Whose kids have DS's??

[Mommyfaithe]

What can they do? Are they educational AT ALL????

 

My kids are begging....

 

Faithe

[NanceXToo]

Many of the games for them are educational. :) Some are just for fun- but fun's good, too, right?

 

My daughter (age 10) loves hers. And I don't really limit her time on it much. But it doesn't stop her from getting things done she needs to or taking opportunities to go play outside with her friends or anything like that.

 

She started with the more basic one, which she saved over half the money for herself by earning money, saving gift money, etc, and then we kicked in the rest for a gift for some occasion or other. Then like a year later maybe she got the fancier one she wanted for a b-day gift (it has a camera and stuff) and her 5 y/o brother got the older/basic one handed down to him as he was no longer interested in his v-smile and seemed to have outgrown it- he loves having a DS, too.

 

And they are lifesavers on longer car rides. Just sayin'. lol.

[3lilreds in NC]

Mine have them. Well, my girls do - Schmooey just takes theirs and tries to play with them.

 

Some games are educational. I got Scribblenauts for my younger dd. It's a fabulous game. She liked it, but doesn't play it as much as the other, less educational games, like Gym Rockets. There is a sequel to Scribbelnauts called Super Scribblenauts that looks like a blast! Might have to get that one too. :D

 

They also have several horse-related games and my other dd has a ballet game. They have the DSi version, and LOVE to take pictures with them. They can do silly things to alter the pictures, which they love. It's been fun to watch them play with their friends. We don't let them hook up to the internet with them, but the camera function is fun.

 

I do have to put limits on my older dd, who would really prefer to be a couch potato, but for the most part, I think they are fine. I know my kids really enjoy them.

[Night Elf]

I hate saying whether something is educational or not because in my mind we learn from everything.

 

Dd12 has a DSi

I just traded in my DS lite for the new DSi XL which is absolutely awesome! My favorite game is the Crosswords game which also has word search and anagrams.

 

We also really like:

Brain Academy (critical thinking type games you might approve of)

Animal Crossing (just plain simple clean fun)

Harvest Moon (clean fun)

The 2 Professor Layton games (critical thinking you might approve of)

Cooking Mama (clean fun)

Mario Kart (racing game, clean, fun)

Super Mario Brothers (clean, challenging)

I Spy (simple, clean fun)

[Lady Florida.]

DS 13 has a DSi, and I agree with a pp. Almost anything can be "educational". He loves Scribblenauts, and didn't know about Super Scribblenauts. I just told him and now he wants it. :)

 

He puts all of his music on his DSi, and also takes pictures with it.

[EarleneW]

All 4 of mine have them. The 3 older ones have the DSi's and the youngest just has one of the old DSlites. They all love them- they love that they only need 1 game on many of them and they can link up and play together.

[mommaduck]

Yes, they can be...depends on the game. Some are thinking skills and some are motor skills. I like playing soduku and majong on my friend's DSI when I visit her.

[KarenNC]

My 10yo got one for her birthday this summer. She'd been wanting one for two years, but we had resisted, concerned she'd never set it down. After watching how she interacted with the games on the handed-down PC and dealt with her ipod, we decided she could get one if she paid for it (so she would keep up with it). She saved allowance, did extra chores, used her birthday money and we offered her the option of us giving her the money we would have spent on a birthday party for her (with her friends---we still did a family thing). She's loved it and not been obsessive at all. We found a good deal on a new DS Lite with accessory pack and choice of three games at Walmart.com this summer.

 

Games:

My Spanish Coach (which she uses when I remind her)

Scribblenauts (words become active in the game)

Drawn to Life (drawings become active in the game)

Mario Kart (race game)

Professor Layton (logic puzzles)

Style Savvy (you run a fashion boutique, including buying clothes for it, waiting on customers, etc--she *loves* this one)

Nintendogs (I think hers is a dachshund)

 

For Yule, we're looking at getting her some selection from the following (I think I have the titles right):

Imagine Interior Designer

Imagine Fashion Designer World Tour

Petz Bunnyz

Diner Dash

some older Game Boy Advance cartridges of things like Ms. PacMan, etc that we found for a couple of dollars at GameStop.

 

We buy the used games at GameStop.

[MamaT]

My two youngest have them. There are plenty of edcational games, but mostly they just have fun with them. They like that they can connect and play together. We use them mostly in the car.

