Is the Leapster Explorer a Good Gift for a Three Year Old?

The Leapster Explorer is a handheld gaming system targeted towards 4-9 year olds. My daughter recently got a Leapster Explorer as a gift, and at first I wondered how much she would get out of it when she was under the recommended age group for it. But kids catch on to technology fast! After only a few times of playing with the Explorer, my almost-three year old could turn on the handheld, navigate to whichever game she wants to play, and play some parts of the games. Here are my thoughts.

Basics

The Leapster Explorer is chunky and more well-suited towards younger kids than, say, a Nintendo DS or PSP. My daughter even dropped it onto the floor once and it's been working just fine since. The stylus is attached to the handheld, a big plus for a younger child. The stylus is also chunky and easy on little hands. One free "Leaplet", a game, ebook, or video, is included with the Leapster Explorer, but you need to connect your Explorer to a computer to get that free Leaplet (the connector cable is included, and an internet connection is required.)

Set up and basic games

Upon setting up the Leapster Explorer, you add your child's name and choose his or her grade level. The youngest grade level it starts at is Pre-K, which is what I chose for my daughter. You can add up to three children, and there is the option to play as a guest. The Explorer comes with one pre-loaded game called Pet Pad. In this game, your child has a pet that he or she can customize, name, and take care of. My daughter loves taking care of her pets (up to three can be made) and is getting the hang of choosing where she wants to go (to feed her pet, give it a bath, etc.) The one thing she can't do is trace the letters in the tricks section. She always asks me to trace the letters for her! Also, an annoying thing about Pet Pad is you have to connect your Explorer to the computer in order to "buy" new treats and shampoo for your pet every so often. (You use tokens to buy the things with, and tokens are earned by playing games.) My daughter gets genuinely sad when it says her pet is hungry but she has no more treats to give it!

Other Games and Leaplets

Along with her Leapster Explorer, my daughter received the game Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg. For the most part it is too hard for her age level (it's meant for 4-7 year olds), but I can see a lot of potential for it as a learn-to-draw game when my daughter gets a little older. It teaches children how to draw, write the alphabet, and it teaches them about colors and using them in drawing. There is one part my daughter loves, and that is the Art Studio, where she can make her own drawings using coloring tools that look like a very basic version of Photoshop. For the free app, I chose one called Sing-Along Read-Along. It has a cute cast of characters who teach basic reading and letter sounds through their songs and funny exploits. The video is about a half hour long, and my daughter sometimes just opens the video, places her Explorer down, and dances to the songs. As for other Leaplets you can buy, quite a few of the videos start at age 3, and there is even one for ages 2-5. All of the games and ebooks, however, start at ages 4 and up.

So, I would recommend the Leapster Explorer as a gift for a three year old, especially if yours is like mine and is turning out to be a gamer like Mommy and Daddy (she plays games on my DS sometimes.) You can probably find great deals on it right now since the new Leapster 2 came out. Finally, your child will grow into it, and he or she might get a head start on writing and recognizing letters and other things the Explorer teaches.

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