Nintendo for 6 year old?

[MumNeedsTea]

6 year old DS really wants one for Christmas. Up until now, we've been telling him that they are only for kids who are at least 10 years old, as we didn't want him to have one.
However, since he really wants one I'm rethinking our decision. Does your 6 year old have one? What games are appropriate for that age? And do they end up spending loads of time on it? When he's not watcjing TV, DS usually spends his free time with lego or colouring or doing some craft. I just think he'll always want to be on his Nintendo once he gets one.

Also, which one should we get? Apart from spending hours on a video game console playing Mario as a kid, I know nothing of the current gaming trends

TIA!

Well I would suggest that Nintendo have the most age appropriate games, so a Switch would be good. It is portable and can be connected to the TV and the whole family can enjoy the multi-player games (I suggest Mario Kart and Mario Party)

Do you mean a console connected to the tv or a hand held device like a nintendo ds?

My DSS had a wii many moons ago aged 7, he loved it and we used it for family games such as mario cart. It was in our living room and regulated as to how much he would use it

I can't recommend any particular games, having not played on a switch for any meaningful amount of time, but Nintendo consoles generally have predominantly family-friendly games.

My biggest concern would be that the switch seems quite fragile; could imagine a 6 year old breaking it quite quickly.

I’d go for a switch

Thanks all!

dementedpixie I have no idea.. Maybe I need to walk into GAME and understand the various types.

flewog I also have a 2 year old who is definitely capable of breaking it even if the 6 year old is careful

If he isn't bothered by which Nintendo I would recommend a DS. Lots of games, very cheap and much more durable than the switch. Try CEX or game for second hand ones with a warranty.

I think a switch would be madness at that age, it's much more fragile and the games are very expensive.

My ds got a switch last Christmas. They were 6 and 8.

They got an Xbox in 2015 though. They play it more. Plenty of age-appropriate games on both. Lego, fifa, Mario etc

Mine got a switch for his birthday. I'm a meany and it gets kept locked away and he gets 30 mins at the end of the day if he has followed instructions/ played lego/ read a book And so on. He plays Mario Cart and has asked for Splatoon for Christmas but I need to look into it.

We have the Switch and it’s great. My 7yo and my 3yo play on it as do all their friends (it has four controllers so that avoids a lot of arguments). Mario Cart, Mario Odyssey and the dance game are all big hits.

If it’s the game console that costs £300 don’t bother, I bought one each for my kids and only 1 of my kids plays with hers my other kids selling hers for 100 along with 2 games, that she played with twice.

So this year I’m buying them shite, literally, a fish the floater and a sticky hat poo game.

Buy a ds games console which is cheaper and see how he gets on with that, but don’t spend hundreds of pounds on something they will play with an hour and it’s dumped in the corner

Mine both got a Nintendo DS last year, they were aged 6 and 8. We're avoiding consoles for another couple of years hopefully!

The DS is good for younger dc, there are lots of age appropriate games and while certainly some are pricey there are loads of affordable ones available new at €15 - €20 or second hand for much less.

My 6 yo DS has a Switch (Got it between kids last year). He loves Mario Odyssey and Minecraft. It's fab. He plays it handheld and on the tv with his Dad or brother.

You could get him a SNES mini, 21 games built in (90's games), lots of fun, robust and easy to use. If he wants a handheld, a 2DS (3d not good for young children).

I wrote a similar thread recently and a poster suggested this go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=www.nintendo.co.uk/Misc-/Nintendo-Classic-Mini-Super-Nintendo-Entertainment-System/Nintendo-Classic-Mini-Super-Nintendo-Entertainment-System-1238330.html

Lots of games and much cheaper!

My 4 year old has my old DS, she loves playing Nintendogs on it

My ds is 6 and has a DS. It was £5 from a car boot sale! He has a (probably illegal) thing in it with loads of games but mainly plays mario and mario kart.
He loves it and it’s really useful for long journeys etc.
He has mentioned a switch but not with any real conviction so I think we’ll wait until at least next year.

Nintendo 3DS XL. Second hand from e.g. CEX.

Lots of good games, problem solving, imagination etc.
Also maths / spelling games.
Great for holidays whilst waiting at airport / for ferry.

Restrict use like you do other screen time.

Following

We got a DS for my six year old last Christmas and the games are great for his age. They can easily be started and stopped and don’t need too much focus if it’s stuff like Mario Kart. I had reservations but felt it would be good for long flights etc and was a gift that would get a few years use.
He doesn’t really have any more screen time than before he had it, just sometimes chooses a game instead of TV. After the initial novelty wore off it was fine, it’s just another option now.

Oh and you can pick DS games up really cheap at CEX, we got a spongebob game for £3 recently so it’s easy to get them a really exciting treat for not much money

A kindle?

We have a switch and it’s great. Lots of games are 3+ so very suitable. Just get a screen protector for it

My daughters 7 and getting a switch for Xmas. I don’t see a problem with it :)

ds 6 has a switch and it's been fine for him. He saved for a long time to get it so it gave him plenty of time to decide if he really wanted one! There are lots of games suitable for 6yr olds such as the Lego ones (Harry Potter/DC/Incredibles), Minecraft and various Mario ones. We only have the demo of Sniperclips but that's really fun too!

I also like that the Switch can be played through the tv or as a portable device, all in all I would recommend it