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Nintendo switch - is 6 too young?

21 replies

wobdeing · 23/11/2019 20:40

I'm trying to avoid games and consoles as long as possible but dh and ds want this . Dh says we can play active games together on it as a family

Dh has a PS4 but only plays when ds has gone to bed

Ds has an old iPad and plays age appropriate games on that

What do you think

OP posts:
WwfLeopard · 23/11/2019 20:43

Switch is way more sociable and family friendly than other game consoles, mine loves his

Waxonwaxoff0 · 23/11/2019 20:47

My DS is 6 and I'm getting him one for Christmas.

KenAdams · 23/11/2019 20:48

No it's the perfect age

FamilyOfAliens · 23/11/2019 20:50

Are there games for a 6-year-old?

In which case it must be ok.

ceebeejeebies · 23/11/2019 20:51

My 6 year old DS has one and he absolutely loves it. He would play all day and night though, so I do have to be strict and really limit it.

notmytea · 23/11/2019 20:52

My DH bought one and it 4yo loves to play Mario kart, it's quite a social thing in our house

EsmeeMerlin · 23/11/2019 20:58

My 6 year old ds is getting a Nintendo switch Lite for Christmas and already plays on the Xbox. His dad is a gamer and they play together on a Saturday morning. There are plenty of age appropriate games and you can just put time limits on it.

sweetiesfee · 23/11/2019 21:12

A young relative received one for his 5th birthday. He loves it and lots of games that are age suitable

TriciaMcMillan · 23/11/2019 21:34

Bought one for my elder son when he turned 6, he loves it and plays plenty of age appropriate games with his brother, me and DH and his friends. Have now bought my younger son a switch lite for his birthday next week. Just make sure you have clear ground rules about when and for how long they can play. Ours is weekend only and we use the parental controls to password protect access after an hour of play.

TriciaMcMillan · 23/11/2019 21:46

Just realised I hadn't made it clear, bought a switch lite for younger son's 6th birthday next week.

Blankiefan · 23/11/2019 23:26

What games do your 6 year olds play?

Cecilia2016 · 23/11/2019 23:36

We bought it for my girls and my 5 years old son loves playing games with them.

Gertie75 · 23/11/2019 23:37

My 6 year old is always playing on mine so I'm getting her one of her own for her birthday, the games are very family friendly, we also have an Xbox one which has hardly been used because the majority of the games are fighting or racing which neither of us are into.

Mario Odyssey is great, also Luigi's Mansion which is a new release, Zelda Breath of the Wild is a fantastic game too, Dd also loves Splatoon and Overcooked 2.
You can purchase the games online and download them directly to the Switch, there are always loads of them on offer including the big titles so keep your eye out and the ones you are interested in will be reduced at some point.

I'm not sure if the offer is still on but Sainsbury's were giving them away if you took out a phone contract with them, dh has upgraded his phone and so the free one is what did will have for her birthday.

Fatted · 23/11/2019 23:42

We got DS1 a switch for his 6th birthday. He loves it and it is regularly used by all of the family (me included!). My 4YO also loves it.

If you get the regular one (not the lite version that's only hand held) there are loads of games you can play together as a family. Mario kart is a great one for everyone. My 6YO loves Super Mario, Pokémon and Yoshi games on it. He's getting mine craft for it for Xmas.

There are also plenty of games I enjoy to play too when the kids have gone to bed.

I don't understand the issue if your DC has a tablet already. You'll probably find it's most of the same games.

Pimmsypimms · 24/11/2019 00:14

We bought our ds a switch for his 6th birthday and he loves it! There are a lot of games that are suitable for his age too.

67password22 · 24/11/2019 00:28

Why are you trying to avoid consoles and games? There are actually many benefits of video games in child development - including hand-eye coordination, lateral thinking and social skills. Obviously they're not all appropriate for 6 year olds, but that's no different to any other medium, such as books or movies, and as a parent you'll already be used to filtering out the ones that aren't appropriate.

If they're going to get into video games sooner or later, it would be best done with your involvement, supervision and discipline - not to mention that playing games with your child is going to give them some great memories to grow up with.

You'd be best off taking an active approach to this, as in doing some research to learn about the different types of games and how they are played, so that you can actually hold conversations about them and it doesn't just sound like gibberish when other people are talking about them, at least just so that when your child says "I want this game" you can evaluate it and understand whether it's suitable for them, how it's similar or dissimilar to other games they've played, and what they will get out of it.

So with all that said, here are some specific recommendations - you can either get a standard Switch or a Switch Lite. The standard Switch works as a handheld console but can be easily plugged into a dock to charge and play on the TV, while the controller's on the side detach and can be used as either one normal controller or two little controllers. The Switch Lite is cheaper but doesn't connect to the TV - so handheld only, without detachable controllers.
A standard Switch would be better for playing together on the TV, while the Switch Lite would be better for one person playing on their own - you can still play multiplayer games, but you'd need extra controllers and you're limited to the small screen.

As for games, you can't go wrong with anything Mario - Mario Odyssey might be a bit advanced for a 6 year old, but there is an assist mode that might help, and then they'd be able to play it on normal difficulty when they're older - and at any rate they'd enjoy the visuals and could watch dad play it. Then there's New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, which is more like old school 2D platforming Mario, which they might find easier, and of course Mario Kart, which is a racing game that's fun for the whole family. I'd also recommend Yoshi's Crafted World, which is a lovely game where you play as Yoshi (Mario's dinosaur) but everything is made out of felt and card and it can be played by 1-4 players cooperatively, so great for the family to play together. There's also Kirby: Star Allies, Splatoon 2, Rayman, Yooka-Laylee, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Unravel, Sonic games, lots of Lego games (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Incredibles, Marvel, which are also co-op), Tetris, Snipperclips and other puzzle games, and things like Paw Patrol. So lots that are suitable for a 6 year old, and lots that you can get actively involved in.

wobdeing · 24/11/2019 08:03

Thanks for the info

I'm not trying to avoid games altogether but we have enough problems trying to get ds to play with his toys now as the iPad is more exiciting and I want to make sure I don't make the situation worse!

OP posts:
wobdeing · 24/11/2019 08:04

Also are there any active movement games like dance where you have to move your body or are they all controller based?

OP posts:
BadLad · 24/11/2019 08:19

Ring Fit Adventure is the obvious choice for games where you have to move your body.

There's also Just Dance.

Kpo58 · 24/11/2019 09:06

Just Dance 2019 and Just Dance 2020 have a kids section where the dances are suitable for children (so they can't overdo and hurt themselves whilst dancing).

Cecilia2016 · 24/11/2019 20:32

We have just dance 2019 and it’s fun

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