Electronic Reading Toy or Tag for 4 Year Olds

Just go to www.starfall.com
It is free.

To learn to read, gadgets like this is really not needed.
Yes, it is fun.
It is a supplement.
Kids like it.
But you can also do it in many other ways.
Introduce 'phonics.' Sounding out the sounds to letters. Then sounding out the letters in words. Then sounding out the word.
Then there is sight reading. Recognizing words, visually.
Schools, use both phonics and sight words, to teach reading in Kindergarten.

The Leapster is also good.
Both my kids had that. It is educational for letters/reading/numbers/math.

We have the Tag readers and although I do like the concept, there are several drawbacks. The memory for them is quite small so that you can only have about 10 books on each at any given time. I have also found that we have to encourage the kids to use them since the novelty has worn off. The books are also quite expensive per...anywhere from $10-14 although I have seen some pretty good sales on the leapfrog website. My kids are almost 4 and almost 6. We have one for each. I have found that ours are so close together that we have to buy 2 each of toys like this or there will be issues.

We got our daughter a Tag reader when she was 3 years old and a Leapfrog Leapster for the Christmas after her third birthday. She's now 6 years old and in Kindergarten and reads at about a third grade level. We've read to her/with her since she was 6-8 months old. I highly recommend the Tag system. This Christmas, she will be "graduating" to a Nook Color.

I would go with a reader. If they are close to reading, I would think that the Tag would only be good for a few months, where as a reader could last for years. I think with some of the readers there is still a help to read function and then a read on their own function. I know my friend has a 4 year old who loves her iXL reader, but I don't know much about it.

My kids and 5.5 and almost 3. We have VReaders from Vtech. I'm not sure it is helping with reading but by Kindergartener is getting close and my little one recognizes a lot of her letters. My older one can use his on his own and has since about 4.5. My younger one still needs some help and supervision (and you need to make sure it is picked up and not damaged but the carrying case helps there). They don't use them that much at home but they have really help preserve my sanity for long car trips and plane trips. Like the tag system, the book cartridges are expensive and there aren't that many of them to choose from. They eat batteries so it is worth getting the plug in adapter for at home.