Reading Week: LeapFrog Tag

There were just too many reading and technology related things to talk about so Reading Week has been extended!

We love LeapFrog. Their products are probably the most fun educational products on the market. I have always said that if we move back to California I want to go work for them as an educational consultant. Their products are not only loved by Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer, but have been instrumental in their learning.

Little Miss Techie adores her LeapPad. She can often be found sitting with it on her lap, choosing books, and tapping on words she can’t yet read to add to her growing sight vocabulary. Captain Computer can’t get enough of the Phonics Bus, Fridge Farm, and Fridge Phonics. He loves to press any of the buttons on his LeapFrog toys that will sing the ABCs to him and enjoys singing along, even though some of the letters are missing and may be out of order.

Now LeapFrog has created another amazing product called Tag. Little Miss Techie just got her hands on Tag and has fallen in love all over again. She loves showing off Tag to anyone who walks anywhere in the vicinity of our house. Little Miss Techie totes Tag either Ozzie and Mack or Miss Spider’s Tea Party with her, eager to tell how Tag works and give a demonstration.

Like the LeapPad, Tag is a touch reading system that brings books to life but it is far more sophisticated and portable. Designed for children ages 4-8, Tag is a wireless hand held pen-like device that uses an infrared camera to recognize letters, words, and symbols to make words talk and pictures sing. When Little Miss Techie taps on a word, it reads it back to her. When she puts the pen tip on a picture, she can hear one of the characters talk. According to Little Miss Techie, “It’s magic!” And the magic is because it makes the books come alive.

Not only is it magic, but it is fun. It also motivates Little Miss Techie to sit down with books even more than she already does. Pointing at the words allows her to have an interactive reading experience where she controls her own learning. She can tap on words at her own speed, going back to hear them again until they become part of her sight vocabulary. But Tag isn’t just for beginning readers. I certainly see Tag being used as Little Miss Techie’s reading skills progress. As she becomes a more fluent reader, she will stop tapping on every word and only put the pen on the words she doesn’t know.

Tag can also grow with your reader because of the amazing selection of books available that go with the Tag. Classics like The Little Engine that Could, popular titles like Olivia, and books with fun characters like Sponge Bob, Diego, Cars, and Disney princesses are included in Tag’s vast library which can be purchased as additional titles. As Little Miss Techie grows older, I can see her enjoying more difficult reading selections available to accompany her Tag. Tag can hold up to 5 books at a time. To add new titles, you purchase the book and download the audio on to your child’s Tag through LeapFrog Connect, an easy to use application that allow parents to manage the content on Tag by connecting Tag to the computer.

Besides using LeapFrog Connect to manage book titles, it also enables parents to see their child’s learning progress through the LeapFrog Learning Path. LeapFrog Learning Path is an online tool that provides information about your child’s reading progress. Every time you connect Tag to your computer, data collected while your child is using Tag is transferred to your child’s Learning Path online. Learning Path allows you to see details like which skills, stories and activities your child is most engaged with. It will also tell you when your child has started playing with content above their grade level and see the questions your child has answered during play. This information is incredibly valuable and is similar to what your child’s teacher gathers through daily classroom observations during a reading group or from running records or standardized tests to inform instruction. It allows you to see your child’s progress and make sure they are reading books and engaging in reading activities that are just right for them.

I think Tag is an incredibly powerful reading tool for children ages 4-8. The fact that children get to interact with the text to make the book come alive makes reading fun and can motivate even the most reluctant reader.

Tag is currently available through LeapFrog, Amazon, BabyCenter, Barnes&Noble, eToys, KB Toys, Target, Toys r Us, and Walmart.com. Tag Reading System sells for $49.99 and additional titles begin at $13.99. Plan ahead and put it on your holiday shopping list for anyone 4-8 year old you know and I am sure they will be thrilled! Take it from satisfied customers!

Speaking of satisfied customers…I have to share that LeapFrog has amazing customer service! At the time Tag arrived, Little Miss Techie had been mourning the loss of her LeapPad which died a sad death a couple of weeks before. Due to much love and use, the wires attached to the pen began to fray, causing the device to stop recognizing words on the pages of her book. Tech Savvy Daddy got on the LeapPad website and, unable to find information about purchasing a replacement pen, called customer service. It didn’t matter that Little Miss Techie’s LeapPad was as old as she was, they sent a brand new spankin’ LeapPad. Now that’s service!

If anyone from LeapFrog happens upon this post and is in need of an educational consultant, sign me up! Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer would also like to apply to be product testers.

Come back tomorrow for the final day of Reading Week when I’ll talk about Audible Kids, a great site where you can download audio versions all of your children’s favorite stories just in time for summer car trips or plane flights.

This blog post is original to Tech Savvy Mama and may not be reposted without permission. Tech Savvy Mama does not do paid blog posts.