Vtech - Write & Learn Smartboard Reviews

• Very Clear toys

  
  By A3NLGVE0H5LTUU on 2004-09-30
  I got this toy for my three and four year old. It is very clear on the pronunciation of the letters (you know how some toys the "b" sounds the same as the "v" or even "c"). This toys is great for understanding the letters spoken. The writer pad works well and the games are easy enough for them to understand. My three year old loves it spends a lot of time using it and can already id half the letters and we have only had it bor a few weeks (great road trip toy). If your child likes to learn using computer toys and will sit down with it this toy is a good buy and helpful.
  
  

• could be better

  
  By AIO8AWIIGFJW0 on 2005-01-19
  this toy is a nice concept... that needs a lot of work. I bought it for my newly 4 year son. unless you write the letters perfectly the toy was unable to recognize them. when my son try to write slowly then the toy did not wait for him to finish his writting, the toy would try to guess the letter. No matter how hard he tried, the toy either got the letter wrong or did not let him finish. The toy concept is great but it needs a lot of work as no parent will buy this toy if their kids know how to form their letters already. it works best if you know how to form your letters already then what's the point??? This is a very frustrating toy for the little one who is learning to write their letters and doesn't have a handle on them yet.
  
  

• Don't waste your money

  
  By A27NK066FM5W6Z on 2005-10-16
  We just bought this for our three year old son. He knows his letters very well and can read a little too. So we hoped that this would encourage him to develop his writing ability. The problem is when he writes the letter his way the machine will not accept it. This is discouraging and he tends to ask me or his father to write the letters. Sometimes we can't even get an approval on the letter!? As a result he tends to play the other little games such as "missing letter" or pressing the animals on the smart board. The animals on the smartboard serve no purpose really. The funny pages that come with the machine are a waste. These are just photocopy quality coloring pages with the each letter of the alphabet printed on. These tend to get crinkled and torn in a couple of uses. If this toy was priced $20 lower it would be fine, but for this price, V- tech should do better.
  
  

• Not worth the money

  
  By AKTRH4HR0IIHV on 2005-09-05
  The "smart writer" doesn't work well. Even when I try and write letters, it often doesn't recognize the letter (and my handwriting isn't that bad!).
  
  

• Not a Good Toy For Learning to Write Letters

  
  By A1PBTGYQUTABYD on 2005-08-20
  I bought this for my 3 1/2 year old who was already writing her letters pretty well. This toy is awful for recognizing letters and would even tell me I was incorrect when I wrote one perfectly. It only frustrates my daughter and makes her feel like she didn't do a good job. On the other hand, she enjoys playing the games on it. I won't even save this toy for my second child and wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
  
  
• Not all impressed but not bad
  By A1AYJHA4RBYLOA on 2005-05-20
  My 5 year old son is getting really good at writing letters, so he recieved this as a gift. I like the way it sounds and how clear it is. However, If the child doesn't write straight on it or it is a little uneven, the machine tells him that it isn't right. It is a good thing that my son knows he is right, and I tell him the machine is pretty picky!
  
  
• Does not recognize letters
  By A29JS5ZSSUL418 on 2005-11-26
  I bought this for my 4 1/2 year old daughter, hoping that this would help her with learing how to write her ABC's. It does seem to show you how to write letters, but unless you put enough pressure with the stylus AND write the letters EXACTLY the computer will not recognize them. My daughter was really excited when she got it....but is now pure frustration because she cannot write the letter exactly. Very dissappointed with this toy!
  
  
• Do Not Buy!
  By A134WUE83ELY9U on 2005-11-22
  I bought this for my 4 year old son who took an interest in learning to write some letters. It wouldn't receognoze the letters he wrote no matter how careful he wrote them. What a huge waste of money and I'm very disappointed. The games are difficult and do not give the preschooler enough time to solve them. For $35 it should be much better. He was happier with some lined paper and a pencil!
  
  
• I hope your child writes perfectly!
  By A3MVWMERL9Y3AS on 2006-11-24
  I bought this thinking it would help my 4 yr old learn to write. It gives great instructions on how to write the letter, I will say that. However, unless your child writes PERFECTLY, it won't say they wrote the letter. I myself wrote letters and numbers with it, only to be told "good try." It is more frustrating to my daughter than anything else. If I had tried it before I bought it, I never would have made the purchase.
  
