The Frugal Family: Educational Games and Kids Toys that Make Learning Fun

My son Jack loves to draw. He has been obsessed with the Magnadoodle since he was introduced to one on a plane (thank you, kind woman, for loaning that to us in a time of desperate need!). He will draw and erase the same images over and over to perfect them. If he doesn't know how to draw something, he will ask an adult to draw it for him so that he can study how it's done before trying it himself. He did this even before turning two and hasn't grown out of it yet at almost four.

Of course I think he is a genius and a prodigy...

As he rockets toward Kindergarten (*sob*), Jack is becoming more focused on the alphabet and reading. He has become obsessed with the PBS show Super Why! and tells me stories about the Super Readers who solve spelling puzzles. He dons the mask and cape I bought for him from etsy.com and pretends he is Super Why himself. It's completely adorable.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about how best to support his budding interest in letters and reading. I tried drawing letters on his Magnadoodle to see if he would copy them; however, I apparently don't make letters exciting enough. We acquired a Poingo Reading System (the cheaper alternative to Leapfrog Tag) and the Super Why ABC Board Game. He has shown a mild interest in the stories and characters involved in both toys ,but neither has been the learning tool for which I had hoped. For the most part they sit in his closet unused and aren't worth the money.

I came across the Leapfrog Scribble & Write one day while surfing Amazon. The Scribble & Write provides spoken instruction along with visual cues in the form of blinking lights underneath a tablet to demonstrate how to form each letter. The child then uses the stylus to trace the letter on the tablet, receives praise, and hears how to pronounce the letter. I knew immediately that Jack would see this as a drawing game. Perfect!

As soon as we opened the box, my son's eyes lit up. He played with the Scribble & Write for a good thirty minutes before deciding to take a break. He later returned to practice more letters and happily exclaimed, "I did it!" when he received praise from the recorded child's voice after drawing each letter. I was impressed by how quickly he learned to use the device out of the box and how it kept his attention even though it has a fairly simple concept. At around $20, I think this educational toy is a fabulous value, especially because of the hybrid approach to learning with audio, visual, and tactile elements.

How have you tapped into your child's interests and abilities to encourage learning? What are some strategies you use to avoid buying things that aren't as big a hit as you thought they would be?

Crystal Ritchie lives and blogs in San Francisco with her preschooler son Jack and her partner in crime/fiance David. She loves to share stories, tips, and tricks related to the parenting gig. When she is not parenting, writing as the San Francisco City Guide Editor for Savvy Source and on her personal blog, Ewokmama.com, or scoping out awesome deals, she can be found working at a software company in her favorite city.