My son has known his letters, numbers, colors and shapes since he was one. Not because he's unusually smart, but because as a stay at home mom, I was able to teach those things early just through our everyday play.
He is now almost 2 1/2, and I was looking for a realistic computer toy (since he seems so interested in my laptop) that will challenge him with new things for the next few years. Something that would grow with him. I think this toy is PERFECT! I am going to outline the biggest PLUS points, and then a couple of minor minus points that others have pointed out as well.
Most kids laptops do not have the keyboard letters arranged the way a real computer does. I see why they do it, to make them easier to find (since many know the order of the alphabet at a very young age). Well, to me, that's silly. And most laptop toys don't look like real ones either, they look like toys (which we all know, doesn't fool a child). This computer LOOKS and FUNCTIONS in a realistic way. Why not teach them the REAL keyboard arrangement? They will eventually memorize where the letters are, and then they'll be prepared for the real computers at school. Also the mouse is real, and moves the way a real mouse does, teaching the child the fine motor movement required to move a mouse to EXACTLY where it needs to be, which is one of the hardest things for young kids ot master on a real computer.
The other really BIG THING that I love about NITRO is that it is intuitive. Without reading the manual, it is easy to figure out how it functions... because it functions exactly as you would expect it to. When you turn it on, it automatically starts introducing the games it offers, so the child doesn't have to know how to find the game, the games are introduced one by one, until the child either presses enter to select it, or clicks on the mouse. YOu can teach this to a child, no matter how young, in seconds. The games are all assigned numbers, so older kids can just type in the number of the game they want, without listening to all the introductions. Another example... while you are playing a game, lets say there's a letter floating on the screen, and the child is supposed to choose one...what I LOVE about this toy is that there is more than one way to choose an answer. You can either use the mouse to point to the letter and click it on the screen, OR you can type the correct letter on the keypad, OR you can use the left, right, up, down arrows to move the cursor over it, and then press enter. HOW GREAT IS THAT? ! !
My child is two, and can play 2 games by himself. One is like a falling letters game where bubbles with letters in them float up the screen, and several in a row are the same letter, the child clicks on the groups of same letters and they clear away (like tetris). Another game he can play is number stars, where simply there is a star with a number in it, and my child has to type that number on the keyboard. I think by next year, he will play even more... however we play several games together, and he enjoys the various animations and music and enjoys watching me do the more complex games. If a child is playing on their own, the toy eventually gives the right answer, so even if the child gets it wrong several times in a row.... they learn what the real answer was. All the games have 3 levels of play (simplest setting is the default), but as the child gets older they can press the LEVEL button to increase the difficulty, so the games have a longer life.
Some minor minus points are: As others have said, the display is small, and hard to see in certain light. This doesn't seem to bother my son at all, but an older child used to XBox or other advanced display games may not like this. Also I do think this should be advertised for ages 4-7 or 8. Every child is different, but by 8, I think a child should know most of what this teaches, but I think some 8 year olds would still WANT to play with it.. I just wouldn't buy it for an older child, I would buy it for a young one, and keep it aroud as they grow. Also, the spanish section is the first section in the menu, so when the computer turns on, it is the first set of games in the order. This seems dumb to me, it should be last. But you can easily skip them by pressing the second silver button, which brings you to the second set of 10 games. My son already can do this on his own. The Spanish games are simple, and a good introduction, however my child is still too young, and the second language will always be a second priority to all the other things I want him to learn, so it should be located in the last slot, as a "it's here if you want to learn it" option. Just a design flaw in my opinion. One good thing about the display though, is that it doesn't eat batteries like other games. And since this is a great mobile toy, not changing the batteries often is a real plus. And that's probably why it's designed this way.
I do want to point out that it seems expensive to me. But I was easily able to find one on EBAY, which is what I would recommend. I found one that was an open package item, but brand new and missing the song cartridge. I paid $14. I'd say it's worth about $25 - $35. So if you can get it for that, it's well worth it. Buy one from a mom who's child outgrew it. It does seem to only have the 2 cartridges.. but I haven't even used it (I only have one) yet. The 78 activities are more than enough. But more cartridges would be great.
I think most children would love this toy. It teaches responsibility too. I teach my son to close it gently, and to not bang on the keys indiscriminantly... it's great prep for the real thing. And he believes it's the real thing right now. And when he's older, I think he'll be excited about learning the games himself. He already loves the praise that it gives you for right answers. It gives different praise "fantastic" "terrific" "great job" it's not the same message over and over. Animals do cartwheels, cheerleaders wave pom poms... he loves all of that, and I think it would make older kids feel proud to "get it right". Later, when he plays on his own, I will press the re-set button and then I can periodically check his progress report to see how well he's learning the different games (pressing re-set will get rid of all the playing around that he and I do together on it now).
If you have a very young, bright child 2-5, that is generally gentle in nature, and seems to enjoy learning new things, and is easily pleased with most toys they are given, then I think this is a perfect first computer. I treat it as a special toy, that he only gets sometimes, when he's good, or after he eats all his food. He asks for it every day! When he's older, I'll give him full control over it. It seems pretty durable, but I do have a gentle child. Some versions come with a bag, I wish I had a bag for mine, so I will get one so we can bring it around more. So get one with the case if you can. And don't bother with the JUNIOR version, get this one. Because if some moms think this one is to simple, than the JR one must reall speak down to kids. In my opinion, with supervision, even really young ones will get something out of this, and then it grows with them. Put it away for awhile, then bring it out again if they don't take to it right away.
Overall I can see how a mother of an 8 year old that paid $49 for it, would be dissapointed... thinking, this is all I get for $50? But if you can get on in the price range I suggested, for a child in the age range I suggested..I think most kids would benefit from the lessons, and enjoy getting better at them on their own. WE LOVE IT IN THIS HOUSE! |
Expedited Available
"Disappointing"
"Laptop"
"Kids found it frustrating"