Help! Leapster or Gameboy for DD6?

[Kevenswife2]

I've narrowed my choices down to Leapster or Gameboy Advance for my 6 year old daughter for Christmas. Which would you choose and why?

Also, which games would you recommend? She's advanced for her age. I would like to find something which helps her with time and money.

Thanks for your help. She'll be 'thrilled' with Santa this year.

[Tinkerbelle99]

My vote is for Leapster, our DD just got one for her 5th birthday and it is fabulous! The 'games' are all educational in nature, and lots of fun. DD loves to play with it.

We got a great deal thru Sam's Club, it was a bundle pack for $99, coming with Leapster, carrying case, a/c adapter, headphones and two game cartridges. Definitiely a deal!

Also, this week I noticed that Target as some of the Leapster cartridges on sale for $19 (reg. $25). I will be picking up a new title or two!

[campingcorgi]

I'd have to vote for the Gameboy because I think it would last her longer. Our almost 5 year old has both and she will usually choose the Gameboy over the Leapster. The leapster is educational but for a 6 year old I think she'd be finished with it in a couple of years.

Gameboy games--Our little one loves the Dragon Tales game, Sonic, Wacky Stackers, Polly Pockets, and she is getting the Strawberry Shortcake game for birthday (the 22nd). She'll play with the other games we have but the above are her favorites.

[MsMulan]

I would vote for the Leapster too. My DD(8) has a game boy and it is fine for entertainment purposes! But I would not qualify it as an educaitonal toy at all. I do not know if there are even any games that deal with math, reading, etc. for the game boy. Hope this helps!

[Mom to Jordan]

I think that it depends on what your goal is. If it is for education, the leapster is your best bet. For fun and for longer use, the gameboy. Most boys ,by 6 want to have a gameboy like their friends, but I'm not sure that most girls are as into it as boys. If she is asking for a gameboy, she might not be happy with a leapster. I would look at the games for leapster and make sure they make some advanced enough to chalange her. There are quite a few games for gameboy that are geared to girls. Disney princes, Barbie, Mary Kate and Ashley etc. I'm a boy mom so we have not seem any of these ourselves. Good luck with your choice.

Jordan's mom

[POOH&PIGLET]

I recommend Leapster for its educational value.

[BevS97]

my dd is 7 and has a leapster - she has never had any interest in a gameboy and wasn't keen on it when we borrowed a friends. She loves the Leapster - it is very easy to use and she could understand what she was expected to do very quickly.
My only concern at the moment is that there aren't many older games, but they do claim they will bring out games suitable for older children soon, I hope that is true.

We got ours from Target, it's red and came witha red carrying bag, for I think $60.

[MrsPete]

We have both these items at our house, so I think I'm qualified to judge them. I hate to say it, but you're kind of at a bad age for either one of these toys. I think your daughter is too old for Leapster and too young for Gameboy. She would probably play with either one, but one would be quickly outgrown and the other would be a stretch for her.

Leapster -- Your 6 year old (especially because you say she's advanced for her age) will quickly tire of the very simple Leapster games. My 7 year old has not touched hers in well over a year. It's a fairly expensive toy. Unless you have a younger child to inherit it, I don't think you'd ever get your money's worth out of it. Also, I question its educational value. Yes, it's an introduction into the world of electronic toys /computers, and it can teach hand-eye coordination, which is a good thing in this electronic world. However, an old-fashioned book beats it out for teaching ABCs, colors, shapes, etc. My daughters never enjoyed electronic toys to LEARN those primary concepts -- they just liked making the machine's lights /sounds after the concepts were actually mastered, and I think they were in the majority. You could argue that they were reinforcing the concepts, but the truth is that they weren't focusing on the concepts -- the sounds held their attention for a while, but the Leapster was never a favorite toy in our house. If you want educational value, I say the old-fashioned methods are best for teaching preschoolers: books, blocks, crayons, and PARENTS.

Also, Leapster is larger than Gameboy and can really only be considered a car /hotel toy. Gameboy, on the other hand, can fit into a fanny pack and can be played in lines /restaurants.

