I'm deciding between the Leapster and Explorer for my daughter who is 3.5. She know upper and lower case letters, counts to 20 by herself, knows shapes and colors. I've looked at both and can't figure out the difference between them other than the Leapster has more "add-ons" that you buy in addition to the handheld. Any moms have experience with the new Explorer? Thanks in advance!
Explorer. It does more .
It's not just a learning game it also has an ereader feature and a camera/video camera attachment. The leapster explorer is much like the Nintendo DSi but it's all educational and more durable.
I think there is a lot more you can do with the explorer. It has ebooks, you can go online with it to play additional games, you can purchase a camera accessory for it, and its more personalized. You can select what level of learning prek, k, etc and it will keep track of how your child scores on the games and advance them appropriately, and you can download apps for it. After looking at it online it makes me want to buy one for my kids. you can compare it with the leapster online http://www.leapfrog.com/explorer/
I got my 6yo son the Explorer because I don't trust him with a DS yet and it wasn't as expensive as the DS. They are still working on getting games out for the Explorer. The screen is a bit larger, the graphics are way better, you can download apps and ebooks . The games can be customized somewhat as you earn points and there is an add on video camera with accompanying activities. He does miss some of his Leapster games as they are not compatible. Definitely go to a store and take a look side by side.
Hi,
good question. We just upgraded to a Leapster Explorer from a Leapster 2. Only cause we had coupons :)
Our 5 year old hasn't play it yet b/c it's a Christmas gift but from my two mommy friends they do like the Leapster Explorer better and you can use it longer than the other Leapster handhelds(the age range goes up to age 9).
good luck! Oh and I just got an e-mail from Leap Frog saying that on Cyber Monday their entire website is 25% off.
pammy l
I've been wondering kind of the same thing myself, except that my daughter is older......almost six. She's in kindergarten and really starting read quite well. Any suggestions on which electronic game/learning tool would be good for her age? Thanks!!
Funny- we just did this with my daughter and I had my parents buy the Leapster 2 Gaming System because the games that are dedicated to it seemed to have a larger age range (4-8 years old versus 4-6 with Explorer, etc). She needed to have a little help with the games at first (she just got it Friday as an EARLY christmas present because my parents were in town for my son's 2nd birthday party) but is catching on. Honestly, I would see if someone at Toys R Us can let you check out the screen quality though- I am not too impressed with the clarity on the Leapster 2 Gaming System.
Best wishes!
