v smile or other console for 3 year old?

chairman_miaow

jellyhead wrote: »

He seems to be the only one at nursery who can't use the nursery PC. He has to start school the minute he turns 4 and I don't want him to be the only one who doesn't know what to do in IT lessons. Plus, it's something he is showing an interest in, and I'd rather he had age-appropriate games.

He is 3, and at a recent parent-partnership meeting at nursery everyone was horrified when I said that I don't let my boy use the internet because I don't think a 3 year old needs IT skills. I prefer him to run and climb

FWIW , that's how we feel about our boy - he will be 4 this week and we'd rather he carried on playing with toys etc and used his imagination than staring at the TV or computer screen...i'm sure he'll do enough of that when he's older !

jellyhead

Galvaniser's baby is your son in year 1? I don't know if all schools in england do the SATS. They are in year 2, after easter. Children whose birthdays fall after easter will be 6 when they take their exams, but most children will be 7.

chairman - My son wants to copy older children. My eldest child didn't have cousins etc. to copy so he didn't play games at age 3.

I am all for limiting screen time and making sure children know how to play instead of wanting to gaze at a screen all day. Whatever I buy will be for occasional use, and just to give him something age-appropriate for when he wants to play with the big boys.

Janepig

onlyroz wrote: »

I can also vouch for "I did it mum" on the Nintendo DS - my 3-year-old loves it, and it teaches stylus control as well. For the Wii, with a bit of help a 3-year-old can handle "Mario Kart", and there's also a kids game called "Cosmic Family", but that one has limited value.

My hope is that because it's pen-like it'll help my DS get used to holding a pen. I was just amazed how, in two short-ish goes of it, over two days, he really got the hang of it so quickly.

Jxx

PS: Strangely enough, DS's day nursery has a qualified teacher on the staff too :rolleyes:.

jellyhead

good point about stylus control - my boy isn't interested in drawing or writing but perhaps a DS game would get him to learn some fine motor control without him realising

onlyroz

A word of warning, though, if you're planning on letting your young child lose on your own games console - my boy has dropped my Nintendo DS a number of times, and has generally been fairly rough with it, and now the touch-screen calibration has gone completely loopy. I'm not sure whether I want to buy him his own (and I'd certainly like to buy myself a new one). Perhaps I might pick up a second-hand one for him...

*Louise*

onlyroz wrote: »

A word of warning, though, if you're planning on letting your young child lose on your own games console - my boy has dropped my Nintendo DS a number of times, and has generally been fairly rough with it, and now the touch-screen calibration has gone completely loopy..

No chance is my 3 year old getting his grubby little mitts on my DS without me there - he'd be bouncing it off the walls!:rotfl:

I want the DS game so we can both spend time together and he can learn letters and numbers and how to use the stylus....and hopefully to make him sit still for more than 20 seconds

minimoneysaver

Another vote for the DS lite. My 3 year old little girl loves hers and can play the I did it range of games. There's some new ones out to either buy or download!

lynnexxxo

If you buy your ds from argos or game you can take out extra insurance incase it gets damaged for £20. In my family anyway, ican virtually guarentee it will be £20 well spent.

galvanizersbaby

jellyhead wrote: »

Galvaniser's baby is your son in year 1? I don't know if all schools in england do the SATS. They are in year 2, after easter. Children whose birthdays fall after easter will be 6 when they take their exams, but most children will be 7.

chairman - My son wants to copy older children. My eldest child didn't have cousins etc. to copy so he didn't play games at age 3.

I am all for limiting screen time and making sure children know how to play instead of wanting to gaze at a screen all day. Whatever I buy will be for occasional use, and just to give him something age-appropriate for when he wants to play with the big boys.

Yep he's just entered Year 1 - his birthdays in October so he's one of the oldest in the year - supposedly an advantage! :eek: