Review of Leapfrog Clickstart My First Computer

Rating:

Buy it: Leapfrog Clickstart My First Computer

When my daughter Ally turned four, I thought it would be a good time to start teaching her some basic computer skills. But since Ally likes to push all the computer keys down at once and has even been known to try typing with her feet, I wasn’t ready to put my own laptop in the line of fire.

So I needed to find a durable, kid-friendly solution. And I found it – the Leapfrog Clickstart My First Computer.

For ages 3-6, the Clickstart is a keyboard and mouse that plugs right into your TV, turning it into a computer.

From the moment we plugged it in, Ally was able to play each of the games, which are completely age appropriate, and teach letters, numbers, colors, phonics and counting.

But I was most impressed with how the games make it fun for kids to practice clicking a mouse, using a keyboard and moving around a computer screen.

One of Ally’s favorite games, 1-2-3 Click, features colorful balls bouncing across the screen, which splat like paint when she clicks on them with the mouse. Another game, Type Time, has her typing letters and numbers, which appear on the screen with pictures and sounds.

One of the great features of this system is that the keyboard is wireless and the mouse is attached, so Ally can play sitting on the couch, on the floor or wherever she wants. It’s also easy to turn on and off.

The Clickstart sells for about $45 and includes five games. Other games are sold separately and range in price from about $15-$20 each.

Scout’s Puppy Pals, which is one of the games that is sold separately, lets children create, name and take care of their own puppy. When they give the puppy a bath, they learn

sequencing skills. When they take the dog for a walk, they learn how to use the arrow keys to move the dog around.

And as they play, the children earn coins which can be spent at the “pet shop” to buy clothes for their puppy. This part of the game teaches children about saving and spending money. This was a great lesson for my daughter to learn – that she needed to save up her coins if she wanted to buy a pink tutu for her puppy to wear.

Animal Art Studio, another great game that is sold separately, allows children to mix colors and “paint” pictures, solve puzzles and learn fun animal facts.

My daughter and I love the Leapfrog Clickstart My First Computer and I would definitely recommend it.