  
• Not perfect - Wait for improvement
  By A27CP00PLT8QAX on 2004-12-28
  I bought this for my 4 year old daughter. Before she got to play with it, I tried it out. I would guesstimate that the handwriting recognition works about 90-95% of the time. It's that last 5-10% that's the problem. For example, when I wrote an "8" very slowly and neatly, it was not recognized 3 times in a row. With my reservations, I let my daughter play with it anyway. She played with it for 30 minutes and hit several letters and numbers that was written fairly well, but not recognized by the toy. Needless to say, she got a little frustrated and did not play with it the rest of the day. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to make the toy happy on a few letters.
  
  The other shortcoming to note is that the place where the child writes and the screen where the writing is displayed is different. Therefore, (if you don't want to erase very often, and use the stylus) when writing, you have to make a mental note of where you've already written on the writing area. For letters where you have to lift your stylus ("K", "R", etc.), this is a little tricky for kids. They can't see where they've already drawn a line as you can with regular paper and pencil. However, I think kids can get the hang of it, after some practice.
  
  All in all, the technology is quite promising. But I don't feel the need to put my child thru the frustration at this time. I'll wait for the next generation.
  
  
• Great learning toy!! some flaws
  By A20R9Y9MXK5KEA on 2006-06-19
  This toy is a great fun tool to help your child with writing/ alphabet skills. It can be very frustrating when it doesnt recognize the letter you are writing (half the time its not even your fault, the board just isnt sensitive enough)...BUT it does help. My daughter improved her skills right after getting this toy even though she often got frustrated with the board not picking up her writing correctly. So I think that any toy that can help alittle is worth some frustration. It definitely works. I found it helped calm my daughter down when I showed her that it didnt always recognize when I wrote the letters too. When its working correctly its a wonderful fun toy. My daughter was 4 when I first got her this toy...However I just introduced this toy to my son who is 2 and he is also getting some benefit from it. FYI, even if you cant write numbers or letters yet - you can still make scribbles and then it finally shows you the right answer.
  
  
• What about lowercase letters?
  By A29GOE2I3BEZ5R on 2006-08-11
  I have four children. I love the concept of the write on toys. However, teachers urge that you teach your pre-schoolers their lowercase letters as well. I taught my first child only uppercase and was so proud of both of us. Her Kindergarten teacher fussed that she was now going to have to "un-teach" the only capital concept. I have been instructed by our current elementary school to make sure my child entering Kindergarten this fall is able recognize both UPPER and LOWERcase letters as well as teach him to write his name in both types of letters.
  
  
• Very Frustrating toy
  By AK1X6JAJ2L389 on 2006-11-25
  My son's grandmother got him this toy after he wanted it SO bad after seeing it on tv last year. He was so excited but after a few days of the toy constantly telling him his letters were wrong (though he was writing them fine, like a 5 year old) he just couldn't handle the toy anymore and resorted to coloring on it and wasting the paper. Now its in the trash as it was also not very durable.
  
  Many other better toys out there for learning.
  
  
• NOT well made! Good concept. Terrible execution
  By AZX4OYSHMOJAX on 2007-01-22
  Great concept to help your kids write. Terrible execution!!!
  
  Here's what happens when you want to practice letters. The toy's frame flips up and you insert a letter's sheet (by the way, you only get one sheet for each letter - don't even think about letting your child use crayons on the originals - better find a copier). You put the frame back down, which triggers the toy to ask you to press on a star that tells it which letter you inserted. It then starts a 10 second tutorial on writing the letter before it asks you to practice writing. Here's the PROBLEM - the toy is so shoddy and poorly made that the frame is loose and not secure. When you even bump the plastic frame, for instance when you actually want to WRITE inside it, the toy thinks you lifted the frame and it resets to asking you to press that stupid star again. There goes 10 seconds, again and again and again. Even I myself couldn't reliably avoid touching the frame. Think about a 3 year old trying to do this.
  
  Avoid this toy. Waste of money.
  
  
• A great learning tool
  By A11Q9G6UAWLA1A on 2004-12-18
  We bought this for our 5 year old son because he was having trouble writing his letters. The smartboard has really made writing his letters fun. It lets the kids know when they have written the letter or number correctly. His writing skills have really improved by using this toy. I would recommend this toy to any parent that wants their son/daughter to have a tool for learning their letters and numbers. Good Product!
  
