which learning system to buy my 4 yr old ds?

flower85_2

hi all,

dont know if this is the right place to post and ask but im after a bit of advice for a christmas present im considering for my 4 year old son.
i have looked online and the best games console for his age and i think he would benefit from the most is the vtech mobigo but i have also heard people talking about leapfrog and tag or something!! :cool:

has anyone bought these types of consoles for their kids and if so what did they think of them? what sort of games can you get for them?
i want to buy something that he will not get bored of and i can buy games that are not to expensive.

my eldest has a psp and i have a ds lite but i think my ds2 would benefit from a learning system more then a games console if you know what i mean!!!

thanks all. xxx

hope that all makes sense!!!

daveyjp

Forget a console which will become out of date - consider an ipod touch.

Thousands of apps all the family can use - our four year old uses a phonetics and writing app which cost a couple of quid, she has games which improve memory, simple driving games which are good for motor skills, maths puzzles, numbers etc etc.

msb5262

Hello OP,

I really would think twice before buying any kind of console for a child of that age.

When your son is about 6 or 7, an iPod would be useful in lots of ways but please believe me...children spend WAY too much time gazing at screens and it doesn't generally benefit their all round development.

The earlier you start with the console thing, the more the child loses out.

zippybungle

This isn't a game console thingy, but I am buying my 5 year old son one of these for Xmas to help him practice his writing

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LeapFrog-19139-Scout-Scribble-Write/dp/B001W2WKS0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys&qid=1289593132&sr=8-1

It has quite good reviews, and I think my son will like it

Zippy x

chelle230

my son got a vsmile 2 years ago, he'd just turned 3. he loved it, was maybe a little young at the time, they do games up to about 9 years of age I think. unfortunately it's stopped working, so for this christmas, we've bought him a vsmile pocket which plays the same games, so no forking out for new ones.
the games are also educational and you can get them cheap with free delivery direct from vtech

Running_Horse

I recently discovered this amazing learning system for my daughter, made out of paper, think they're called books or something quaint like that. Don't know what batteries they take though.

zippybungle

Running_Horse wrote: »

I recently discovered this amazing learning system for my daughter, made out of paper, think they're called books or something quaint like that. Don't know what batteries they take though.

wow, that's helpfull

nuttybabe

zippybungle wrote: »

This isn't a game console thingy, but I am buying my 5 year old son one of these for Xmas to help him practice his writing

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LeapFrog-19139-Scout-Scribble-Write/dp/B001W2WKS0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys&qid=1289593132&sr=8-1

It has quite good reviews, and I think my son will like it

Zippy x

what an ideal present for my 3year old. thank you so much . 1 down, 2 to go!!

sleepystar1975

For DDs christmas one year, we got her the leapsterII. Two years on and she still loves it.

I would tend to go for a handheld console over a "connect to the TV type", as you have the advantage that he can use it in the car on long journeys, or other long boring experiences (doctors waiting rooms etc), and can be taken on holiday without too much of a palaver.

milliebear00001

These systems are really unnecessary. Quite apart from the fact that a four year old's time in front of a screen should be tiny, there are loads of free, fantastic, educational games he can play on an ordinary PC/laptop. My four year old particularly loves https://www.poissonrouge.com, which is utterly fab and teaches loads of really valuable skills. If he plays on a laptop/PC, rather than a 'fake' system, he'll have a head start at school in terms of mouse-skills and keyboard use as well - miles better.

bigblackdog

milliebear00001 wrote: »

These systems are really unnecessary. Quite apart from the fact that a four year old's time in front of a screen should be tiny, there are loads of free, fantastic, educational games he can play on an ordinary PC/laptop. My four year old particularly loves www.poissonrouge.com, which is utterly fab and teaches loads of really valuable skills. If he plays on a laptop/PC, rather than a 'fake' system, he'll have a head start at school in terms of mouse-skills and keyboard use as well - miles better.

very interesting thanks