Review: Fisher Price 3-in-1 Smart Sports
Written on Nov 23, 2009 by Brian and filed under Fisher Price, Reviews
3-in-1 Smart Sports is an extension of Fisher Price’s line of TV games intended to help kids get active while they learn. Designed for kids ages 3-7, the motion-based games follow sports genres of tennis, baseball and golf while teaching skills like numbers, counting, addition/subtraction, uppercase/lowercase letters, spelling, shapes and motor skills.
Getting Started
3-in-1 Smart Sports consists of two core parts, the base station that connects to the TV and the wireless remote. Both parts require AA batteries, for a total of six. The base easily plugs into any TV’s RCA inputs, with one cable for video and another for audio. Thankfully Fisher Price gave us plenty of cord, all too often we see these systems packaged with cables that are far too short.
The wireless remote is already paired with the base, it just needs to be turned on to get started. Along with the remote are three attachments in the shapes of a tennis racquet, baseball bat and putter. Each top is mostly foam, which is a good thing, our testers tended to get a little wild with their swings. Side note, make sure your play area is VERY clear of objects before you get started.
Using Smart Sports
Once you’re all connected, kids can get playing. What’s neat about this system is that it actually knows which attachment is connected. We’ve seen attachments used before, but they’re normally just decoration. These actually do something. Connect the baseball bat for instance, and the baseball game select screen automatically launches. This makes it much easier for little kids to work the console on their own.
Each sport features three learning games, for a total of nine. Most of the games have multiple levels too, so kids get an increasing level of challenge as they play. We found the games to be fun and appropriate in level of challenge for kids in the 3-5 age group. That means the target age range of 3-7 is too broad in our view. That’s not to say older kids won’t have fun, we had a couple that enjoyed some of the games, like golf pinball. But they weren’t challenged and got bored with the system after a bit.
Kids who are learning the basics like letters, early spelling, shapes, math and the like will find a lot to do here. The nine games all have something fun to offer and Fisher Price has done well to make sure they’re not repetitive, which is a common trap with TV games. Kids really liked going from hitting baseballs in space, to putting at a pirate ship to guiding the monkey on the tennis adventure.
Of course kids learning is great, but kids learning while being active is even better. The wireless remote gives kids freedom to roam around a bit, while swinging the remote to play the games. The amount of excited dancing, jumping and flopping about during play made parents feel good about letting them play with Smart Sports.
Bottom Line
Kids in the 3-5 age range really enjoyed playing with 3-in-1 Smart Sports. The games are well-made and the attachments add value rather than just being decorative. We love that kids get up and moving while they’re learning. In fact, we’re pretty sure many didn’t know they were learning at all…another added bonus. Our only hesitation in giving this system our top rating is the price. At $60 MSRP, we think it’s a little expensive for what it is. Even so, if you have more than one child who can benefit from the system, you’ll see the value.
Rating – 4 out of 5 stars
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