  
• great recognition
  By A2U8U03HLPCEO1 on 2005-12-26
  I almost got discouraged by some reviews of other parents, my kid is only 3 years-old (incomplete) and it was obvious right after she started playing, that she'll need another year to fully enjoy it and take advantage. Side note: the suggested age printed on the box is 4+
  
  But regarding the recognition system I need to state that I found it quite good, I work a lot on my Palm and on my wife's Tablet, so I didn't have high expectations for the Vtec board. From the reviews in Amazon, I was waiting for the toy to fail recognizing my hand writting or be too strict.
  
  I found Vtech's technology in a fine development stage, no improvement looks like lacking.
  
  
• Alphabet Good; Numbers Frustrating
  By A1JR9P4WWN5DV6 on 2006-04-25
  My daughter (age 3 1/2) is enjoying practicing her letters on this pad. She would like to practice her numbers, as well, but is frustrated for two reasons:
  
  1) In the "learn to write numbers" game, the machine seems to be stuck on 1. Let's learn to write one. Great. Now here's something new: Let's learn to write one. Turns out, you should ignore the toy's instruction to press "GO". Wait until the number you want comes along.
  
  2) There are no "Funny Pages" for numbers, no "number activity" sheets for her to trace if she plays the counting game. I created an ACTIVITY PAGE with the numbers 1 through 10 for her to trace during the "write numbers" and "counting" games, and she is now ecstatic.
  
  
  
  
  
• Great idea... but...
  By A3U7JYH81F7JV2 on 2006-02-24
  In concept, the Write'n Learn Smartboard is brilliant; the user gets real time feedback whenever he completes the letter or task. In reality, however, the system demands that letters be printed 'just right' and doesn't allow any room for the half scribbled un-eveness that the average 4-5 year old produces. For that matter, I'm almost 40 yrs old and it took me 3 try's to write a 'B' that the system would accept. As my sons writing becomes more refined, I can definitely see this being helpful.. but for now, we stick with the games.
  
  
• This is the toy to have
  By A2EPZDIYA2BV1W on 2006-01-20
  I have 2-year-old genious twins and a 3-year-old. Well I have about 10 different electronic toys similar to this one, and this one is the best for their current abilities. Ok, it doesn't always guess the letters, but so what, it just says keep practicing. It also has numerous other features. This is the toy to have if you have a genious 2-year old like mine. He picks this thing up at 8:00am and plays with it till he goes to sleep at 8:00 pm. He has been doing this since he got it 3 weeks ago. And he has so many toys that for Christmas his relatives sent him toys he already has. The other siblings play with it as well, just not as much. I bought two so they wouldn't fight over it. I love this thing.
  
  
• Forget the stylus!
  By AUWRW34EMUULF on 2006-01-30
  My 5-year-old son just received this for his birthday and we both just love it. It is very hard to use with the stylus because you cannot see what you are making, therefore the toy has a hard time recognizing your letters, but if used with the included paper and a #2 pencil, it is very easy. It tells you how to write a letter and if you write it correctly, it rewards you by making your letter dance. This toy also teaches lower case letters, the ABC song and small words...very neat toy...just don't use that stylus, which I am not sure why Vtech even included with the toy. P.S.You can download all the pages on Vtech's website as well!
  
  
  
• Cute but could be better
  By A1MERSQ02BXP5G on 2007-01-05
  I bought this for my 4 year old son who has problems writing. It will be great for letter recognition but there is only one sheet per letter provided. My son needs to see what he writing on paper. The screen at the top doesn't give a great idea of what he is trying to do. Also, my older son got frustrated because he was writing the letter correctly but the computer wasn't able to pick it up. I am a bit disappointed since I had heard good things about this toy. Vtech should provide more ways for the child to see the letter they are trying to write. Also, if they added letter sounds to this it would be great.
  
  
• A+ for education!
  By A1581X6RG5SKXZ on 2005-12-28
  This is one of the BEST toys I have seen yet for educational purposes. In an age of video games, gameboys and all thr trimmings this is a fantastic, portable tool. Helps learn the alphabet and give kids a boost for kindergarten by teaching hovv to vvrite and form letters. Multiple games for different learning experiences. This gets an A+ in my book!
  
  
• Unsafe for children
  By A2LH9QHDR8TWID on 2005-12-30
  This product has no protection for battery access. There is only a plastic cover to it that clips. Can pose a danger to children! I returned it and am no longer buying their products until they change it! Reporting to CPSC!
  
  
• smartboard isn't so smart
  By A6JM18GY2DHRU on 2005-12-30
  I was so excited to buy this for my almost 5 yr old son. It has been such a disappointment and a frustrating toy for both of us. If you don't write the letter correctly it doesn't recognize it. How do you explain to a little one who is trying so hard when the toy keeps telling him he is wrong? I would not recommend this toy and am very disappointed that I purchased it.
  
