Dora lets explore the learning (VTech Dora's Laptop)

Member Name: HitchJo

Product:	VTech Dora's Laptop
Date:	09/11/09 (57 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Bright colours, basic learning, use of another language and compact

Disadvantages: Child may grow out of the dora theme

I love the idea of learing computers for children. I have noticed over the past few years technology is playing a big part in our childrens lives and schools drill this into them. This computer is lovely for the girls and because it is a charactor from tv she tends to play with it alot.

The computer

This was given to me the other day so I have spend a bit of time playing with this with my 2 year old daughter. Upto yet she doesn't know how to play or recognise numbers or letters so it is rarther challenging at the minuite. It has a yellow base and a purple screen with the picture of dora and her monkey on the front. It has nice bright coloured letter buttons that are orange and the activity buttons are in a bright green. The layout of the buttons are the same as a normal computer would be so that they are able to recognise them when they do start using a normal computer. The on button is a big purple colour and the off is a smaller blue button. This also has a big speaker on the left hand side that you can really hear the sound come out of. Also in the center of the computer at the top there is a plastic dora in a see through plastic cover that dances up and down when the child is playing. The voice of dora is used when you are playing the games and on some occasions it speaks in spanish so this teaches my child some basic language skills.

Activities

The games and learning activities are quiet easy for when children are learning. You have letters and words that you have to match the letters and add letters to words and are at different levels for your childs development. Children learn better through music and their is an opition for music which is brilliant for them. There is also a maths activity that teaches them numbers and the addition and subtracting. Then they also have logic and games that stimulate your child and still hold the learning process in them which is great. I have found that although my daughter is only 2 she is picking up the basics of these activities very well and is definatley learing what it is teaching.

Summery

I think this is an attractive computer for young girls and that the activities are very good and helpful. The computer is from 3 years and above but I have found that even for a 2 year old the activities are brilliant for early learning. I have found my daughter has been very interested in playing with it and uses the function of music when she is not able to sit with me and play the activities. I would invest in this for a young child but they may grow out of it because of it being a baby program theme. It is a very eye catching colour and is small enough to sit on a childs lap. Mine never came with a mouse so I am not sure how that function would work. You can purchase this from £15 from various stores or you could hope that you may get given one like we did. This would be a good investment and I would pay the money for it if it hadn't been donated to me.

Summary: Good first learning computer for girls