Electronic 'Game' Console for a 4 Year Old Boys Birthday

I bought my daughter the leapster l-max for christmas when she was 3 and she still plays with it. It came with cords that you can hook up to the t.v. there are so many games out there that are educational. She also has the leappad and she loves that also. The games help with spelling and reading to get them to learn that, so even if they can't read or spell they will learn with these. I recommend buying the battery charger it is great and will save on the price of batteries. The leapster is nice cause you can take it with you.

My daughter loved the Leapster...for a couple of months! The batteries run out quickly but it does have the option of playing it through the tv.

We got our son a Leapster when he was 4 years old -and he absolutely loved it! (we got the handheld version). It definitely has helped him learn - especially math - it's amazing what they retain. I say go for it!!!

My daughter has the Vtech console for the tv and she loves it. It is very educational and her older brother like to help her with it ever once in a while which is a miracle in itself

Hi C. - My 3 yr old got a leapster for her Christmas and she loves it. I too was worried about her getting hooked on video games too much, but thankfully that hasn't happened with us. It's a great thing to have in the car anytime we're going on a longer than normal car ride because it keeps her entertained and is educational at the same time. The games are educational and age appropriate.

As a mom of 8, who raised the oldest 3 with no TV, no computer and definitely no "console" games, I would recommend you spend your time with your child in imaginative play, cooking, cleaning, gardening, walking, talking, reading books, etc. Our older children all learned to use a computer and game consoles as teenagers and were not "behind" for long. Recently, our 15 year old was talking about spending her own money on a game "console" and her older brother, who bought one after he left home, told her NOT TO WASTE HER MONEY--to go read a book, or learn a new skill instead. I believe, and there is evidence to support my opinion, that electronic games can be addictive and the longer children "go without," the better able they are to have good judgment and self-discipline in that arena. Our older boys both experienced wasting a ton of time playing on their consoles, and then realized the folly of it and got rid of them. What your child really needs to be an intelligent, well-rounded person who loves to learn and can relate to people of all ages, is TIME with you and the rest of his family-not an impersonal electronic teacher.

My daughter loved her leapster. We had a ton of games for it and she just in the last few months has slowed down on how much she plays with it (she'll be 9 in november). I like the variety of available games, and it was helpful for her with letter and number recognition, and she didn't even realize she was learning! Check ebay for prices and for extra games, we got some really great deals there.

My son has 3 different Vtech products, he has the Vtech Smile, handheld smile, and Nitro Vision computer. I think we got him the Smile when he was 4 or 5 and the only problem with it is, reading! If he can't read or spell at this young of age, be prepared to help him out a lot! Now that my son is 8, he enjoys them more on his own, and my youngest will eventually benefit from them. He also has the Leappad thing that helps your read, but he hardly touches it at all anymore. Good Luck!

my son recieved both (christmas and birthday) when he was 4, from family membbers and he LOVED them!! These games promotes all types of learning: phonics, math, spelling, reading). You can't go wrong with either.

I personally do not have any hand held games for my kids because the eye doctor said something that small and close would speed up changes in my children's eyes. Apparently your eyes need to look out at least 20ft to focus effectively and not strain he said and he said games on a TV were much better and wouldn't make my kids nearsignteness worse quicker. So if you have a family history, something to think about! Personally, my kids can use pbskids.org, playhousedisney.com and noggin.com and get educational games just as easy for short-time use (30 min or less).

My daughter received a Leapster for Christmas when she was 3 and LOVED it! I liked that the games were educational and geared for the younger children. I can't say enough good things about it! It was a lifesaver on many occasions!

C.,
just my two cents, and keep in mind i have a two year old not a four year old, but my husband and i decided from day 1 that we would never allow our son to have a computer in his room, so to that end, we already make time for adan to sit with us and "use" our family computer. what i found to my surprise, was that besides watching videos (i've googled everything from animal videos to monster trucks and football), there are TONS of games online, for free, that he loves (and a lot of them are for older kids, i actually have to look pretty hard to find ones easy for a two year old to work). i would highly recommend fisherprice.com, sesamestreetworkshop.org, thomasandfriends.com, even hot wheels has a website with free games. just my personal preference, but a lot of these games are really educational and my son loves them. good luck in your search.

Another option is smart cycle from fisher price (keeps them active). My 3 and 5 year old love it, especially during winter months (seat adjust easily, one small problem is that pedal fell off, but got free replacement, heard some had to weld it on for it to keep put). Leapster Lmax (found on ebay with games, can use TV, too) is great for the car and taking along and use at grandma's house etc. Vmotion is yet another option, it's similar to Wii from what I saw. We are considering getting it also or the Wii for our kids this Christmas.

My son has the Clickstart Computer, which he likes. It hooks up to the tv and only has a few games. The games teach good skills and have 2 different levels easy and harder. It was easy to figure out. He also has the handheld Leapster. I like this one better, because it can go on car trips with us. There are a lot of games for all age groups. I would recommend both.