Gameboy Advance -- My oldest LOVES Gameboy (she's 10), and she has particularly been "into it" since about age 8. My youngest (age 7) enjoys it as well, but she's just reaching the point that many of the games are within her scope. Many of the games are still too advanced for my 10 year old (either in difficulty level or in content -- I don't allow violent games in our house). However, I think that means that she'll continue to enjoy the toy for years, and I can continue to "upgrade" her games. Also, you can add connection cables, etc. to "upgrade" the Gameboy.

In the past, many of the games have been boy-oriented, but that seems to be changing. My youngest enjoyed Dragon Tales, but that got old in a hurry. Her favorites are SpongeBob Square Pants (Revenge of the Flying Dutchman), Groovy Girls, Barbie Pet Rescue, and the old standard: Mario Brothers. Groovy Girls is probably the easiest and I'd suggest it for a first game.

One thing I dislike about Gameboy is that you cannot rent their games; I like to "try before I buy". I suggest you read online reviews and ask friends for input before buying games. It is disappointing to drop $30 for a game that turns out to be a dud. You can buy used games for about 1/3 the price of new ones (see any game store), but the easiest kids' games don't tend to be amongst the used titles. Another thing I dislike is that the $$$ games don't come with plastic covers. You have to pay extra to protect your gaming investment.

If you're considering the Gameboy Advance, I suggest you spend a few more dollars and buy the Gameboy SP. The screen is larger and the lighting is better. We don't own the SPs (yet), but they look to be a bit sturdier. The battery covers on both our Gameboy Advances are held on with tape. Both the Advance and the SP play the same games.

Which ever you choose, be sure to invest in rechargable batteries. You'll save $$$ in the long run.

[crisi]

My just turned six year old boy does great with his gameboy....but it may be a boy thing. There seems to be a lot of peer pressure to be adept at it, he had one last year, showed no interest in it until the first week of kindergarten this year, then you could tell, gameboy was the "thing".....He figures a lot of stuff out himself when playing.

[sskem96]

We bought both our girls gameboy advance sp last year for christmas. They were 4 and 7 at the time. They both love them. We use them mostly on car trips, as all the grandparents are an hour away, so we spend lots of time in the car. Of course, my husband and I enjoy playing them from time to time as well. Some games they have are Piglet's Big Movie, Cartoon Network Speedway, Dora (I'm not sure which one), Kim Possible, Pac man, and they are getting Strawberry Shortcake for Christmas. The SP has a rechargable battery and you just plug the unit into the wall, never have to change batteries. It also has a backlight so you don't have to purchase a light for it, and it folds in half to close so the screen is protected. We don't buy the individual plastic game holders, we just got a carry bag with a compartment for the unit and a separate zipper compartment for the games. As long as they're zipped in there, they stay clean and won't get damaged. We didn't try the leapster because they each had a leappad (we've owned 3 different kinds) and they never played with them much. If they want to read, they get out a book. If they want to play a game, they play the gameboy.

[lindaso]

We've had the Leapster for a year and we're just getting our first Gameboy this Christmas. The Leapster was originally for my son when he turned 4 but I have to say that all 3 of my kids play with it...even my 7 year old DD.

We are having an opposite problem than the other poster. The Leapster belongs to my 5 year old and most of the new games he wants are for 1st-3rd graders including Spiderman and the Incredibles. Many of the new games seem to be for the older kids. I bought him the Incredibles game for Christmas knowing he'll grow into it but there's no way he'll be able to play with it now without his sister's help. It even has multiplication on it which kids don't really get into until 3rd grade (at least in our school).

We have Spongbob for Leapster and that has a fun section on money that my 7 year old likes to play. Spongebob can be considered a girl game too, right? They also have a Junie B. Jones cartridge, a Nemo one and the Incredibles which can also be for girls (with Elastigirl and Violet). The princess one is for pre-K to K I believe so it might be too young for her.

Leapster is definitely an educational toy and the Gameboy is a video game toy. My 7 year old DD is getting the gameboy for Christmas. I got her Barbie Groovy Games, Lizzie McGuire, American Idol and Shrek 2.