[Renthead Mommy]

Too funny, I just said something about DS on the halo thread.

 

We don't have any video games. Husband and I have never been interested, so we never introduced them at any level.

 

My 8.5you has played other people's ds. He's never actually asked for one.

And it seems like I'm constsantly being told I should get him one for car rides and waiting times and such. But you know, he's fine without them. He reads books, listens to his ipod, which has both music and audio books, plays with legos and talks to me. Our average rides here (meaning bigger than errands) is just over an hour each way. Our bigger trips fall into 6 hour or 15 hours each way. On those I'll let him bring the dvd player. But from the time he was little it had to be a min of a 3 hour trip to bring the dvd player.

 

He's perfectly happy without it and can easily find other things to do. So I've got no intention of buying him one. I guess to answer your question, I guess they could be educational. But so is a book or some blank paper and colored pencils or a few lego guys. They all take up a similar amount of space, can be packed and carried in a small bag (you'd be amazed at the number of lego guys fit in a cargo pant pocket!) and are all easy to use in the car. And are MUCH, MUCH cheaper! LOL!

[mamalbh]

Both my dds (7 & 8) have them. There are a lot of 'academic' educational games, but really *most* games can be educational. For instance, Lego Batman does not work on spelling or math but has TONS of problems that need to be solved. I almost prefer that kind of game, they really have to think about how to pass a level.

 

For the younger crowd, I used to prefer Leapsters, that's what both of my dd's used from 3 to about 6 1/2 yrs. I bought my son a Leapster 2, and it is TERRIBLE - the touch screen is not very responsive so you have to click the same thing several times. When you're just learning and only 3 yrs, that makes its not fun at all. :-( I plan on getting him the new DS Sesame Street games & he can play on his sisters.

[AngieW in Texas]

I have three kids sharing one DS. We got it three years ago. For my youngest, Animal Crossing was very educational. She is dyslexic and at that point (9yo) the reading required for Animal Crossing was at the limits of her reading ability (low 2nd grade).

 

This year we're getting the 17yo her own personal DS. She has quite a few games and she won't be able to play them at all when she goes away to college next year unless she has her own DS to take with her.

[KarenNC]

And it seems like I'm constantly being told I should get him one for car rides and waiting times and such. But you know, he's fine without them.

 

Agreed, they aren't a necessity of life.:001_smile: I had lots of folks telling me the same thing about both the DS and the dvd players for the car (which we never bought). We did a 2.5 week driving trip (NC to St. Louis to Niagara Falls to Boston and back) when my daughter was 5 with audiobooks, books, paper, colored pencils (so they didn't melt like crayons), barbies and magnetic paper dolls. No big deal. Now she had learned to read by herself by that point, which helped. We also manage without any big gaming systems (Wii, xbox, etc) or anything but dvds and internet for occasional shows/movies. No philosophical objections, just no need. There are distinct advantages to learning to occupy oneself with things that don't make noise or need batteries:).

 

That said, for us, the kid wanted one consistently for two years, was willing to save up the money and bypass other major things she wanted to get it, has been responsible with other uses of electronic entertainment (PC and ipod) and we considered it harmless fun. She was also 10 and had a good grounding in said occupying oneself even on trips of 4 hours or greater (to the beach each year).

[Renthead Mommy]

Agreed, they aren't a necessity of life.:001_smile: I had lots of folks telling me the same thing about both the DS and the dvd players for the car (which we never bought). We did a 2.5 week driving trip (NC to St. Louis to Niagara Falls to Boston and back) when my daughter was 5 with audiobooks, books, paper, colored pencils (so they didn't melt like crayons), barbies and magnetic paper dolls. No big deal. Now she had learned to read by herself by that point, which helped. We also manage without any big gaming systems (Wii, xbox, etc) or anything but dvds and internet for occasional shows/movies. No philosophical objections, just no need. There are distinct advantages to learning to occupy oneself with things that don't make noise or need batteries:).

 

That said, for us, the kid wanted one consistently for two years, was willing to save up the money and bypass other major things she wanted to get it, has been responsible with other uses of electronic entertainment (PC and ipod) and we considered it harmless fun. She was also 10 and had a good grounding in said occupying oneself even on trips of 4 hours or greater (to the beach each year).

