LeapFrog: Letter Factory

Pros: If he didn't know his letter sounds before, he certainly does now.
Cons: Consonants only make their hard sounds, vowels only make their short sounds.

I'd first like to say that I have not yet jumped on the LeapFrog bandwagon. We have a few of their toys, and although my son enjoys them and they do have value, we have found them to be either error prone or to have other significant issues. The toys ...

Pros: When Nothing Else Worked, This DID!
Cons: Doesn't explain both vowels sounds or lowercase letters.

Did you ever have an idea that you caught yourself saying, “I wish someone would make…” Well, one of mine has been heard! This video is too cool...after so many different ways of trying to teach my 4 year old (at the time) to recognize her ...

Pros: teaches letter sounds and recognition in a fun way
Cons: the only thing I can think of, doesn't teach "both" sounds some letters make

I had considered this video but we had owned several other "learning" videos before that didn't work. We even own Hooked On Phonics and my daughter won't do it. But when people started recommending this video left and right I figured it couldn't hurt ...

Pros: Entertaining, great replay ability, multiple cues for memory retention
Cons: Short vowel sounds only

My son is about to turn 3 and he's known his ABC's for a few months now but we couldn't turn the corner on the letter sounds. I played this tape for the first time on a Friday and by Monday he knew most of the letter sounds. A week later he knew them ...

Pros: Promotes letter recognition and pronunciation through phonics.
Cons: None.

The Letter Factory is a Leap Frog product which I have found to be very useful tool in educating my son. My son is three years old and is currently attending speech therapy five times per week. A friend of mine recommended this video as well as The Word ...

Pros: Effectively teaches beginning phonics and letter recognition.
Cons: Only teaches one sound for each letter.

I had no idea what a hit this would be with my 3 year old. The song that goes through out the DVD is catchy for preschoolers. My little boy watched the DVD from start to finish the first time we put it in. Basically, the DVD takes you through a ...

Pros: Fun and educational.
Cons: Some letters make more than one sound. DVD doesnt cover that.

My sister turned me onto this DVD about 2 years ago. Got it at Target for $10. This DVD is great. I got it for my daughter right before she started pre-school. It has helped her so much with her letters and sounds. The catchy tune helps too. Its a lot ...

Pros: Too many to list!
Cons: None

As a homeschooling family we are constantly looking for different ways to teach our children. I have three year old boy/girl twins who are as a different as night and day. My son loves to learn, explore, count, spell, do worksheets, any educational! My ...

Pros: Excellent Learning tool.
Cons: NONE!!!!!!

Truly a learning DVD. If you want your child to grasp the connection of the letter and sound, this is a MUST GET dvd. Before your child can read they will learn that each letter of the alphabet represents a sound. When your child sees the letters and ...

Pros: This movie taught my son the basic phonics of letters in days!
Cons: I honestly can't think of one!!!!

My mother-in-law bought this for my 2 1/2 yr old for Christmas. He has not stopped watching it (and it is now July!) He already could recognize the letters, but didn't know any of the sounds. Within days he was reciting the sounds along with the letters. This movie makes learning so much fun. Now that he knows the sounds of the letters, he is still requesting to watch the movie! This is an amazing learning tool.

Pros: Amazing method of teaching letter sounds; fun and easy to learn; catchy tunes
Cons: That I waited until now to discover it!

After my barely 4 year old's preschool teacher recommended this DVD, I immediately went out and bought it. After watching it maybe 4 times, my son could do every sound. It was amazing! We have other Leap Frog toys, such as the Fridge Phonics and this goes right along with the DVD. We have since bought the Letter Factory board game and Leap Pad book and have found that they reinforce what he has learned from the DVD well. I have lent the DVD to a few friends and neighbors and they all immediately went out and bought their own copies! I can't say enough good about this product! As for it not teaching the other vowel sounds, that is covered with the Fridge Phonics product. I figure if the DVD can teach my son 26 sounds, and I have to help with a few extra vowel sounds, we're still doing great! The basics are covered! I HIGHLY recommend this product-you won't be sorry!!

Pros: Taught my son the alphabet & what each letter says.
Cons: I wish it would of taught all the different sounds a letter makes.

When my friend told me that this DVD helped her son learn his alphabet I thought she was crazy. Then I was shopping and ran across it at the store and thought for the price why not try it and was glad that I did!

I don't remember my sons exact age, but I know he wasn't quite 2 at the time we bought the DVD. By the time he was 25 months old not only did he know all the names of the letters, but he also knew what sounds they make!

It's been over a year since we have bought this DVD and there are times my son will still request to watch it.

If you are looking for a fun educational video to help teach your child the alphabet then this is the DVD for you!

Pros: Catchy tune, gives each letter a great visual and keeps their attention.
Cons: Only shows one sound for each letter, could be a little more extensive that way.

I bought this video on recommendation from my friend, she said her daughter learned her letter sounds in a week. I was skeptical but in a week my 4 year old had made a considerable improvement. She has gained interest in reading and writing letters, she is pointing out letters on signs and sounding them out. She will be entering French Immersion in September so I am worried her English reading skills may fall behind. This video has certainly started a great foundation and has eased my worrying. My 2 year old watches it also and is singing the letter sounds all day too. They always want to watch it, they enjoy the learning aspect of it and love watching it over and over. Each letter is given a wonderful visual and is repeated several times. The DVD allows you to learn four letters at a time in a block, you can repeat them until mastered and move on to the next block, this is very useful for the little ones.
Overall, a great video for ages 2-5, it certainly aids in learning, the kids love it and you will find yourself singing along too.

Pros: Great learning tool, keeps toddlers interested!
Cons: NONE

We bought this movie for my daughter when she was 13 months old. I was told by a few people that it was a wonderful learning tool. Basically it teaches the alphabet in a fun, musical way. My daughter loved this dvd and watched it over and over and over again. Sure enough a week or so letter she was able to say a lot of her alphabet. By the time she was 18 months she was able to say her complete alphabet and pick out all the letters as well! I highly recommend this dvd to everyone! It is very educational in a fun way. I have not met a child yet that has not been interested in watching this video over and over again!

Pros: GREAT learning tool, catchy tunes easy to remember
Cons: Short video, only one sound per vowel

This program is worth its weight in gold. We've had it almost two years. My four-year-old, then two, learned his letters VERY quickly by watching this video numerous times. As a three-year-old, he started piecing words together from the letter sounds he learned in this video. Now, at 4, he's really ready to read.

My second child is now learning his letters from this video, and loves it too.