My boys have worn out 2 leapsters over the past 4 years. 4 years old was about the earliest they could figure out how to use them-plus most of the games they had to at least recognize numbers and/or letters to be able to play the game. I loved the leapsters, because we could take them on road trips, out to long dinners, to those places where you need them to be quiet and still for awhile:)) I'm not sure if they actually learned anything from the games (more just reinforcing what they already knew), but I sure felt better with them adding, subtracting and doing letter sounds than just playing a game. We're on to gameboys now, and it's just video games, ugh! Good luck! I would buy a new Leapster, then check Craigslist or e-bay for the used games. They are really expensive at Target or Walmart ($15-30 each). Sometimes you can pick them up for just a few dollars on Craigslist, and the used games work just as well as new ones!

My daughter has both. She just got the leapster for her 6th birthday. My opinion is there are many more games for the leapster. They have them for all ages. The other does too they just don't seem to have the variety like leapster. It's definately an investment.

My son got a leapster for his 4th b-day and absolutely loves it! I think it's great! He loves the drawing, coloring part of it especially. I haven't had to worry about limiting his time or anything like that because he's so active and limits himself. But it's really great fro taking along for appointments and stuff.

i love the leapster for my son and so did he he had fun

We have both and have been very happy with them. My kids received the vsmile for christmas 5 years ago and has survived the tough love it has been shown. My oldest daughter is almost 9 and still gets on it and plays a with her little brother, so it has lasted longer than I thought it would, but they have also been intersted in it longer that I originally thought. We alos have the leapster-lmax. It cost a little more that the original leapster, but this one has the adapter so you can hook it to the t.v. which has been nice. I like the fact that it has kept them occupied when we have been waiting at doctor offices and other appointments. We have a gameboy advance that was a hand-me-down from big brother that the two older girls like alot, which is nice so the younger boy can play on the leapster. The gameboy frustrated him a little. I am also suprised at how tough the leapster-lmax is. My younger one has dropped it 2-3 times at home on the carpet and at least as many times on the hard wood floors and it still works.
The education content has been suprising to me. Math Mania has taught my youngest to add from small to large numbers before kindergarten. All of them like Get Puzzled- the puzzles are fun, but also teach problem solving skills. We have about 10 games and are happy with all, but these are the ones that they keep coming back to.
Good luck with your choice.

My son got a Leapster when he was 3. We love it! It does have lots of different games for boys and girls. My daughter, now 4, is able to play Disney Princesses and my son, almost 7, is able to play the boy type games on it. Plus I found School House Rock for it and my son was telling me all about conjunctions and pronouns and such after playing it. There are so many games for it and the Leapster Max cartridges work with it and vice versa. Good luck!
K.

My daughter really dislikes her vsmile, and so do my nephews. They all do like video games, but my daughter (almost 5) likes computer games better, and my nephew (just turned 6) likes his ds or gameboy advance better, my other nephew (4) also only likes computer games. Our vsmile was played 2 times. My daughter was aggravated that some of the instructions for getting to the game she wanted needed to be read, so she couldn't do it by herself (she is very independent).

I think it depends on your sons level. If he's really on top of things I really like the Leapster stuff, I think it's more cutting edge. The Vtech is also nice but much more simplistic. Having bought in about a year too early for my son(then 3 now 5 and just starting to use it), I would HIGHLY recommend just scoping E-bay and buying a used lot...you'll get a lot more bang for your buck and if he doesn't take to it then you aren't out as much as if you paid full retail.

A note about the Leapster stuff...I have the Leapster 2 that you can use as a hand held video game AND can plug into your TV. I think it is really cool. I also have all the old Leapster pads where the kids plug in a cartridge and it will read a book for them. The old pad system is just fine and will be MUCH cheaper then buying into the new TAG system...PLUS you aren't limited to only uploading 5 books at a time (i.e. kiddo doesn't have to wait for you for technology). If you are a techy through and through the new Diji system looks really cool, but again...look at the supporting technology (books, cartridges) and determine the age appropriate level for your kid. Looking back on it, I was more interested in the technology then my kids and I tried to force it on them...take him to a store and ask him what he thinks about the stuff...if he's interested in one over the other, chances are it'll keep his attention longer. Don't look at it as spoiling a present (b/c he doesn't know he's getting it anyway), you're just getting him looking forward to the possiblity of something...:)

I will also say I did buy the Fisher Price system last year where the kids can just plug in characters to a board and it will take them to that website to play games. It is a REALLY great way to get the kids working on the computer by themselves w/o screwing up your computer (b/c they can't actually do anything to the computer b/c of the parental controls on the system...YEAH!) My kids loved it b/c they had the freedom to go between sites and didn't have to come to mom to change sites or "FIX" the computer.

For my sons 4th birthday we got my son the Leapfrog Leapster and I think it is a wonderful learning toy. Something else he got was the "Smart Cycle" also another wonderful educational toy. We limit the time he has on his leapster but he does love to play it.