A gameboy for a 4yo?

[Winston112]

I posted this on the transportation board but haven't gotten a reply. What do you all think? Is it worth it to buy a 4 yo a gameboy to keep him occupied on a 3 hour plane ride?

 

[ohiominnie]

Our 4 yr old got a gameboy recently when he wouldn't let his sister have hers! They now each have their own and share games. It has improved his fine motor skills (he can now write his name much better) and as an added benefit it keeps him busy on plane trips and long car rides. Also, recently I had been in and out of doctors offices and tests and he always took his gameboy and I never heard a peep (btw, no big deal, just a bum gallbladder)

There are quite a few Disney games out there for the Gameboy Color....Magical Racing tours, Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, Little Mermaid...etc.

Hope this helps,

ohiominnie

 

[DisneyMom92]

We got my now 5 yo a Gameboy color a little over a year ago, too, because he played with his sister's so much. He loves it. The Winnie the Pooh game is his favorite and he can do it by himself. There's also a Tarzan one that is fun.

It will keep him occupied for several hours, but I can't say I don't hear from him. Some games he still needs some help with and sometimes he just needs human contact. I try not to let him play with it for more than an hour at a time, except during those times that we need him to stay occupied, like waits for doctors and car trips, etc.

Hope this helps.

 

[Meagansmom]

Definelty!!! But I do have a suggestion. Wait a few days and purchase the new gameboy advance. My understanding is they are going to discontinue making alot of games for the reg. gameboy. The new gameboy is alittle more money but in the long run would I think be to your advantage.

 

[UrsulaFan]

My 7yo DS, when he was 5, begged for a gameboy because his brother had one. He didn't like Poke'mon but wanted to play something on it (that's all his brother had). Well, I broke down I bought him one & it was a huge mistake. He played with it 1 day! Occasionally we will run across it & think why did we break down & do it. If your son has experience with one or likes video games in general maybe he will like it. I would try to borrow one to let him try it out first. $100 mistakes are hard to swallow. Also consider motion sickness. I myself can't play video games because of it. To entertain both boys on our 2 hour flight I let them pick out new chapter books they would like to hear & I am recording them onto cassetes at night. I read for 10 - 15 minutes each night & when we leave in Sept. they will have a book on tape they really want to listen to to occupy them.

 

[*Robin*]

I have to agree with the post above...we almost bought our son one last year, he was then 4 and wanted it so badly because one of his 4 year old friends played with it constantly. (He didn't really know how to play it, he just messed with it because his brother was on the other one all the time.)
So I borrowed one for a week. he played with it for about an hour and told me it wasn't that neat and it was ok to give it back...I kept it and left it laying around to see if he picked it up. Not once.

It's just not that great of a toy unless you 1. have siblings to teach it, or 2. have a huge lover of video stuff. There are so many more constructive things you could do...and as a tip...our son found a 20.00$ pooh "video game" at Toys R' Us and loved it...played it for hours...it's more geared for smaller hands, with big buttons (actually fireflys) and it plays learning games...

just a thought...Good luck, and have a great trip!

 

[Cindy B]

I would do the thumbs down as well for 4 years old...

The buttons are too small, and the interest level for a 4 year old is very quick.. The 4 year old mind needs instant gratification, not the "complex gaming" mind that some of these multi level games entail

We got a Playstation, which is definetely less mobile, but the whole family can play, (and we do!) versus a solitary thing. The Gameboys teach children to be solitary, not a team game...

We will not buy them for our children, regardless of age.

 

[Tomandtammy]

I got an older gameboy for my 6 yr old and his friends have them. So I tried and let him play it all he does is hit the buttons. He hasnt touched it in months!!

 

[Super Mom]

My 8 & 6 year old DS's have had game boys for about a year and a half (Christmas '99). My older son plays his frequently and is quite good at it, but my younger son is not that into it.

What does keep my younger son occupied for hours on car trips is just a plain old composition notebook and a box of colored pencils.

As to the previous comment about gameboys teaching children to be solitary, I disagree. My DS and his friends use a gamelink cable to hook their systems together and play cooperatively and competitively. They also spend time teaching each other tricks and short-cuts to help each other reach their game goals.

