I saw the thread on non-electronic games for long flights. But what about electronic games? My daughter is 5.5 and doesn't have any of the hand-held games older kids have, so I have no idea what they are. Are there hand-held games appropriate for a 5/6 year old? Do they have a silent mode, or a headphone jack?
What about games that can be played on dad's PC laptop? She plays some online games at pbskids.org, but what are some good games you can download or buy and install?
She is just learning to spell basic words, so relatively simple games with audio instructions would be best - "educational" (spelling, basic addition/subtraction, etc) would be an added bonus, but not essential.
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At 4 1/2 my daughter has a Leapfrog but it doesn't hold her interest for long and I haven't yet bought her any games for my DS, both of which have a place for headphones. My niece received a DS while she was 5 and I believe she really enjoys the few games they bought for her that were for her age level but it can be pretty individual as to what games each child likes. It seems like DS has the most games available and will grow with your child. As far as PC games we are still pretty much stuck on Sesame Street for now.
Both my girls have DS game players. They just came out with the new DSI players as well. My girls are now 7 & 9, but have been playing with the DS for 2 1/2 years. They don't play with them much at home, but they are great for travelling, or waiting in Drs. offices which we have been doing a lot of lately.
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My daughter is 5 1/2 as well. She has the leapster hand held game and loves it. It has games with her favorite characters (Disney Princesses, Cars, Nemo, etc.) and I feel it's age appropriate. There is a headset jack and volume control and she only uses it w/ a headset on the plane. She rarely uses it outside of traveling, but we will take it to the drs as well and will pull it out on a sick day. Despite her friends (and older sister) having Nintendo DS, she hasn't asked for one and seems happy with the leapster.
My nine year old daughter loves her Nintendo DS. You can turn the sound off, or use the headphones. Her favorite games are Animal Crossing, Nintendo Dogs and Super Mario Bros. She also has a iPod Nano that we load with her favorite TV shows before a long flight and her music playlist. This can keep her quiet and occupied happily for hours.
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7 & 9 yo boys
each have PSP's but they share all the games
7 yo also has a DS
that covers a transon flight with room left to spare as long as our seats have power ports.
A distant 3rd are portable DVD players.. my younger one will ask for a movie faster than the older one.
when they were 3 & 5 we started with the game boy but they out grew those rather quickly.
the good thing is that these games are so easy to transport, they throw them right in their back pack.
Travel is such a breeze with these games. I pretty much can control their actions just by saying, i'll take the game away if they don't do xyz.. which is something I really don't want to do but for now, the threat works LOL
The Nintendo DS seems to have a lot more kid-friendly options, including games suitable for 4 and 5 year olds.
I find mine helps me pass the time on long flights. Am taking a long flight from Japan to the US in a few days and have read that Japan airlines does not allow the use of the DS inflight. Does anyone know if this is true? If so, I'll have to pack a thicker book...
My son wants a DSi for his birthday; I asked whats the difference between your DS and the DSi and he said he can use it on the internet.
if I get this for him, can i use it on aircraft with wifi.. I mean the internet connection part of the console
So far, everything i have read indicates you cannot use the connectivity features while on the aircraft. Although some gamers have reported getting away with it covertly, all airlines have a rule about not using anything with connectivity capabilities at anytime in the air. They say it affects airline communication systems. Hope that helps!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msjoonee
So far, everything i have read indicates you cannot use the connectivity features while on the aircraft. Although some gamers have reported getting away with it covertly, all airlines have a rule about not using anything with connectivity capabilities at anytime in the air. They say it affects airline communication systems. Hope that helps!
I was referring to airlines that provide wifi on select aircraft/routes like AA (specifically)
Could the DSi connect (assuming we pay of course) like at home?
So far, everything i have read indicates you cannot use the connectivity features while on the aircraft. Although some gamers have reported getting away with it covertly, all airlines have a rule about not using anything with connectivity capabilities at anytime in the air. They say it affects airline communication systems. Hope that helps!
I somehow missed this thread last summer!
I was just curious, when you say "connectivity", does this mean Wifi or when two players "hook up"? My kids were communicating with a German child a few rows away on our last flight. I was wondering whether they were breaking any rules...
The other posters make me feel better about my 5 year old having a DS. The ONLY reason was because her brother and sister have them. They have them, she wanted one. If she were an onlie or oldest, I would have probably opted for the Leapster, which she played with on our cruise a couple of years ago.
Just as a warning, she did break her sister's DS and she also damaged her own by shoving the cartridges in the wrong way. If you opt to give a child this young a DS, please don't make my mistake. Keep an eye on it and how they use it.
It's also a super-easy thing to lose and/or leave behind at that age. Those small game chips can be easily lost. I take hers' in my backpack when we travel. She only keeps the game she's using in it and her siblings carry the rest with theirs'.
