride I took with her by myself at 17 months! She goes around saying e-i-e-i-o all the time and loves pulling the handle. Although, she is usually looking for the song. Keeps her busy on car rides, too!

this obviously works for some parents. i have been an educator in early childhood for ten years; and i have been on the early childhood education board for 4. our goal on that board is to try to get the schools, the publishing companies and the parents to all get on board about what is developmentally appropriate and what is not. in my opinion; this toy was made to push parents to get their children to read and write before they are ready. of course; some children will be able to do this. however, full reading in kindergarten is not developmentally appropriate. eye muscles havent even been fully developed at this age to go from left to right as one does when reading. i bought the leap pad for kindergarten level for someone for a birthday present; their daughter is quite bright, and thankfully in a school where proper lessons are taught on a developmentally appropriate level; she had difficulty with this so we took it back and got her the easier one. that one was a bit better but as i "played it with her" i noticed the durability quality of it was mediocre, the voices of the speakers were not always clear and we could not hear what they were saying, and when she used the pen to press on the correct answer it told her she was incorrect and to try again; this happened quite often. i also noticed that the book/games offered for the infant to 36 mo leappad were not developmentally appropriate. maurice sendak's "where the wild things are" would have been more appropriate if placed in the toddler or kindergarten one. it seems such a wide span for a toy such as that to go from birth to 36 months. if i had been able to use it at the store i wouldnt have purchased it and i wont be purchasing it for my 2 1/2 yr old daughter. it has a great concept but in my opinion; poorly put together.

This is a great introduction to reading. I purchased this for Christmas '05 when my daughter was 2. She is now 3 and plays daily with the Alphabet Bus. She knows how to change the books and place the cartridge in. She also can follow the books directions of either playing or listening to the book. The voice is clear and the batteries are great (I just changed them after 6 months). This is a wonderful and durable product. She knows her ABC's, colors, shapes and numbers (we are working on addition and subtraction) and the Bus has been a great assistance to her learning at home and school.

We got this a few weeks ago for our 2 year old. She doesn't sit and read with it just yet but really loves pressing the different things on each page. She loves it and I can tell this will probably be a toy she plays with for a long time.

My daughter has had this toy for 3 months - she's 11 months old. She has no interest in it other than to carry it around and chew on the antenna. I'm disappointed with the graphics and the music/noises - it's very montone.

I wish this phone was a little more realistic looking as my one year old daughter favors an old cell phone to this phone.

This phone is actually fun. Since the design is more like the modern wireless phones my 16 month old likes to put it on his ear and pretend that he is talking over the phone just like momy. He sometimes puts the phone on my ear so I can play too. Unlike the other phones that have a wire and look like the older phones we used to have this one is best and it teaches numbers, letters and tune songs but note that for 1 button you get 3 letters at once and the tune songs are cut so eventhough the song is longer they cut the song half way...I dont know why but thats that. Overall its okay and my baby likes it.

I purchased this for my toddler thinking that it was a nice update to the classic refrigerator magnet letters that were a fond memory from my childhood. Unfortunately, I have been disappointed by this set. It does have a catchy tune that my toddler enjoys and sings, and I think the product basically does what it is intended to do, but I have complaints about the design. First, when I opened it, the unit either incorrectly identified or did not identify at all several of the letters when placed in it. Second, it is too heavy for its magnet and constantly slides off of the refrigerator, making it difficult for my daughter to play with it there. Third, there is no case to hold all of those letters so several were quickly lost. It is true that the letters can stay on the fridge, but since the central unit will not stay put, it makes no since to keep it or the letters there. I think an included case would have been a nice (and reasonable) addition to make this a more portable toy. I say, spend less money and stick with the old-fashioned letters!

I was looking for the original fridge magnets from Fisher Price. Disappointed, guess they don't make them anymore. This was a good substitute. My son is only 8 months old so he did really need the bells and whistles of the sounds each letter made, just something to play with on the fridge. Either way he will grow into the sounds and it is a good teaching tool.

We purchased this product based on a friend's recommendation. I am so glad we did. Our first daughter has played the ABC's song so many times - we are confident this is were she learned to sing it.