Good luck with your decision. I think she'll have fun with whatever you decide.

[jeancbpugh]

Also, I question its educational value. Yes, it's an introduction into the world of electronic toys /computers, and it can teach hand-eye coordination, which is a good thing in this electronic world. However, an old-fashioned book beats it out for teaching ABCs, colors, shapes, etc. My daughters never enjoyed electronic toys to LEARN those primary concepts -- they just liked making the machine's lights /sounds after the concepts were actually mastered, and I think they were in the majority. You could argue that they were reinforcing the concepts, but the truth is that they weren't focusing on the concepts -- the sounds held their attention for a while, but the Leapster was never a favorite toy in our house.

We have several gameboys in our house (Advance, SP, and new DS...all belonging to my 10 year old son) and we got a Leapster for my 5 year old son. The Leapster is perfect for my son. He is in kindergarten so the phonemic examples by the Leapster are terrific. It reinforces what school and parents are teaching him in a fun way. He loves it. Right now, for where he is academically, it is perfect.

I look at the gamesboys as brain drains; whereas the Leapster is a helpful tool. I wouldn't want any kid to play with either too much, but both will be coming on our long drive this weekend.

[mjmcca]

I know this is not what the Op was asking about but has anyone gotten the New Vtech system? I think it is called V smile.

[lindaso]

I know this is not what the Op was asking about but has anyone gotten the New Vtech system? I think it is called V smile.

I just picked this up for my 2 1/2 year old. He jumps out of the cart to play with this in the store. I wasn't going to get it but he tries to play with the Leapster and the Xbox and just gets frustrated so I thought this could help him feel like his older siblings a little.

I can't give it a review cause it's sitting in a box in my basement but it seems great for little ones wanting a video game like their older siblings. I was only able to get him the Care Bears game so far. The Lion King was sold out. I also like it cause the joystick can be adjusted for lefties which he is!!

[legs22]

What dd7 wanted most last year for Xmas was a GameBoy so that's what she got. This year she wants a Video Now and a Pixter. I refuse to buy the Video Now because you can buy and play videos on the GB. So I bought her a few GB videos. Instead of buying a Pixter, I am buying her a Leapster (new Leapster goes up to age 10) since the Leapster has an art cartridge you can buy plus you can do may other things on the Leapster that you can't do on the Pixter. I like the ed value of the Leapster. I've played some of the GB games with her. To me they are very boring. But it does seem to keep her entertained on long car rides and when she has to wait.

For Leapster, I bought her Mr. Pencil (art), The Incredibles (2nd-3rd grade), and Junie B. (1st-2nd grade).
I may also get her SpongeBoB (5-8 yr. olds) but I'm afraid it may be too easy for her.

[HM]

After reading all the replies....

Have you looked at the Quantum (Leap)Pad? You can use both LeapPad books and Quantum Books and will last your child through grade school and maybe into the first year of middle school. Lots of educational and fun books (but wish they had more). My kids like theirs (though my oldest had just about outgrown his at 11 1/2).

My kids were too old for Leapster so I have no experience with it. Gameboy....we have plenty of those and tons of games....but I rarely see any games that my kids would like that would be considered educational.

[jeancbpugh]

We have a Leappad with about 15 books. My kids like it if I get it out, but they never get it out on their own.

The Leapster we've only had for a few days, but so far they get it out on their own and are playing it longer...

[cookie2001]

I decided to get the Quantum Leappad for my dd6. It's a different type thing from the Leapster but it's cheaper and I thought she would outgrow the Leapster too soon. My older dd9 just bought herself a gameboy and dd6 wanted one too but I didn't think that she needed one right now. We don't travel that much and in a few years there will be something new anyway. I like the educational value of the Leappad and I'm hoping they will share with each other. ;)

[Y2KMOM]

The teacher in me chooses the leapster. I like how it has the pen, so the kids can practice writing also.

