LeapFrog Tag Reading System

We are bigs fans of LeapFrog in our home. My daughter could sing the alphabet by 18 months and I think it was thanks to the Fridge Phonics. She loves her ClickStart computer. I was amazed that within days of receiving it for Christmas, she was able to use the mouse and navigate the screens to play the games. So when I saw the new Tag Reading System, I knew this was something that my daughter would like.

She is in the early stages of reading: she can recognize and write most letters. She knows a few words by sight and can spell them out.

I don't know how many times a day she asks what a series of letters spells or how to spell a particular word.

Leave it to LeapFrog to come up with this innovative learning technology. The Tag pen "reads" when the child touches it to the special books. Children can hear a single word, can trace a sentence to hear it word by word, or can have the entire page or story read to them.

Additionally, there are activities that ask the children to find and point to the pictures, making it more of an interactive game than just story telling.

I like that with the Tag (also with the ClickStart), it is an activity that we can do together or that she can do on her own.

The technical stuff: The pen connects to your computer via USB. It can hold five books at a time, which you manage through the software and the internet. It can even keep track of points that your child earns through the activities.

There are two improvements that I could see: allowing the pen to hold more than five books at a time and having a function that would spell out and sound out the words. I would think that the company could make these improvements and update the Tag pens through the internet.

Overall, my daughter and I both think this is pretty cool and are enjoying reading some of her favorite books with the Tag Reading System. If your child is an early reader, she would probably enjoy this.

The Tag Reading System is available at major retailers and online at Amazon.com.

(This was written by Leeanthro who can be read at Soy is the New Black where she dishes about family, food, foraging, and frivolity. While many of the products she discusses are sold only through boutique or specialty stores, some are widely available at national stores and online.)