How many 4/5 yr olds have playstations?

[northstar]

ds came home from a visit with his father (he sees him every other wkend) and told me that he is getting him a playstation for Christmas. I think he is too young. His interaction with other kids, communication and speech all need working on as it is. Maybe I'm over-reacting, but I don't want him to have one for a few years yet. Answers here will help me decide what to do, TIA.

Far too deep for me!!!

I think that if you encourage your DS to play outside and have fun climbing trees etc well then he will IF he enjoys it. If he is not into that kind of thing then you will soon realise!

A bit of balance in everything I think!

As someone else said games consoles are not inherently evil!

Not evil perse but they do alot of harm as often used as they keep the kids quiet.
My twins are 11and they have never had any form of xbox/psp etc no tv in room etc what they have is a busy full life my ds passion is sport and my dd is music.
My dh and I feel that if they have a full and interesting life they will not feel 'deprived' of these seemingly 'necessities' that kids are brainwashed into wanting.
4/5 is way too young for this sounds as if dad is overcompensating for his lack of contact with your ds and spoiling him.
Very hard to deal with as if he gets it and brings iit to your house and you don't allow him to use it you become the 'horrible' parent and his dad gets extra brownie points with your ds.
Try to make your ex see sense and not buy it.
Why can't he spend the money on doing something special with him instead far better than sitting zombie like infront of one of these things.

I met dp when ds was 6
I had always said I would never buy a games console as I thought they were evil.
Dp had a ps2 just bought
I let ds play it
He became a pro within months.
Now there are positives and negatives.
key points
Age appropriate games
Dads play bigger uglier games with swords, gore and wars.
I took exception to this and asked dp only to play these when ds was in bed - no probs
But it DID NOT STOP ds wanting to know the ins and outs of those games.
If the console is it your exh's you will have no idea or control over what they are playing.
in the playground it led to new friendships. Now you can argue and say these are shallow, but some of the games have excellent strategies and are quite cerebral - Ratchet and Clank is one example, a really godo kid friendly platform game with some really good humour in it.
Also to address and take issue with Wannabe Prof Robert Winston showed on his Child of Our Time that kids who played console games had advanced fine motor reflexes and problem solving skills in most cases.

Now I do term our ps2 "that infernal machine" but it provides a much neded release for ds who is now 12 - he is very academic (see didn't turn him into an amoeba after all)
But there are limits on when it can be played.
I think if you keep control of the games and the times, you will be ok.
it's not as bad as you think it is, at least that's why I found
And I am organic, lentil weaving, knitted sandal type leftie mother (you know what I mena) So I do not post this lightly...

I didn't read the rest of the thread but....over my dead body! No tellies or computers in their bedrooms either!

Evil mummy, huh?

DD1 and DD2 (4 and 5) don't have a playstation thingummygig. We are just waay too old and waay to technologically illiterate as parents to even think about buying one, particularly as we didn't progress beyond PacMan. However, they do play on the Cbeebies website. The time is limited, they play together (they are so small they can easily fit onto one office chair) and, without any tuition, they have become surprisingly proficient at navigating around the website and the computer. What goes for 'surfing' surely goes for a games console: in small doses, with child appropriate materials, I can't see that it really does any harm and it may even be mildly beneficial.

But if you think that the time won't be limited or the games won't be appropriate and you said 'no', how would your ex DP/DH react?

We havew a ps2 ( that we are selling)
Nintendo gamecube
Nintendo wii (just arrived)
Ds 5.11 is allowed to play at weekends only for no more than an hour.
They are famiuly games and dd will probably join in when she is older.
Also dont agree with them in his bedroom aswell.

no ds1 is 8 and we dont haev one

my DC dont have playstations or xboxes but plenty of their friends do even my 6yo.

My children do have gamesboys though since last xmas (my youngest was 5yo)they were bought for a specific purpose:we were traveling around to dance competitions in the schools holidays and it kept them relaxed and not stressed about the comp. We dont do the comps so much now but the gameboys are still here

I dont like TV or computer in their bed rooms either.

alot of pople have tvs in their kids bedrooms as they live in very small houses though

lol at people in small houses (we are in a teeny tiny house and manage to fit a TV downstairs )

my children are 5 and 6 and don't have a playstation/nintendo stuff. They're too expensive (the games as well) and I don't think they'd use them that much. They are allowed on the computer if they can kick dh or me off it.