  
• Ask for A Recall- Please Read
  By AAY0EDBKEXODY on 2006-02-15
  If you own the VTech Write and Learn Smartboard, you could have a issue with it like I am have had. I own two one works correctly. I have had VTech ship me a replacement for one out of the two. Still doesn't work correctly. Now VTech will be shipping me another one, probably with the same defect. Here is my issue. The Smartboard doesn't recognize when you open the top to insert an Activity page/Funny Page. You should be able to move the slider on the left to Funny Pages, and it should say; "Put a Funny Page on the Board, the Press the Red Star on the page", and open it and it will make a musical sound, close it with two musical clicks.
  
  However there one I do own, as with many others, doesn't recognize opening it to insert a Funny Page/Activity Page. First move the slider to Funny Pages on the left, It then says: "Funny Page, put a funny page on the board, how about some other games, move the slider up and down to pick a game, number writing, counting fun, hidden letter, before & after, missing letter, follow the song, free play". There is NO musical sound when you open the orange flap to insert the Activity/Funny pages, or a sound when you close it. It does NOT work properly. I urge you to please contact VTech and start asking for a recall on this item. It is a defect on there part. They need to replace it with product without defects. According to VTech, no one else seems to be having a problem with there product. I urge you to speak up and ask for a recall. Please speak up, I know I am not the only one out there.
  
  
  
• Great learning toy!!
  By A22X4OGE3W498S on 2007-11-09
  I bought this for my son after trying it out in the store. We played with it for about 20minutes in the store, and I had to buy it. It has many different activities to work with. my son is 4 years old and is having no problems with the writing pad that people here speak of. it recognizes what i write and what he writes. It is really neat to see my son writing letters on the paper and watch it pop up on the screen. it also has some songs like the alphabet, and it sings abc then it will stop and he has to put in d for the song to continue. this toy is great for writing and recognizing letters. My son and I have not sat down and played with the numbers too much as of yet. We did write out the 1-7 and it recognizes fine, but he already knows those numbers. The papers that come with it are like the ones you print up, which is actually great because i can scan them and make copies so we never run out!! he will be able to play this for a long time and learn and grow with it. My 7 year old is also enjoying playing with it and they take turns. In my opinion I give this toy 5 stars.
  
  
• Toddlers may need help, big kids no problem
  By A2Z6B2DV8W0RRQ on 2008-03-29
  First - you can download activity sheets from the vtech website. The link is on the this products page on vtech website. You can download specific letters, the free plays sheet, or a zip file containing everything.
  
  Second - the criticism posted here are true. This thing is not perfect. The letters have to be written perfectly in the dotted-line area. The thing some times starts trying to recognize the letter to soon, some times to late.
  
  Third - having said that about the criticism, my son loves this toy, he just turned three knows his alphabet and can read a little... he does get frustrated with it when he's trying to write letters, but for me, that's a sign he needs a little help, so I try to explain what the arrows mean and that he should try to keep the writing in between the lines. Does it work? Not always, but he tries and eventually he'll get it. Fact is he likes it, it keeps his attention, and we (mom & dad) help him when he needs. Practice makes perfet - and, of course, we mix up the writing and drawing activities so he has fun :)
  
  
• I believe this toy is defective
  By AE839SIMP5MQ1 on 2005-01-25
  When I first saw the advertisement for this toy I felt as thought it would be great for my six year old son. Although he does have some special needs, he does know his alphabets and he
  can also read. His problem is: I cannot get him to write. Im school his teacher has started him out with easy letters such as L's,T's and F's which seems to be working but when I purchased the write and learn smartboard he seemed to love it! not just the writing but all of the other game functions. The problem is
  when you keep writing on the screen after a while it seems to crack and the smartboard no longer works. This is the second one that I have purchased since Christmas. It is a great concept but it still needs some work.
  
  
• write and learn smartboard
  By A2VFEJA2IBWOTN on 2006-01-31
  this is an extremely good product. i have guardianship of a 50 year old man who can not read nor write and he is learning thanks to this product and others.
  
  
• DESIREE
  By A2WDLF9FO6PP4F on 2006-02-23
  MY GRANDDAUGHTER LOVED THE V-TECH, SHE PLAYED ALOT WITH IT TO START WITH. THANK YOU FOR SENDING IT SO PROMPTLY.
  
  

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