We Had a #LeapFrog LeapReader Ready, Set, Read and Write Party! #Sponsored

***Disclosure: Disclosure: I received these product at no cost to host this party for our friends at LeapFrog and MomSelect.  All opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.***

With 2 preschoolers in my family, I realize the importance of learning to read. My 3 year old Sophie the SuperGenius can already read as well as most 1st graders. Xander, who is 2, isn't quite there yet, but he knows his ABC's and knows what sounds each letter makes. We work with our littles every day, so when it's time for school to start, they have an advantage and are ready to learn. 

Recently, I got to host a super fun LeapFrog LeapReader "Ready, Set, Read & Write!" Party with my kids and a few of their friends.We had a total of 8 kids here, but the other parent was not too keen on the idea of having their kids' photos published, which I totally respect. 

The ages of the children in attendance ranged between 2 and 7, and all of the kids were really enthusiastic about the LeapReader and all of the fun activities that came along with it. Here is what we received to facilitate our party: 

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• LeapReader™- LeapReader engages kids in imaginative stories with lively character voices while building vocabulary skills and growing reading comprehension skills. Interactive handwriting guidance helps children learn to write stroke-by-stroke on mess-free, no ink LeapFrog® Learning Paper. Plus Leap Reader helps develop listening comprehension skills on-the-go with a growing library of 100+ audio books and more featuring classic and popular children's books that encourage a love of reading.
• LeapReader™ Book: Learn to Write Letters with Mr Pencil- Join Dot, Dash and Mr. Pencil on a musical learning adventure featuring interactive stroke guidance, exciting sound effects and engaging activities. Practice writing the alphabet with the LeapReader, and learn about upper- and lowercase letters and letter sounds.
• LeapReader™ 3D Book: Disney•Pixar Monsters University- LeapReader brings the story of Monsters University to life with exciting 3D effects and helps build reading comprehension and vocabulary skills! (3D glasses included.)
• LeapReader™/Tag™ Interactive Talking Words Factory Flash Cards- This Early Reading flash card set helps develop core phonics skills by letting children actively play with word sounds and recognize how they come together to create words . Mix and match letters to build more than 100 words featuring short vowel sounds. More than 400 interactive responses and 5 spelling, rhyming and singing games reinforce word-building fun.
• Two LeapReader Sampler Books

The LeapReader pen is how all the magic happens. You see, it's not a "real" pen at all. It's an electronic device that can read over 100 different games and story books. The child just has to follow along. This is a great way to learn word recognition, since it allows the user to sound out the words as they go along. A child can even learn how to write using the LeapReader, since some of the associated products have fun tracing pages. How cool is that?!

The LeapReader can also be used for several interactive games, and will even bring favorite characters to life. For example, by touching Lightning McQueen with the pen, he begins talking! For parents' sanity, there are also built in volume controls and a headphone jack to facilitate "quiet time learning". 

The LeapReader was very easy to use, even for the youngest participants, and they all really loved hearing their books and flash cards come to life. The clear favorites were the LeapReader/Tag Interactive Talking Words Factory Flash Cards and the LeapReader 3D Book: Disney-Pixar Monsters University. (With the movie getting so much hype recently, I can't say I blame them for being super excited to see Mike and Sully and their monster pals in 3D action!) 

Overall, I was definitely very impressed by the LeapFrog LeapReader. It is very educational without being dull, bland or boring for children. All of the kids laughed and talked about how much fun it was to use this product, and they were so proud when they realized they were really learning to read. This is definitely a must-have for parents of young children, and we plan to use this very regularly as we work towards school readiness. 

The LeapReader retails for $49.99. There are tons of games and books that can be purchased to use with the LeapReader, and these cost about $9 and up. So this is an affordable system that will get years worth of use!