It doesn't bother me if other people have them though.

Surely if you have more than one TV it divides your family and encourages them to watch things without your knowledge?

far far too young
i think the hand-eye coodination argument is bollocks
kids today need to learn to socialise
these things are the antethesis of a social toy
8 is the youngest imo

My DS (7) has a TV in his room, he is the youngest in his year ( b'day 30 Aug!) and the baby of his junior school. He is bright, focused and motivated and IMO doing very well and has never had a bad report, in fact comments like "a pleasure to teach"...etc.

He is only allowed to watch the TV in his room on a Friday or saturday evening, even then it's a rare thing on a Friday as he goes to karate. It is a treat, a bonus in a way for all his good behaviour throughout the week.

He also has access to a PS2, we have had it for a couple of years now, but once again, he uses it in moderation as a treat and like with the TV it is closely monitored.

He loves "computerised" learning games and I certainly don't begrudge the odd 30 minutes on the PS2 if he is up to date with other things like homeworks, reading, spelling, karate...

My daughter (5) has Down Syndrome and funny enough, I started a thread in SN section earlier asking for ideas for a Xmas pressie from Nanny & Grandad!!! One of my considerations ATM is a game and eye toy for both of them to share.
yes, kicking a ball around outside is the better option, but let's face it, not always realistic.
I also like the idea that my DD can optimise the controls using her larger gross motor skills rather than the fine motor skills needed for a hand held controller.
My DD, like many other children , is a very visual learner and if by using a PS game for 30-60 minutes a week helps her development in any way, then it certainly isn't a bad thing in my humble opinion.

my 6 year old is setting up the gamecube as we speak.

dingle i hear what you say
I feel your situation is the exception
Far too many boys are chucked in front of these things these days
We have them- i hate them

My son has a playstation 2 which is his dads really but ds plays on it. He loves it and it is not doing anyone any harm, hes only allowed to play kids games, he bought the Cars game for ps2 with his birthday money. He allowed on it for 45-60 mins after homework and after his dinner.

Not mine! My Dad offered to buy them an XBox for Xmas and I said no, he really would prefer stickle bricks!!!

my ds had one bought by grandad when he was 4, not been a problem, hes very sociable

I still stand by my comment that consoles and games are not bad for children. If, however, the parents are unable or unwilling to limit their child's exposure to such things in the house then that may not be so great though!

I think it is perfectly possible to have a games console and cpmpyuter games about and still have a child grow up to be sociable, happy, bright, alert and part of the family, and who still likes sport and outdoor stuff. Perfectly possible. No idea why a child can't engage in lots of different activities at different times.

It is down to the parent to supervise and limit times and choose suitable games. Very easy to sort out - and keep the console in a family room, not in a bedroom. If you can't do this with a 4 or 5 year old, then no chance with a teenager!

Too young imo. My son is 5 and I wouldn't entertain him having one for ages yet. Would quite like not to bother at all.

There's no way ds will be getting a playstation or other game station when he's 5.

i agree with teh moderation crew. we have a nintendo (it's mine and dh's, not the girls) and dd1 (6) has started to play on it a bit. I have more of a gut instinct against it than dh and I've been trying hard to work out whether there is anything per se^ different between video games and board games. And apart from the possibility of eye strain I've come to the conclusion that the answer is no. a game is a game - they're there for children to have fun, take turns, compete, learn and they can even be there for all the family to enjoy together and I think that with the right games, the right level of moderation, the right level of adult supervision and joining in there is very little difference. dh was playing diddy kong racing with dd1 yesterday afternoon and it reminded me of playing card games with my dad on a Sunday afternoon. My point is that it might well be a mistake to lump together "video games" as a particular kind of activity - tehre's more to it than that

its a definite gender thing
girls take or leave it
boys transfixed for years