 

Yes! Didn't someone recently get told how would their kid ever learn to be bored if the didn't go to school!:lol:

 

And you are SO correct on the colored pencils over crayons! Restuarants in the subtropics should NOT be handing out take home crayons! What a disaster!

 

What made me give orginally buy the DVD player - husband was deployed, kiddo was 16 months old. We drove 8 hours to my g'parents, spent a month, and drove home. Four days later we were leaving again for a 6 hour drive to NC, with many 3.5 hour drives to my mom's while he was deployed.

 

Husband returned, was going through CC receipts and ask what could I have possibly bought at Walmart $180 (where I never shopped, especially for that much money). My reply : "My sanity." With only brief explanation he understood. LOL!

 

After that, it didn't come out much. He got to watch it more on the way home from big trips, where he was already exhusted from vacation.

 

I did pull it out for Thanksgiving day travel. Our usual 1 hour trip trip took 3 hours again this year. So I packed the DVD player. Truthfully though I didn't pack it for the kid. He would have been fine.

 

I packed it for the husband! He's gotten very spoiled traffic wise the last 14 years living in other areas. Me, knowing we are only back here for 3 years, I don't let it bother me. I'm just glad we have the opportunity to spend 3 hours in traffic visiting our friends, versus being on the other side of the country all the time.

 

That in mind, I first told the husband I didn't want to hear complaints about traffic or drivers. He wasn't allowed to drive, he could sit in the passenger seat, read a book, listen to his ipod or take a nap.

 

Then I decided that wasn't good enough. I told him instead he could sit in the back with his son and THEY could watch a movie! LOL!:lol: And they did. And I got complete control of the radio station!:001_smile:

 

But yes, if he was consistenly asking for it, as in truely wanting it we may reconsider our thoughts. But his asking has been pretty much in line with my asking for a pony when I was little. While he'd enjoy it, he doesn't care that he doesn't have one that much either.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Renthead Mommy

[KarenNC]

Husband returned, was going through CC receipts and ask what could I have possibly bought at Walmart $180 (where I never shopped, especially for that much money). My reply : "My sanity." With only brief explanation he understood. LOL!

 

Sanity is priceless!:D I can't imagine doing trips of that length by myself with a toddler!!

 

But yes, if he was consistently asking for it, as in truly wanting it we may reconsider our thoughts. But his asking has been pretty much in line with my asking for a pony when I was little. While he'd enjoy it, he doesn't care that he doesn't have one that much either.

 

Pierced ears are like that here. She's asked for them a few times, but not consistently, and tends to waffle about wanting them. I've told her she's welcome to get hers pierced if she wants, but she needs to really be sure she wants it enough to take care of them.

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

My 10yo has a DSi and he draws cartoons on it that go in motion, and he can add sounds.

 

I have seen Critical Thinking type games, math tutor, Foreign Languages, and Spelling.

[gingersmom]

My kids have had them for years. I think we are on the 2nd or 3rd version of them.

 

They are great for long car rides and waiting forever in doctors offices.

 

My kids are older now and they use them less but they still use them.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

The Nintendo DS has many logic and educational games available. Some are just pick a specific logic game and do it, others incorporate the logic game within an actual game with story line and all.

I have often used the DS for school time. From making my child practice chess to spending 30 mins doing Brain games or math work. It adds some extra fun and breaks up the monotony of doing the same type of learning.

[Catwoman]

We have them and like them, but haven't found the educational games to be anything to write home about. We greatly enjoy the just-for-fun games, though!

 

I know Walmart had the DS Lite on sale for $79 yesterday morning and $89 all day long, in case you're interested. I've also seen good deals on the larger ones, but we prefer the Lites because they fit into the side pockets of ds's cargo pants.

 

Cat

[Night Elf]

Agreed, they aren't a necessity of life.:001_smile:

 

No they aren't. But we can say the same for so many things in life that we do use. Many toys, coloring books, television, two cars, more than a 8 crayon pack, more than 1 stuffed animal provided a child actually sleeps with it or plays with it, more than about 7 outfits one for each day, more than 2 pairs of shoes, etc. I'm just saying. :tongue_smilie:

[Audrey]

What can they do? Are they educational AT ALL????

 

My kids are begging....