She even now knows what the sounds of the letters are -- such as the A says aahh. This is a great combination with the LeapFrog DVD the Letter Factory.

We love this product so much, we have put the farm magnetic fridge set on our second daughter's wish list. Hopefully, this will help eliminate the fights over who gets to use the magnets.

Not too mention, if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this product will keep them entertained while cooking or cleaning. You will not be disappointed!

My 15 month old has been playing with this since she was 9 months old and isn't tired of it yet. She loves it.

My only negative comment is on the construction. When putting it together I wasn't able to make it as stable as I thought it should be. It rocks on its base. When my daughter was younger and she leaned on it for support it made me a bit nervous. Now that she is walking and climbing she's learned that she can rock it by pushing on the top half. We've checked the screws and adjusted them several times but the house continues to rock.

Although it seems unstable it has never tipped over. Our daughter loves it so much that we refuse to get rid of it. Overall, it's a great toy.

My son loves doors!!! I asked my Dad to get this toy for his Christmas present (he was 1 year old then). I knew he would play with it, but I didn't know he much he would love it! He's now 1-1/2 yrs old and still loves to play with it all the time, more than once a day and up to an hour at a time. He even drags riding toys through the door to take them in "his house". I have more photos and movies around this toy than any other one.

Note about the screws: They were in a small bag, taped inside the box so they weren't easily seen. I called Fisher Price to get a new bag. They told me they were back ordered because people didn't know where to look. Easy enough to put together, but have a long THIN screw driver if you want all the screws in.

If your child loves to play with doors, then they will love this toy. The price now is about $5 less than Christmas 2005, so it's a great deal. I haven't seen too many stores carrying this toy, either. Is a great toy to have when you are trying to make dinner and don't want to worry about baby getting hurt.

This is a really great toy with many fun activities. The songs and sounds are very cute and it's not a toy that will become irritating to grownups who have to listen to it. I have nieces who range in age from 5-9 and they also enjoy playing with it. It's designed for children of all ages so you will get your money's worth!

My son loved the learning table so I really thought the pots and pans would be a big hit when I purchased them when my son was 8 mo old. I could not get the product to say anything but, "Red pan in, Red pan out". I called the hotline at Fisher Price and they told me to change the battery which I had already done. While I was on the phone, my son dropped the pot and it began to sing the alphabet song. The cust. service rep. told me that the pots said and sang things at random and that it reponds when manipulated like a child would. I was disapointed because the toy responds VERY randomly and usually only sings if it is shaken very hard or dropped. I really feel I wasted my money on this one.

This toy looks very appealing. I purchased this for my son, 16 months at the time thinking it would be a great toy to stash in the kitchen cupboard so he could play while I cooked cleaned etc. He played with it about 4 times total and he's 2 now! It doesn't do enough and does have much other than a shape sorter. I consider it wasted money but if my experience helps anyone I'm glad.

This toy taught my son how to stack in a day. It is such a cute toy, and my son loves to beat everything with it. It has cute, silly songs, and as far as our toy goes it plays very easy. The only thing I don't like is the spoon, because it doesn't have a place. If you put it in the pot then you aren't able the sort the blocks. Overall, it's a good toy!

I had bought the scooter for my 2 1/2 yr.old grandson. My daughter was very pleased with it. And my grandson used it,and even glided along with it. Before this, he had not ridden a scooter.I would recommend this scooter for a young child.

I waited for the price to come down on this and now wishing I had purchased months ago! I bought it for my 4 year old girl, and she couldn't be more pleased! Her 7 year old brother also loves it although he's a bit heavy for it. She zooms all over the house (nice soft wheels on hardwood) and we go around the block, downtown, you name it. She can easily work the brake and she is the perfect size for the handle. It's lightweight and flexible. Her physical confidence has soared with this scooter and it's just too cute to watch her zoom around with the big kids. They, of course, are all wanting a larger version of the same type, so maybe Preschool needs to think to a bigger kid version....

This scooter was very easy for my 3 year old to use. He got on and started using it immediately. I love the fact that it turns with ease and it stays upright when he is finished using it. I am very happy with this purchase.