LeapFrog LeapBand Review

 

In the world today kids are getting less active which is really sad.  With all the electronic devices at their fingertips, exercising and going outdoors is pushed aside.  Kids learn from parents and when we don’t motivate them to get out and move, chances are they won’t.

Our family is pretty active but there are times when we have to motivate the boys by giving them new games and activities.  Just like adults, kids can get lazy when it comes to physical activity..especially if it’s boring.

Recently one of my favorite companies (LeapFrog) came out with a cool new product designed to encourage kids to get up and move and still have fun!  Both my seven year old and three year old have had fun with the LeapFrog LeapBand.  They love taking care of their pets, feeding them and earning jewels.  The jewels are like points, so when they get enough jewels they can unlock another pet!  My seven year old loves doing the physical challenges as well!  They have they popping like popcorn, hopping like a kangaroo, walking like a turtle, etc.  

Similar to other LeapFrog products you can choose to set it up via the computer when you first receive it so that you are able to track their progress.  The opted to wait for awhile to do this since the boys were excited to give it a try, but all in all it’s a simple process and doesn’t take long at all.

The band has a high-resolution color screen, is water-resistant and is rechargeable which makes for a very happy mom!  My boys can go through batteries like crazy so when products are rechargeable, that’s a plus in my book! Not only does it keep kids active, but they also wear it as a regular watch as well!  My seven year old loves the stop watch as well.  He loves for us to time us to see how fast he can run around the house, bike down the driveway, etc.

Basically the more active kids are with their LeapBand, the more fun they’ll have with games and rewards.  As they earn points, they can unlock up to 8 pets, play up to level 10 with each pet before unlocking a new one.  With each level of play, they get rewards like a variety of toys for their pet.  It also helps keep them engaged and learning with mini-games like Pet Boogie and Pet Chef.

In Pet Boogie, they can create and practice a pet dance and with Pet Chef, they help the pet collect food and make healthy snacks!  They can play in their pets world and visit Pet Parlor to pamper pets with glitter soap bath or collect new pet toy rewards in Pet Play!!

Both my soon to be four year old and seven year old have enjoyed using the LeapBand, but I will say that my seven year old has it on more than my four year old.  He is always doing the jumps, hops and challenges.  My four year old uses it mainly to play with the pets at this point.

LeapFrog LeapBand comes in three colors (pink, blue and green) and is available at most retailers like Toys ‘r’ us and Target for $39.99.