Common Sense Media Review
By Jinny Gudmundsen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Preschoolers run and jump to play learning games on TV.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Zippity
What's It About?
The ZIPPITY LEARNING SYSTEM is the result of a collaboration between LeapFrog and Disney. It plugs directly into your TV to create a gaming system for preschoolers. Kids play by running and jumping on a special mat controller and using a waist-high joystick called \"The Bopper.\" The mat has four colored spots on which to step. The bopper can be moved to the right, left, away from you and toward you. Some of the games use just the mat, while others use both the mat and the bopper. The games introduce the preschool learning skills of memory, following directions, music, numbers, letters of the alphabet, colors and beginning Spanish. All of the games can be played on two levels of difficulty. For example, one of the easy games on level one is played with Goofy, where he shows you how to dance by placing your feet on the colored spots on the mat. He shows you an order in which to step on the colors and asks you to repeat it. As you do, he dances on the screen.
Is It Any Good?
The Zippity is a good way to introduce young children to learning games. It makes the learning fun because kids are playing with branded characters that they enjoy. But more importantly, the games encourage kids to do physical things they like to do, like dance or march in place. It also does a good job of introducing young children to how to play video games. Each game has a tutorial and two of the eight are side-scrolling games which use the bopper to navigate.
The games have high quality TV graphics not usually found in a plug-and-play game, and the music is very well done. In the games with The Little Einsteins, you even learn about such classics as Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
What were your favorite games? Was it your favorite because of who you played with or because of what your were asked to do?
Game Details
- Platform : Plug-and-play TV games
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : LeapFrog
- Release date : August 15, 2009
- Genre : Exergaming
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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