Gaming systems for young children

[Heavenly]

We got a Vsmile for the kids for Christmas and they loved it. Now the stupid thing is broken after less than 8 months. My friend has gone through two of them and both of hers broke too (they turn on and then immediately shut off). I am debating whether to buy another vsmile (which will probably break in another 7 months) because we have the games for it or buy a different gaming system. Does anyone know another gaming system that is similar. It has to be easy enough for a 4.5 year old to play be herself. Thanks for any input!

[kittywitty]

We have never owned a V-smile or anything, but my kids love the Super Nintendo system with Mario Kart.

[amj'smommy]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

We got a Vsmile for the kids for Christmas and they loved it. Now the stupid thing is broken after less than 8 months. My friend has gone through two of them and both of hers broke too (they turn on and then immediately shut off). I am debating whether to buy another vsmile (which will probably break in another 7 months) because we have the games for it or buy a different gaming system. Does anyone know another gaming system that is similar. It has to be easy enough for a 4.5 year old to play be herself. Thanks for any input!

Our V-smile did that EXACT same thing!! What about a leapster? It does have games geared for the younger ones.

[PGNPORTLAND]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

We got a Vsmile for the kids for Christmas and they loved it. Now the stupid thing is broken after less than 8 months. My friend has gone through two of them and both of hers broke too (they turn on and then immediately shut off). I am debating whether to buy another vsmile (which will probably break in another 7 months) because we have the games for it or buy a different gaming system. Does anyone know another gaming system that is similar. It has to be easy enough for a 4.5 year old to play be herself. Thanks for any input!

How about some cool blocks? Or a dolhouse? :

[annethcz]

We have an OLD NES (nintendo entertainment system) and an Xbox that my kids are allowed to play. Both systems belonged to DH and me at some point in time. It's been fairly easy to find kid-appropriate games for my kids.

Actually, I think the best for this is the old NES (the original nintendo system). It's easy to find used, and all of the games are REALLY cheap- we can find games for $2-10 at used game stores.

My kids definitely still play with blocks and dolls and legos and ride their bikes and chase our chickens around the yard. But they also enjoy playing video games on occasion

[HeidiAnn67]

We have a V-Smile too. Ours also stopped working right, but we kept playing with (wiggling) the cord in the back and now it works again. It took a few times of trying to get it to work right before it started working properly.

[bobica]

dd loves her leapster. plus online games at nick jr.

[Mommyfiver]

We actually bought a Nintendo Wii so that the entire family could enjoy the games. There is bowling, and tennis and baseball and boxing, and even my 4yo and 3yo love it. But the biggest kid of all is their dad. my oldest son has an Xbox 360 as well. But a Wii is a great family system from age 2-100. Highly recommend, plus the games are family friendly as well. Mario and such, not sure if it's come out yet.

And you may want to try that dancing revolution game that some systems have..it's a great work out and you know kids like to dance.

[Jennifer Z]

Nintendo tends to have the best kid/family friendly titles if you want to get a regular gaming system rather than the specialized systems.

Ds liked leapster Lmax, but he really likes the computer or nintendo stuff better.

[zeldamomma]

We like our Wii. I especially like that you have to be a little more active when you play.

ZM

[mcng]

I would not get a wii for a 4.5 year old most games can be very frustrating even for adults

[annethcz]

I also would be worried about the Wii for little ones. Yes, some of the games can be frustrating, although when my kids have played the Wii at friends' houses, they've enjoyed it. I'd actually be worried about the kids ruining the controllers. My DH managed to break a controller (he wasn't getting wild with it at all, but he lost his balance and the controller bumped into a chair). If it takes that little to render a Wii controller inoperable, I personally wouldn't want to risk my wild kids playing with it.

[sweetfeet]

Originally Posted by mcng

I would not get a wii for a 4.5 year old most games can be very frustrating even for adults

My 5 year old can play the games on the Wii without any assistance. Her favorites are Mario Party 8 and Wii Play.

She usually plays Mario Kart: Double Dash and Lego Star Wars on our Gamecube. She's really good at video games even though she doesn't get to play very often.

The Nintendo game systems are good for kids because a lot of the games are marketed towards the younger players. Whereas, Xbox and Playstation have more adult oriented games.

Oddly enough Sophie had a lot of trouble playing her cousin's V-Smile. I don't know if it was the difference in controllers, but she was very frustrated with it.

[StellasMommy]

Originally Posted by HeidiAnn67

We have a V-Smile too. Ours also stopped working right, but we kept playing with (wiggling) the cord in the back and now it works again. It took a few times of trying to get it to work right before it started working properly.

Do they have removable power cords? If so, it's probably a cracked solder joint. My dh works on electronic stuff and that's the main problem he sees on electronic keyboards. The spot where the cord plugs into the machine gets smacked and it cracks the joint. It'll work sometimes and not others....or will work if you wiggle it.
Not sure you could find anyone willing/able to open it up and check, but you might want to ask around.

[momz3]

We love the vsmile. our son got one for christmas and it has never stopped working!!!!

super nintendo sounds like a great idea, I would love that for myself, they are just hard to find!

[zeldamomma]

Originally Posted by mcng

I would not get a wii for a 4.5 year old most games can be very frustrating even for adults

We're clumsy people, but my just turned 5 year old has a blast with Wii, she's particularly good at boxing on Wii sports. She likes bowling too.

It takes some practice to get good at Wii, but that's part of what makes it fun.

You do need to be careful to play in an open area, so you don't hurt anyone.

ZM

[mamazee]

My husband and I have a game cube, and my daughter does play it occasionally as of late. She likes Mario Party and Mario Kart Double Dash. My husband likes Lego Star Wars. I don't play it much these days but I used to mainly like Animal Crossing.

[mistymama]

Our vsmile is still going strong and it's about 1.5 years old. But granted, my son does not play it much.

We like to play racing games as a family on xbox 360. My 4 year old is better than I am.

[Heather30ish]

Agreeing with those that recommended a Nintendo system.
We have one of each and DS (now almost 6) has things he can play on each one. The Mario games are mostly all good for beginners and he especially loves Mario Kart for the DS.
When he was almost 5 he started with Animal Crossing (a Gamecube game, those can also be played on the Wii) and I don't think it's too much of a stretch to consider this educational.
If you end up with an old original NES system, look for the LOLO games; very fun puzzles that build-up in difficulty gradually. DS and DH used to do those together.

[LilyGrace]

We have an old NES, too, and after 20 years it's still working. Only the 8yo plays it, but I like that he can't really mishandle the games - it's so easy for kids to scratch a disc.