We have Leapsters that have been greatly enjoyed by my two kids (especially on those long car trips!), but my son's Leapster is finally wearing out--problems with the pen/screen. I want to replace it, but I'm torn between getting another Leapster or getting something else. My son is nearly 8 and still loves playing the Leapster games, which we will still keep for his sister's Leapster. But I notice that the age recommendation is 4-8, so I wonder if he will soon tire of it.
I need some advice from experienced mamas:
1. Are there any 8- to 10-year olds who still like playing with their Leapster?
2. I see the Didj is recommended for ages 6-10. Does anyone have a Didj, and how do you like it?
3. Are there any other handheld game systems that you'd recommend for an older child like mine? I really don't know what else is out there besides the PSP and Nintendo DS (my son is always asking for those), but I was hoping for something with educational value... or have you found educational type games for your PSP or DS?
Thanks for your help!
After loving his Leapster for almost 3 yrs, 'Santa' brought uor older son 8)the Didj for X-Mas. He really likes it. Still great educational games that have current characters & themes. He has 'Star Wars the Clone Wars' as well as 'Indiana Jones.' I highly recommend it!
I dont have an 8-10 yr old, but my 6 yr old has both the Leapster and the Ds, and we have had wonderful luck with finding suitable games for the DS. There are pleanty out there that teach about animals, cooking, dance, etc.. In adition to some that work on hand-eye coordination. She has a Build-a-bear game that she has to catch items in a basket and blow into the microphone when honey "gets" on the screen. The Diji is a great next step if he is truly still enjoying the Leapster (and if need be, he can always borrow his sisters Leapster for that special game!)
My son played his leapster until he was 9 and we got him a PSP. He loves his PSP but there is not a lot of educational games for it. We choose that because it also holds pictures and plays movies and music and has some other features my husband thought he would enjoy. The DS has a lot of educational games though and we will probably go that route for our daughter. Most of his friends have DS's.
I have a 7 year old boy who has been raised thus far in a very Waldorf environment; no video games, and very little screen time of any sort and this year he started 1st grade. Suddenly we were surrounded by media exposure from all his friends and even every child he'd meet on trips, airplane rides, the park, etc. So, I agreed to get him a DS for Xmas. I have not found any educational games; he wouldn't want those anyways I imagine, but the Mario Cart game is pretty fun (I even play it sometimes). His favorite is the Star Wars lego and I've had to just accept thats where his interests are and since its legos its not so violent seeming. I have pretty firm agreements surrounding it. Only 30 minutes a day on non-school days. It is working out fine and despite my misgivings I haven't noticed anything that makes me question my decision. He feels more connected to the kids he meets too, since he is able to communicate about what they are into. My understanding of the PSP though is that the games are geared towards older kids or even adults and it allows internet access, so I stayed away from the PSP. Our friends chose the Wii because there are so many active games for it (yoga, tennis, bowling, etc) , but its not handheld or appropriate for car rides. Good luck and I guess we are all being indoctrinated into the tech world with our kids.
Hi N.,
I think it's fair enough to let your son enter into the world of big boys :O) A DS would be great for him. I have 2 boys, and they both have them. I think he would not play the Leapster unless he were confined in his home. He's getting to an age where it might be "embarrassing" for him to play "baby games"......
My vote is for the DS.
~N. :o)
Our 8 year old daughter has a DS that we bought for her 2 years ago at Christmas. She loves it. The only time that she really plays it is when we are going for a long car trip somewhere, otherwise she is playing outside or reading inside after school. She has several educational games for it, or what I would consider educational, as someone said that there are none. One that she really likes is one where you build your own zoo, pick the animals and their appropriate habitat. She does learn from this. My daughter is highly intelligent and does extremely well at school. I believe that there needs to be a balance of education and fun with kids. I know that my kids don't really get a lot of down time to do what they like to do. A lot of time is spent on school, homework, reading, church sports and familytime. So when she finally has time, I think it is ok to have a little time to play video games. It ends up being maybe once or twice every other week. Also, she still has her leapster and plays that sometimes as well.