[3Mousketeers]

One more comment to add - We gave my 5 yr old son a Leapster for his birthday. He's been begging for a game boy but I just can't see giving a 5 or 6 yr old a game boy. I have to say my son is very advanced for his age & is amazing at computer games and he loves his Leapster. If your daughter is advanced, most of the cartridges we have allow you pick a games level (i.e. beginner is (1) and advanced is (3)). I admit this may only buy us a couple years before breaking down and buying a game boy but the longer you can provide educational stuff to your kids the better!
Hope this helps.

[MrsPete]

FYI: I was looking through a magazine article on Christmas toys at the dentist's office today, and apparently Gameboys are recommended for ages 8+. My girls had Gameboys a bit earlier, but 8 is when they really "fell for" them.

[Kevenswife2]

I decided 'Santa' will be bringing DD6 a Flame Red Gamboy Advance SP this year. It came as a 'bundle', with me getting to choose two games. I picked Barbie: Groovy Games, and Dora the Explorer: Super Star Adventure. Thanks for the game advice and for all replies.

While I would have liked something a little more educational, I feel the Gameboy will last her longer. I really can't afford to be buying a new game system very often. It's a lot of money to me.

Now DD will have something to do while I work on the weekend. I clean offices and she goes with me. She likes to help clean, but that only lasts so long, then she starts asking, "Are you done yet"? This should keep her entertained. I noticed you can even buy movies for Gamboy...how cool.

[kkcolton5]

I bought the VTech Vsmile a few months ago...and my son (almost 3 yrs old) loves it almost too much! He plays the games and is learning a lot, I'd guess, only because he's able to sort out letters and place them in alphabetical order, knows the sounds for the letters (ya know, B says "buh"), etc. He'll repeat the narrator when he tells him "you're doing great"...my DS will say, "I'm doing great!". He loves playing & is so happy getting the correct answers. Also, the games come with a setting where you can click on a "no lose" kind of thing, so even if your child is young, they'll be supported and reinforced, and not frustrated and disappointed. Also, you can adjust the levels of difficulty. We have three games, Alphabet Park, Winnie the Pooh, and Lion King. He alternates all three and is happy with them all. We bought him a Leapster for an early Christmas gift (mostly to keep him occupied on our flight to Disney this Friday!) and we expect he'll love that, too. He "plays" with his sister's Gameboy, but it's not geared for him at all and it's just for fun that he doinks around with it. The VSmile is a great toy, and it's on sale at Target this week!

[TallyLassie]

I bought the Leapster for my daugter last year for Christmas (she was then 5) and for my son on his 4th bithday. They both enjoying playing them and they do learn something. With gameboy, mostly they are just learning eye and hand coordination

The games are limited, but they are coming out with more.

Wal-Mart now even has a pink one!

[lenshanem]

Got both the girls a Leapster last year and gave it to them before Christmas for our drive down to WDW. Youngest who is about to turn four is just now really getting the hang of it. My six year old loves her. Only problem was they had little selection. Now there is alot out! They are both getting two new games each this Christmas. I think they are really neat! Only thing is my youngest has not been kind to hers and the screen is having a hard time recognizing things when she uses the stylus. I hate to buy another one, though. :charac2:

[lindaso]

Only thing is my youngest has not been kind to hers and the screen is having a hard time recognizing things when she uses the stylus. I hate to buy another one, though.

Check out Leapfrog's website. I think there is a way to calibrate the Leapster if it stops reading the stylus. My 2 year old has dropped ours on the kitchen floor more times than I can count. Our issue is the cartridges won't get read unless you blow into them and slam them in. But a small issue considering how many times it's been dropped...I'm actually impressed it still works at all!!

[jeancbpugh]

the screen is having a hard time recognizing things when she uses the stylus. I hate to buy another one, though. :charac2:

To recalibrate the Leapster screen:
1) insert the cartridge that came with the Leapster (Learning with Leap)
2) press the power button to turn it on
3) while on the "sign in" screen, hold down all these buttons at the same time: the B button, the Hint button, and the Home button
4) you should see a message that says "press the big blue button to begin"
5) follow the onscreen instructions.


Can you tell our Leapster is still new and I have the manual? :D I haven't had to recalibrate yet, but I do it all the time to my Palm Pilot. You'll probably go through a series of steps where you have to touch the pen to different spots on the screen.

