LeapStart Reading Buddies Starter Set Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Joanna Woodburn
Designed for children between the ages of 2-6 years, (although seeming to appeal across the generations in our household!) the LeapStart Reading Buddies starter set is far much more than the usual Christmas toy gift. Instantly appealing, with bold, vibrant colours and a fun ‘Tiger’ Reading Buddy which straight away caught our little one’s eye, it certainly went down a storm from the moment the box was opened.
We found the Starter Set to be most comprehensive as it includes a LeapStart stylus, the Reading Buddy, a ‘Daily Routines’ activity book and a ‘Sampler’ book. There is everything you need to begin the first exciting stages of a young child’s reading journey, beginning with capturing storytelling and first words.
The best Christmas gift toys are also the ones which are easy to set up (particularly on Christmas morning when things are busy) and the Reading Buddies Starter Set scores top marks for instinctiveness. All we had to do was turn the stylus on, connect the adorable, cute Tiger buddy to the top of the stylus, then touch the pages with the stylus, and like magic, the actual content became realistic and it was ready to go. It is very simple to use on a regular basis and also very neat and portable. We found it perfect to take with us when we were out and about – brilliant for keeping little ones entertained when, for example, in the car or in restaurants, rather than resorting to screens.
Combining education and fun, the books are most engaging and encourage the foundational skills for reading. We all loved discovering the daily routines with Tiger! If we pressed the book button on the stylus, two story audios were available, each starring the Reading Buddy Tiger. They help to develop vocabulary, listening skills and an initial understanding of the structure of a story – all while having engaging fun!
The Starter Set provides an introduction to the LeapStart system, with basic learning content. There are two books to experience, from which you may wish to expand on – across the LeapStart book library there are more Reading Buddies to collect and over 500+ further Pre-School activities available.
As a teacher, I was impressed by the multi-sensory experience for little ones as the LeapStart Reading Buddies incorporates the auditory, visual and interactive learning which is a vital element of child development. Most importantly, for our little one, the Tiger buddy made reading feel like playtime and the fun approach captured her attention and engagement for longer periods of time than we have usually found with more traditional approaches.
The LeapStart Reading Buddies Starter Set would be the ideal Christmas present, offering a fun, first step into early literacy. It is a brilliant concept and although it feels like a toy and is playful and interactive, it actually offers a well-structured, portable and engaging learning system. We also thought it was great value for money.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £39.99
This product can be purchased from LeapStart here leapfrog.com