A Video Game System That Gets Kids Moving #LeapTV

Disclosure:  I received the product below to review in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

My family has been LeapFrog fans since my oldest was born.  We have owned so many LeapFrog products I couldn’t even name them all.  The newest LeapFrog product though has really surprised us.

LeapTV is a video gaming system for kids ages 3-8 years old that gets them up and moving.  Being from LeapFrog its of course educational and with the whole getting kids active campaign that has been going on in today’s society it has an active component to it.

The system comes with the bonus game Pet Play World so kids can play it without you having to buy games right away.  Like a typical video game system, you can buy additional games for it via cartridges, game downloads and videos.  There is going to be a LeapTV App store coming in December that I am anxious to check out.  I love with our LeapPad tablets how we can download games onto our tablets and I am hoping its the same with the LeapTV.  There will be over 100 games that are LeapFrog educator-approved so you don’t have to worry about buying inappropriate games.

The system comes with:

• LeapTV console
• Camera for console
• Mount
• Controller
• HDMI cable
• AC power adapter
• 16 GB of memory
• Built-in Wi-Fi/Ethernet port for downloads
• You do need to add your own AA batteries for the controller

As is typical with LeapFrog products, the LeapTV also allows the games to grow with your child.  As your child progresses, the curriculum in the game progresses.  I love this feature because it makes the games more challenging for kids so they don’t get bored.  This is great too when you have more than one child playing as they can have their own player profiles.

LeapTV is something that both my 3 year old enjoys as does my 6 and 7 year old.  I thought it might be too babyish for my 7 year old but he is hooked on the Spiderman game!  He asks to play it after my 3 year old goes to bed since that is the only time its not being used!

What is my favorite feature?  I love that it has a camera to put kids in the game!  My kids were amazed by this. They couldn’t believe that not only are they put into the game but they also can actually play in the game. LeapTV calls it “body motion” and it uses the web camera to put kids in the game.  No controller is needed after you get the game started which makes it perfect for younger kids.  My daughter absolutely loved getting the gems in the Sophia the First game by waving her hands.  What kid too wouldn’t get excited by seeing themselves on tv!

The games are not all “body motion” games, some of the games use the controller by pointing at the screen or using it as a classic controller.  This too was easy for my kids to figure out and they had no problems playing the games.  It amazes me how quick kids are today with technology!  Some of the games too are multi-player, as long as you have additional controllers.

I love that there is a video game system I can feel good about letting my kids play and one that even my youngest child can enjoy.  LeapTV is so easy for turn on and get started with the games.  My kids even know now how to do it all themselves.  I wasn’t sure how much my kids would play this especially since we have other video game systems and tablets but they really like the interactive aspect of this system and that it is characters the recognize  They are great for building self-confidence in games too and your kids are learning without even knowing it!

I would recommend this system to parents of younger kids so they can get more use out of the system as your child grows with it.  My daughter just turned 3 over the summer and she loves LeapTV and is always asking to play it.  She got the hang out the controller and movements right away!  The only drawback I see is that it is an expensive system ($149.99) and the game cartridges are $29.99.  If you look at it like a regular video game system though the prices are standard.  I can’t wait though to see what the LeapTV App Center is going to have in it as I assume there will be cheaper apps to purchase similar to what we buy on the LeapPad tablets.  It is an investment so to speak to buy LeapTV which is why I said its better for younger kids since they will definitely get more years out of it, whereas it might be too easy right out of the box if you buy it for an older child. Like I said though my oldest is 7 and he likes it, but my 3 year old definitely enjoys it more.

Here is a video I created:

BUY IT:  LeapTV can be purchased directly from the LeapFrog website for $149.99 or find it at a toy retailer near you! You can also find the LeapFrog LeapTV Educational Active Video Game System on Amazon.