Hope this helps.

[lenshanem]

Thanks. I've tried recalibrating. Unfortunately, I think it is cause she scratched the screen with something. There are scratch marks that I can't get off. She likes to destroy things. A few weeks ago she took a pen to our fairly new leather sofas and showed us how she is learning to write her name. EGADS!

[UBSHANG]

Everything we know about young children tells us that in order for them to develop a genuine interest and better understanding of basic mathematics concepts, parents and early childhood educators must provide a variety of fun and stimulating sensory experiences that will hopefully encourage children to seek meaningful answers to their questions. Unfortunately, Leapster and LeapPad is LeapFrog's answer to a question that nobody asked.

Comprehension of fundamental math concepts such as one-to-one correspondence, classification, sequencing, patterns, measurement, sorting and comparison cannot be effectively achieved from limited interactions with a flat, one-dimensional image and a magic pen that provides facts and instant answers.

Real math learning occurs gradually and is best experienced through a child's daily activities, events and interactions with people, active exploration of their environment and physical manipulation of developmentally appropriate three-dimensional open-ended play materials.

For introducing mathematics to school aged children, Leapster and LeapPad provide little educational value because they teach concepts in a manner that actually conflicts with the way in which children learn. The assumption that young children are really developing important concepts and skills which they can build upon by using a magic pen is a typical misconception of impressionable LeapPad advocates.

Electronic devices/gimmicks should be neither a substitute nor a supplement to real math education. Our children deserve better from parents, educators and toy makers.

[lenshanem]

OK.........................

[Madi100]

We have the Leapster, V-Smile, and Leap Pads. The girls just got the Leapster and V-Smile for Christmas. My 7 year old is very smart. She loves to read. She loves playing with her dolls, etc. She is the one who has a regular Leap Pad, and she never plays with it. It sits in her room. She loves the Leapster. She has played with it quite a bit since she got it. We bought her the Junie B. Jones game, and she really enjoys that. It is some what of a diary. And while my kids don't watch a lot of tv, she'd rather play with her Leapster than watch TV.

As far as the V-Smile I find it a bit challenging for my daughter who is 3. She does not recognize letters all the time, so there is a part that is a bit challenging. she plays computer games very well and is very cordinated, but she struggles with the V-Smile.

The Leap Pad was a waste of our money.

[lenshanem]

HUGE CHEERS for Leapster! I called customer service and told them about my problem. (Daughter got four new games for Christmas, but her screen on her Leapster was scratched and none of the games would work.) I was hoping they could replace the screen instead of me having to buy another one, which I hated to do since her sister has one, too. (They argue over it, though.) BUT, they told me to send them the damaged one and they are sending her a new one! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

[mjmcca]

Well I got my son leapster adn pixter for christmas and Vsmile to share with is younger sister. They were all a hit.

[HALEYSMOMMOM]

We just got leapster and v smile, and already had leap pad. My DD5 loves them all!

[TallyLassie]

HUGE CHEERS for Leapster! I called customer service and told them about my problem. (Daughter got four new games for Christmas, but her screen on her Leapster was scratched and none of the games would work.) I was hoping they could replace the screen instead of me having to buy another one, which I hated to do since her sister has one, too. (They argue over it, though.) BUT, they told me to send them the damaged one and they are sending her a new one! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:


Were they still under warranty? Ours is working OK, but I know it is just a matter of time. Almost our entire home is tile, and it is constantly being dropped.

[jeancbpugh]

Electronic devices/gimmicks should be neither a substitute nor a supplement to real math education. Our children deserve better from parents, educators and toy makers.

Don't be silly. Noone is locking their kids in a closet with their Leapfrog products for hours everyday, and then saying, "Well that job is done." IF your kid would like an electronic *TOY*, then the debate becomes which is the best one.

My young son was having trouble with letter recognition and letter sounds. In *ADDITION* to working with him ourselves and at school, he played with his Leapster Letter Factory. He loved the Leapster song with the letter sounds. For two weeks he played with the Leapster every chance he got, and went around singing the letter song.

Any and all tools that get the job done. :flower1: