Reader Rabbit Playtime for Baby & Toddler

List Price: $29.95 Discount Price: $3.65

Customer Reviews:

A joy for my 20-month-old daughter [Posted on 2001-03-13]
My daughter Catherine enjoys this software package far more than the other two computer games we have for her (Lego Preschool MyStyle and Disney's Mickey Toddler, both of which are good in their own right). There are lots of activities involving cute animated animals, and Catherine never gets bored -- even Daddy is entertained. Some of our favorites are the Kaleidoscope at the Baby level, and the Bubble Castle and the Musical Meadow at the Toddler level.

The sounds, colors, and animation are excellent throughout. Many activities allow use of the keyboard as well as the mouse, a very nice feature for youngsters who can pound on keys with more facility than they can navigate by mouse.

Great fun but a bit buggy [Posted on 2001-04-14]
This program is a lot of fun and has a variety of activities to delight little ones. Because the activities can all be done just by moving the mouse or trackball (without pressing buttons), even a very beginning mouser can manage it. Pressing (or pounding on) keys also causes things to happen on the screen, so even without using the mouse your child can have a great time if you are brave enough to let him or her pound on your keyboard (not necessarily recommended - my daughter made off with my Z last week!) Many of the toddler activities are simple enough to do that a younger child can enjoy them too (but they still have learning potential for the toddler). My only complaint is that the program seems a bit buggy. It periodically locks up my computer so I have to reboot, which is very frustrating for my daughter. Overall it's a lot of fun.

By the way, this program is a combination of Playtime for Baby and Playtime for Toddler packaged together. I was a little confused about how these products were related originally.

Easy for kids to do and FUN [Posted on 2002-03-03]
Reader Rabbit Toddler is the best software I have bought so far - its easy for my son to use (if kids cannot use the mouse yet most games work just by hitting keys) and has alot of fun activities. From the main menu you move a "Star flower" to one of nine fun activities - including an alphabet train where you match the letter key to the boxcar to see it open; a musical meadow where you move a bee from flower to flower to hear them play; a bubble castle where you pop bubbles to free the animals - it has a variety of fun activities that my son has loved from 18 months to 3+.

Preschool Computer Lab Teacher = Thumbs Up! [Posted on 2005-11-10]
I have taught preschool computer lab for two years and have successfully used this software with my 1, 2 & 3 year old students during both school years. I love this software because no mouse clicks are required - only moving the mouse which greatly increases my students hand-eye coordination with the mouse.

I currently have 10 PC's in my lab and run the Toddler software on 6 machines - I love it that much! (Note: I have successfully used this software on both Windows XP and Windows 2000 Professional operating platforms).

Some may notice that this disk offers both Baby and Toddler software. The Toddler software is my personal favorite. My students seem to get bored of the Baby software too quickly (even my 1 year old students migrate away from the Baby game and over to the Toddler game when given a choice). If you opt to buy the Reader Rabbit Toddler (without Baby), it is practically identical to the Toddler software on this CD. Therefore, I'd recommend either software as long as it includes Toddler.

1 & 2 year old students enjoying coloring on screen, while my 3 year old students enjoy the Alphabet train & matching shapes in the clouds. I found that my older 3 year old students and my 4-5 year old students become bored of this game rather quickly so I don't generally offer it to them - they need more of a challenge.

Overall, I'd recommend this software to anyone with young preschoolers (under 3.5 years old) who especially need to work on mouse skills. This game is great for working on mouse skills without the pressure of understanding how to "point and click".

A Great Introduction to Computer [Posted on 2008-05-15]
I bought this for my son and also to use in my home daycare. The children (ages 1-3) all love it. There are a variety of games to choose from and I really like how the mouse is optional. Even a baby can play this, since it is controlled by pushing keys.

The favorite game seems to be the ABC train, which I really like. I think it helps reinforce the alphabet and letter recognition. The coloring is fun, and keeps the kids interest but also incorporates ABCs and counting. The Bubble Castle is also a favorite, although I think it seems a little boring, the children like watching the bubbles pop and seeing the dragon count to five. The fingerplays are cute, as are the baby basket bingo games. I have seem my kids follow along during the finger plays.

The neat thing is that there is also a baby version on this same CD; we rarely use the baby games since my kids are all one and up but I have checked it out and it looks neat. I highly recommend this. I don't think you would be disappointed with this purchase, unless your child is over age three. I have a three year old who plays it, but I do think something a little more advanced would be more appropriate. This is perfect for babies to age 3.

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