 

Faithe

 

 

My son has had a DS lite for at least a couple of years. Despite the fact that there are some educational games out there, I would not consider it an educational toy. It is for fun. Nothing more. I don't regret getting it for him at all, though. A kid needs fun, too, and the DS has probably gotten more mileage than anything else he has. I also appreciate that the vast majority of Nintendo games are kid and family friendly. It makes it easier to pick games because you don't get those *ew!* kinds of surprises you might get with some of the other gaming system games.

[Mrs Mungo]

My son has had a DS lite for at least a couple of years. Despite the fact that there are some educational games out there, I would not consider it an educational toy. It is for fun. Nothing more. I don't regret getting it for him at all, though. A kid needs fun, too, and the DS has probably gotten more mileage than anything else he has. I also appreciate that the vast majority of Nintendo games are kid and family friendly. It makes it easier to pick games because you don't get those *ew!* kinds of surprises you might get with some of the other gaming system games.

 

I totally agree.

[KarenNC]

No they aren't. But we can say the same for so many things in life that we do use. Many toys, coloring books, television, two cars, more than a 8 crayon pack, more than 1 stuffed animal provided a child actually sleeps with it or plays with it, more than about 7 outfits one for each day, more than 2 pairs of shoes, etc. I'm just saying. :tongue_smilie:

 

Oh, I totally agree with you:). That's one reason my daughter has one (as well as 64+ colors of crayons, as many pairs of shoes as she can talk me into, more clothes than any two kids could wear and about a zillion stuffed animals --not to mention Barbies and accessories ;)).

[Truscifi]

Ds7 just got one for his birthday. It came with brain age, which is the only educational thing on it so far - grandparents. :D

 

We have been looking in to some more educational games, and there seem to be plenty available.

[Farrar]

My 6 yos got them for their bday. No, clearly they're not a necessity. But they wanted them. They enjoy them in moderation. There are some educational games available, but we don't have any of them as yet. Mostly, they're just there for amusement - one of many options, some of which have screens and some of which don't. It's all good.

[Mommy22alyns]

We have one DS and it's technically mine. :D The girls have to earn time on it. There are educational games out there, but we don't have any. It's not like the Leapster; this is just for fun. They don't have their nose in it all the time and that's what is important to me.

[Sheila in OK]

I agree. Our dc (12 & 10 now) each got one for Christmas three years ago. I was kind of apprehensive about jumping on the video game bandwagon, but we haven't regretted it. I like that it is something they can do together and while they enjoy them, they don't seem to have become obsessed. And like Audrey said, they have gotten a lot of mileage out of them. They are great to have on long car rides too!

 

My son has had a DS lite for at least a couple of years. Despite the fact that there are some educational games out there, I would not consider it an educational toy. It is for fun. Nothing more. I don't regret getting it for him at all, though. A kid needs fun, too, and the DS has probably gotten more mileage than anything else he has. I also appreciate that the vast majority of Nintendo games are kid and family friendly. It makes it easier to pick games because you don't get those *ew!* kinds of surprises you might get with some of the other gaming system games.

[Jamee]

Our boys each got one last Christmas and although they love them, they aren't addicted to them like I've seen other kids. But, they are nice for them to have to keep them occupied while on the train or when I have to be somewhere they don't want to be--usually knitting. LOL.

 

I've found that the DSs have the most variety of games and they aren't as expensive as other gaming systems. It's also nice that they can "hook-up" and play against each other.

[Lizzie in Ma]

We got the girls DS's last year for Christmas with help from my Mom and Amazon used. :)

Up until 3rd grade, the Leapsters were the absolute, bar none, best educational video game toy of their lives.

Now, they are 10 and 14.

I bought Brain Quest and SAT Review because that is just how I am. :P

But at this point, I don't require them to have solely educational games. They work hard for school, nothing wrong with some playtime.

 

Super Scibblenauts may be the best game ever and other than imagination, it helps with spelling more or less. It is the 10 year olds favorite du jour.

 

Rune Factory 2 is hugely popular with both girls and our older one is getting the new Call of Duty, Black Ops for Christmas. For some reason she is dying to play it.

 

The Professor Layton games are great brain exercisers.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Mine have them. Well, my girls do - Schmooey just takes theirs and tries to play with them.

There is a sequel to Scribbelnauts called Super Scribblenauts that looks like a blast! Might have to get that one too. :D

 

It is possibly the best DS game ever, trade in the old one, you won't regret it. It is so much better, you can use adjectives on everything you create!!