By the way, my son's other favorite hobby is reading. Should I worry that the hours that he spends with his nose in a book are teaching him to be anti-social?

 

[mainey-mouse]

Oldest got one at 4. WHAT A PAIN.

She needed alot of help and we learned more about catching Pokemon than we ever wanted to! At the sitters, she had daily assistance from the local 7 year old boys. She loved the damn gameboy, and wanted to play at home too, and on weekends. Alas, though reportedly pathetic compared to 7 year old boys, we were enlisted to help her with her game.

The current 4 year old also has one. Big difference. Why would he bother us for help with our pathetic skill level, when there is a perfectly qualified 7 year old sibbling with 3 years experience available! Heh heh heh.

Two things. First, the kids don't play with the things continuously. They go through phases. In between phases, you wonder WHY you bought the things, but then they come back to them. Second, I bet your 4 year old will LOVE it, and you better LOVE it to, because you are going to be the one playing it FOR him for awhile - unless there is a skilled older sib in the family. Otherwise, I guarantee you, it will keep not only the child, but also one parent very well occupied on the flight. In the end, you'll probably get one for him eventually, so why not now. The extra thrill will add to his trip experience.

 

[dizneenut]

All 4 of my boys have one and they are occupied with them for hours. My 5 year old plays as well. He might not be as good as the older ones, but he really gets into the younger aged games. We bought it for him when he was 4 and he does just fine w/ it.


I agree w/ the OP about holding out for the Gameboy Advance. You can play Gameboy Color games w/ it, as well. It comes out June 13.

 

[FTWFAN]

My kids are now ages 11.5, 5 and 3.5. All 3 of them have a gameboy color. My oldest (DD) got hers when she was 4 and we were going to WDW. She was quiet for most of our 8 hour drive. Last year when we decided to go back, we decided to buy our DS(who was 4 at that time) one. He loved it then and he loves it now.
Well, of course we had to get our youngest one too.
They are all only allowed to play with them on long car trips, doctor visits and other places that they are appropriate where they need to keep quiet. Our 3.5 yo DD hasn't quiet gotten the hang of things, but she will play with it for a while. The 2 older kids love them and it has given some sanity back to our 8 hour drive to WDW.
They aren't for all children. I liked the idea posted above about borrowing one for a few days before buying one to see if your child likes it. Maybe that would work for you. Hope all works out for you!!

 

[KimRaye]

Don't buy one, yet! Like said before, borrow one, if available! A 3yo might not yet be able to handle it! They know what it is but not sure how to handle it! My DD is 3, and DS is 13, of course, he has GBColor! It's just too limited for a real little child to enjoy, sure, she presses the buttons but, she has no clue about the themed games! She's a WIZ at CD-ROM games and N-64 games designed for her age so, go figure! Between 3-4, get coloring books, crayons, learning sticker-type books, travel magna-doodle, crayola color change markers, etc. There's a bunch of stuff and ideas out there (we'll, actually, here!)! JMHO.

 

[DisneyFix]

I have been thinking about getting a Gameboy for our almost 8 year old daughter for her birthday in October because we are going to WDW in November. I thought it might be a good idea for the plane also. However, I want HER to want one. I keep thinking that maybe she'll ask for one, but she hasn't as of yet. If she doesn't ask for one, then I have to assume she's not that interested and probably won't play with it.

 

[The Hunt]

I may have a contrarian view on this, but we decided that we would not allow our kids to have GameBoys--even if they received them as gifts. Why? First, we think reading is important, and the kids have already gotten used to reading in the car and on trips. The GameBoy eats up time, and too many kids become obsessed with it. My son (9) is too obsessed with Nintendo as it is--we don't need to make it mobile! (My wife would abolish the Nintendo too, but we're trying to keep it under control.) A four year old can draw and color, look at books, play with Matchbox cars or Beanie Babies, or sleep. It's a tough choice, since so many kids have them, but if you explain a decision like that carefully to your kids, they will often accept the decision and even defend it.