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Advanced Preschool

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 40 / 44
Date: May 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

We have used reader rabbit toddler and learning center (jump start) toddler and my 2-3 year old son enjoyed the jump start more. Now he is 3 and a half years old and after using reader rabbit personalized preschool for awhile, I have to say the Jump Start Advanced Preschool blew us away. My son responds to this game so well! Whereas he often shut down reader rabbit all by himself when he was done, we have to drag him away from the computer when he is playing Jump Start Adv Preschool. The main idea is that kids earn rewards for their baby animals by getting 3 things right in different categories (rhyming, counting, letter matching, etc.) I love the idea that he is rewarded by giving his virtual pet a treat or a bath, for instance, and I think what a great way to reinforce kindness and doing nice things for others and at the same time learn some skills.

Today we went back to reader rabbit preschool to finish it. In this game, kids complete several learning games to earn tickets for a carnival ride. I had to bribe my son with m&ms to get him to complete the last carnival ride games. Instead of letting him 'go' on the carnival ride, the program cut to a parade (since he had completed the game as well) and at the end of the parade it went to credits and then a reward certificate. Then the game crashed. None of his work was saved. I finally managed to get his work saved but the game still crashes if he goes back to the parade.

JumpStart Adv. Preschool also came with 2 other CD-ROMs: Language club and Art for Fun. My son really enjoys the Language Club as well and I feel like we really got our money's worth with this game. In terms of which games motivate him to learn, Jump Start wins hands down.

Educational, fun, and easy to use.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 35
Date: February 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Jumpstart Advanced Preschool is an excellent 3-disc set of softare for children 2-4 years old. Each disc consists of a series of games which are explained by, and feature, delightful animated characters that your children will adore. These games teach fundamental skills like counting,letter recognition,shape sorting, musical appreciation, and so on.

At the start of each set of games, an animal 'pet'(rabbit, cat, lizard, etc.)is selected. With the successful completion of each game,the player is given a reward (some food, a toy, a brush...) for the pet to eat or play with. Kids love this. They giggle as they watch the dog chew his snacks and smile, or the cat play with his flashlight. After 4 reward items are acquired, the player is then encouraged to find the pet a loving home (they take off in a hot-air balloon and fly over potential new homes).

It's amazing to see how this simple reward system can motivate a child! My 3 year old son has been using this software for the past month and he never gets tired of it. He's excited every time he wins a new reward. Parents can customize the level of difficulty for each subject area, so the games should never get too easy or too difficult. Keeping the games at the appropriate level ensures that your child never gets bored or frustrated.

I haven't experienced any of the problems that some other reviewers have complained about. The sound and visuals all work perfectly. What's more, this software is very user-friendly. My 3 year old doesn't even need my help with it. He just sits at the computer and starts playing on his own (but it's fun to play with him, so I'm usually right by his side).

One piece of advice: I strongly recommend that participants listen to the spoken instructions before playing each game. If you begin clicking your mouse before the instructions have finished, you will immediately jump to the game before you know what you're doing. But, even if this happens, don't worry. Just click the "back arrow" button, and the instructions will repeat. Other than that, this is as easy as 1..2..3.

Preschool Help

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Great little activity. Got both grand kids (10 days apart)learning shapes, numbers, groups, letters, and colors. Good intro to Leapster.

Jumpstart is great as always!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

My 3-yr-old daughter loves this game. She had grown past the Jumpstart Toddlers, so was ready to advance, and this was perfect. My older daughter (now 12) had gone through many of Jumpstart Program, and she always loved them, too. The games are very fun for the kids, and yet while they're playing the various games, they are learning and preparing for school, too. I highly recommend Jumpstart products!

Great even for 1-year olds!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: August 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This software (Jumpstart Advanced - Toddlers) is very easy to install and simple to use. My 17-month old can't yet use a mouse, but Jumpstart allows her to punch the keys and make things happen. She LOVES to sit in my lap and follow along as I play through all the games and activities. Her favorite part is the learning CD where she can explore colors, shapes, numbers, and other activities with a cute little duck named Dee-Dee. My daughter loves the animation and lively songs. When she's cranky and all else fails, I will say "Is it time for Dee-Dee?" and my little girl's eyes light up and she toddles into the computer room to wait for me to start her CD. I love this product and will likely order more from Jumpstart as she grows older.

Great for a 4 Year Old!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: July 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

My son is 4 and he gets very bored with some games (ie Dora). This game has so many facets to it that it keeps him VERY occupied, and he really enjoys being able to customize things like stories. I wouldn't suggest it for a younger child, unless they are very proficient on the computer. Yeah for being Mac compatible!!

Must be good!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 24
Date: June 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I haven't tried this one out yet, but I will go out on a limb here and say this is probably a good choice. Why? I purchased the original Jump Start Preschool for my 4 year old son and not only does he love it, it's really educational. It teaches memory, numbers, letters, etc. all in a fun way. I don't see how you could go wrong with this one.

great games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: October 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

My three year old loves this cd. She constantly played it for the first year we had it. It's got games that are harder and games that are easy for her so she always has something to do. Her favourite game was the balloon pop which teaches number recognition and additon.

Good investment

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

My son is 2 1/2 and loves his Jump Start software. He asks to play every day! Good distraction from TV and another avenue for parent child interaction. Right now it is hard for him to manuver the mouse to the various objects in the activities, but with help he's learning to move the mouse and how to play the interactive games. There are several activities on each CD, but he does have his favorites (i.e. balloon animals). Overall a great teaching/learning tool. Each CD allows the parent to increase or decrease the activity challenge level, so it will grow with him for the next few years!

Good first experience with computers

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: July 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

My 2 1/2 year old son loves this program. He started out having problems with his mouse skills, but soon mastered the interface. After a month, he has just about worn out this program.

My only reservations is that it runs on a 640x480 screen and does not automatically adjust the display when it starts (win98/SE). At the resolution I use on my computer, the screen is to small to see. It would be great if they had the program auto-adjust the screen resolution and mouse sensitivity.

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