daughter turning 5, psp or gameboy adv.

[purbeast0]

get her a DS.

why the hell would you get a 5 year old a portable video player, portable mp3 player, and a portable gaming system for way more than just a portable gaming system?

 

[Mo0o]

if you really must get one, i'd probably get GBA since its smaller and has more kiddy titles

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: Naustica
I bought my daughter the DS. She's 3. She loves Nintendog and that doodle program. I bought the DS for my wife but my daughter loved it so much that I bought her own.

My daughter doesn't care for my PSP. It's a good thing because she would break it in less than a day.

My nefphew had a gameboy advance when he was 3. He takes very good care
of it, and now that he is about to turn 6 wants the DS. Does the DS play the gameboy advance games?

 

[JRich]

http://www.vtechkids.com/

 

[wazzledoozle]

Neither, get her a DS lite and nintendogs.

 

[CptObvious]

I'd go for the GBA SP...cheaper, more games for her age, and above all it comes available in pink.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Originally posted by: CyTGdotNet
lotsa dolls allready, besides another doll is not going to train that hand/eye/virtual/3d/math skills/coordination essential for anyone thriving for world domination. A gaming console provides a good workout for alot of the cognitive skills, so dont gimme dolls .... mkaythx ?

You should buy her grammar flash cards so she doesn't grow up and send email like the above.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: Naustica
I bought my daughter the DS. She's 3. She loves Nintendog and that doodle program. I bought the DS for my wife but my daughter loved it so much that I bought her own.

My daughter doesn't care for my PSP. It's a good thing because she would break it in less than a day.

My nefphew had a gameboy advance when he was 3. He takes very good care
of it, and now that he is about to turn 6 wants the DS. Does the DS play the gameboy advance games?

Yes, DS plays the GBA games as well but we haven't tried any. But DS has a slot for GBA games.

My daughter takes good care of her DS as well.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: JRich
http://www.vtechkids.com/

I bought that for my daughter and took it back the next day. Composite picture is so bad that it literally hurt my eyes. Told my daughter it was broken so she wouldn't play it. It's a terrible machine.

 

[eits]

how about a sweet game called 'going outside'? yeah, it's real fun with other players and there are a bunch of different maps she can choose from...

 

[Imported]

Get a DS Lite.. and since you want to train your kid to take over the world, maybe those Brainage games might be a decent start? ;

 

[CyTGdotNet]

good stuff coming in ..
well the psp idea was spawned by her mother, indeed two of her playmates have gotten psp's .. how much they use them i dont know..
but im certainly leaning towards the GBA or DS

 

[KaChow]

Like most others here, I would recommend against a handheld for a 5yo.

 

[Thraxen]

Foe a 5 year old? Definitely NOT a PSP. Too expensive and they would likely wreck the optical drive. I'd go a DS. If you are willing to buy a PSP, then a DS should be your next option over a GBA. A DS can play GBA games anyway.

 

[Thraxen]

Originally posted by: eits
how about a sweet game called 'going outside'? yeah, it's real fun with other players and there are a bunch of different maps she can choose from...

Hah... under normal circumstances there likely only two maps: 'front yard' and 'back yard'. I hear that 'back yard' is a blast though.

 

[Howard]

Perhaps a motorcycle, then.

 

[50cent1228]

vtech gaming system

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: JRich
http://www.vtechkids.com/

:thumbsup: Techno toys with some learning involved. Good start.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Originally posted by: eits
how about a sweet game called 'going outside'? yeah, it's real fun with other players and there are a bunch of different maps she can choose from...

Hah... under normal circumstances there likely only two maps: 'front yard' and 'back yard'. I hear that 'back yard' is a blast though.

there's an expansion pack... it comes with maps called "playground," "soccer field," "basketball court," "woods," "fishing," "catch," and "bike riding"

 

[AStar617]

Originally posted by: CyTGdotNet
good stuff coming in ..
well the psp idea was spawned by her mother, indeed two of her playmates have gotten psp's .. how much they use them i dont know..
but im certainly leaning towards the GBA or DS

"Keeping up with the Joneses" is one of the worst reasons to buy a kid something (though I doubt you didn't know that already).

I, like a lot of the 20-somethings here, grew up with video games just like she has. My older brothers had an Atari 2600 for as long as I can remember, then we got NES/Sega Master System in '87/'88, then the 16-bit boxes, etc. etc. with full computers strewn in between (my father worked for DEC so I got an early start there too). But even still, while my console resume reads like a completist's collection, video games didn't dominate my youth... we still were active outdoors, riding bikes, playing sports, or simply running around all day until the streetlights came on and we *had* to go in.

Having gone thru it myself, I think people put waaaaay too much of a retroactive rationale behind the "benefits" of playing video games. Cmon man--tell me with a straight face that you're getting your 5yo daughter a PSP for the "hand/eye/virtual/3d/math skills/coordination" benefits with a straight face. :roll: Stating that kids are "born digital" is a copout in this argument. With all due respect, it's more likely that this PSP/GBA will end up being a low-rent babysitter (or pacifier).

IMHO, kids don't even know how to play with real toys largely because parents don't provide them with any while they can. "smack them around in tekken while you can"? If you're grooming a kid on video games this early, trust me, there's MORE than enough time for that on the horizon. How about playing make-believe with her while you can?

This newest generation will have it the worst because theirs is the first with parents who didn't necessarily value any recreation other than electronics.

For the record, I'm a tech support engineer for UNIX hardware/software, with every intention for my children to be as technically apt as I am (i.e., beyond the needs of everyday life).

 

[funboy6942]

I built my youngest his first computer when he was 3. He got nothing but educational software. Reading, match, abc's what not. Maybe not either you mentioned but the Leapster has a handheld system I got my son last year he still loves to play with and alot of educational programs. Plus its built like a tank, hes dropped it I dont knwo how many times and it still begs for more.

Just a thought to go with an less expensive computer or a Leapster and some educational programs.

 

[thomsbrain]

a 5-year old does NOT need a video game system of any kind. buy her something that will encourage her to use her imagination instead of being a passive little drone. you do realize that the way you encourage her to play today is the way she'll be when she's an adult?

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: Dacalo

Originally posted by: JLGatsby
I had a NES for my 4th birthday.

That explains it.

haha, seriously. unless you want your kid to turn into JLGatsby, I highly suggest you avoid a video game system for a kid this young.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SmoochyTX

Originally posted by: CyTGdotNet
lotsa dolls allready, besides another doll is not going to train that hand/eye/virtual/3d/math skills/coordination essential for anyone thriving for world domination. A gaming console provides a good workout for alot of the cognitive skills, so dont gimme dolls .... mkaythx ?

Seriously, WWYBYWB? :roll:

God dang, it's ALWAYS the black guy avatar.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Handhelds aren't very educational and are very easy to break or lose. Just teach her how to use a computer.

Originally posted by: eits
there's an expansion pack... it comes with maps called "playground," "soccer field," "basketball court," "woods," "fishing," "catch," and "bike riding"

Nah, the expansion pack is too difficult for a three year old. Playground is filled with new baddies like fifty year old man and bowl of antifreeze. Thus, it isn't recommended for children under the age of eight.