Gaming for Toddlers

[NaveT]

Hi,

Any recommendations for gamecube games for my 2.5yr old daughter? She enjoys monkeyball, but can only really play the first two levels, before it becomes a bit difficult.

Getting fed up playing teletubby games on the bbc website, hence trying to get her into consoles. :-)

[mr_sockochris]

Kirby Air Ride? You only need to move the stick and you can't fall off the track so I would imagine it'd be quite straightforward for someone so young

[SaijoBob]

Chibi Robo, if you want to teach her that cleaning the house can be fun!

Maybe not...

[dj898]

i need to teach my girl joypad is not somthing to throw at...
though she like shake the Samba de Amigo Maracas...

[Slasher]

i heard a guy nailed his soul caliber joy stick into the floor and his year old was apparently something unbelivable. i wouldnt start video games for one so young. wait till she is around at least.

[SaijoBob]

How about Donkey Konga? You could play together, with you drumming and her clapping?

[mr_sockochris]

Yeah, Donkey Konga is a great idea, I've had very young relatives play that over Xmas and they loved it. How about RE4 aswell?

[SaijoBob]

How about RE4 aswell?

Washed down with a little Killer 7, maybe?

If you have a PS 2, Katamari Damacy would be cool. Time limits can be removed, and you can't die. Might give her nightmares though, it's pretty wierd.

[dj898]

my 20 mth old is currently holding both my PS2 and Xbox wireless pads on ransom...
no matter how much I persuaded she won't let go of... if she find them missing she will cray till I give them back to her... guess no more playing for me for a while...

[dazzx]

When my son was 2.5-3 years old he loved Katamari Damacy, now he loves playing on his(mine) DS. but be warned you will spend hours showing/helping them how to play certain parts of the games. And your wife will say that you are teaching them bad habits and they will grow up just like you.

[kernow]

have your child grow up living in animal crossing land

She'd know the animal names more than real people ..

wicked.

[Big Seany]

I would let her play some educational games on the PC or something before allowing her into console land. And make sure you limit the length of time kids are allowed on games. We made the mistake of letting our lad (now 7) have an N64 in his room at the age of 4 1/2 - 5. He was only on it for an hour at most per day and he became utterly obsessed with it to the point that we had to take it out of his room.

Now he is a bit more mature he has a PSX and a DC, but we only allow him kiddified games or those suitable for no older than 11 years - and even then I will check them first. He now has both Spiderman games, Bust A Move 4, Bomberman, Tekken 2 & 3 (admittedly those two are probably 15+ but I am happy for him to play those), and Metal Slug X on the PSX, and a few racers, Marvel vs Capcom and Toy Commander on the DC.

He also plays Mega Bomberman, Gunstar Heroes, Contra III, Metal Slug and Tech Romancer with me down in my lair.

He is only allowed on the games at weekends in short bursts, and for an hour after school, but not in the mornings on school days or when we have company. He is happy with that, is not a games zombie, and isn't being exposed to too much adult content. It horrifies me when I speak to friends who let their similarly aged kids play FPS titles, GTA and suchlike.

For your little girl, a nice console to start her out on would be a SNES or an N64 with some Mario titles, such as Mario 64 (kids love the free roaming aspect), Mario Is Missing (educational to boot) and any Mario Kart or even Diddy Kong racing.

From my own experience, I reckon 5+ is the age to integrate children into the wonderful world of games. Even when you do, do not use games as a tool to get some peace unless you really have to, and make sure gaming isn't at the expense of other stuff like playing with toys and dolls and stuff, playing in the garden, drawing or reading. Strike the balance right, and games can be an excellent thing for kids. Get it wrong, and you will notice the change in a child's behaviour. We did with the initial N64 episode, and luckily we nipped it in the bud!

[VR46]

think PC Educational software is the better route, branded kids software like Postman Pat for ages 2 years plus and they are usally three for a tenner in GAME.