Our son really takes to electronic games and wonder whether anyone had bought their young kids one to keep them amused?

mmm tricky one I think – I was encouraged to play stuff like this as a kid because of my dyspraxia to help the co-ordination side of things, but personally I think 4 might be a tad young or if he were mine I owuld careful monitor/control his usage – 4 years olds should be off doing other stuff and learning through play, not engrossing themselves in computer games…

that said my 2 year old has asked for his own 'buputer' (computer) to watch 'new' (you) tube on – he isnt satisfied with the 'toy' laptop he has…

My little girl (aged 3 going on 33) had a game for the DS, it is scary to watch, she can get around our android phones to find the app she wants, power on the DS, get to the game and section she is after, save it etc

The DS belongs to my wife though, not to sure about letting her have one of her own

Chris

He plays at plenty of other stuff, very active, loves being outdoors, riding his bike but he also has a great eye for details. I was considering it to compliment the other forms of play and learning.

My 3 year old uses her older sibling's DSs.

She can cope with it quite well. But she needs help every so often on certain games. And she does have a habit of deleting data files. A year's worth of Mario gone in a blink.

Why not – they have games aimed at a younger market and you clearly know that it shouldn't be his only form of entertainment or learning.

I'd say no.

Study shows gaming can hinder academic development

A Nintendo DS to a youngster is the computer game equivalent of Crack

I would say yes but limit his time on it.

My 3 kids have all got them and they know when the beeper goes that's it no discussion and happily jump up and get on with other things most of the time anyway and none seem to be struggling at school, they had them when around 4/5

Loads of games for them at that age at good prices just search around!!

I'd wait, my then 5 year old got one and is obsessed with it, have to limit time on it and there are very often tears.

Our 5 & 7 yr olds both have one.
They are great for long car journeys / travelling in general.

Their usage is controlled by me or the mrs, they know when game-time is up, and there are no problems getting them to put the DS down.
Both kids also like to play the 'thinking' style of game, brain-training or whatever it is, along with the run of the mill blast & zap 'em games.
Works for us, they are both very active kids, so the DS just gives them an extra means for learning / recreation.

I'd say no as well. I firmly believe that kids need to develop an imagination, which they won't do if presented with a ready made set of audio/visual triggers that do it all for them.

My son, now a man, had gaming equipment from an early age and as a result, never really took to reading, which for me is massively important in a youngster's development.

Of course, this may just be my son, rather than gaming influences, but I def wouldn't risk it again…

my four year old has a leapster2 hand held games console- with educational games that are actually fun to play (x-men and star wars are fab)without the really crappy graphics that can go with kids learning software.
he thinks of it as a pretendo DS until he's old enough for the real thing and it's helped his writing skills as lots of the games use a stylus and copy letter patterns etc…

keeps the child amused…. so not talking and playing with the parents then?

a book..???? Much better present

DS at 4 is utterly wrong..

My son, now a man, had gaming equipment from an early age and as a result, never really took to reading, which for me is massively important in a youngster's development.

My son, now a teenage PITA, had PS1, PS2, GameCube, Wii, XBox, GameBoy Color, Gameboy Advanced, Nintendo DS and iPod Touch, and on average reads at least a book a week, usually two.

I don't see the case for mutual exclusivity.

my daughter had one at 4yrs.
you have to pick and choose the games carefully because some games requiring good reading ability. however, there are some simple games and some educational ones, some logic and reasoning games too.
as for over-playing it, yes in the first month that was the case but the novelty soon wore off and she now plays it a far more moderate amount.
it's also been invaluable on long car journeys.
i do steer very clear of TV games ~ Wii, PS3, XBox.
i can't comment on the affect on academic development. however, I can say 2yrs later – my daughter is doing very well at school.

We gave our lad one at 4yrs 9mths & it has helped him with his reading & maths. We do limit his time with it.
2 years later, hiis reading & maths have come on well, writing is the issue. He also loves books & considers a trip to the book shop or library a treat.

It;s not the item (DS, computer, games consul, football, bikes, art, dinosaurs etc), it;s how it's used.

I'd agree the Leapster is the way to go. Loads on ebay. My 3 yr old lad plays it nicely. I see the trouble with the DS being the sensitive touch screen. My lad doesn't seem to be able to judge pressure too well with the stylus!!!!!!, much to the fear of my 9 & 7 yr old girls whose machine he uses (under supervision).
Too young at 3 for a ds IMO.

Friends' near 5 year old enjoys hers.

My eldest's just turned 5 and I know he'd love one. I also know he'd want to spend far more time on it than I'd be happy with and I'd rather avoid that conflict. I'm not a computer gamer at all, but don't have anything against them – I just figure there's plenty of time for computer game fascination to enter his life, so why rush? Not like he's asking for one.

My 3 year old daughter kicks my butt at Mario multi player, we like our ds's in our house, actualy ashamed to admit we have more ds's than people!! 6 to 5, our kids are all a sharp as a tack and doing well at school, well rounded individuals so I don't have a problem with game consoles, the extra ds occured because daughter number 2 lost hers and got a new one at christmas, found the lost on when clearing the house to put down new flooring, a spare is always handy!!
PJ.

My son, now a man, had gaming equipment from an early age and as a result, never really took to reading, which for me is massively important in a youngster's development.
My son, now a teenage PITA, had PS1, PS2, GameCube, Wii, XBox, GameBoy Color, Gameboy Advanced, Nintendo DS and iPod Touch, and on average reads at least a book a week, usually two.

I don't see the case for mutual exclusivity.

Agreed, which is why I say – "it may be just my son" Not claiming anything, but to repeat – I personally, would not risk it again.

Computer games = scourge of the devil!
Number of parents that tell me "my son/daughter is a computer wizz – always on the computer!!" What they mean is that they play games/social network etc but cannot think for them selves. Computer games = training not learning. VERY bad imo!