Games console from Santa - how young is too young?

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lfcjfc

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For a couple of years now Santa has resisted requests for a games console. However, this year 7yr old is pushing hard for Nintendo Wii. Any opinions on whether 7 is too young for this? What do people think of the Wii?
 
The great thing about the wii is that the games aren't all as techno and violent as for other consoles. There are some great sports games - tennis, 10 pin bowling etc that are great fun and suitable for 7-70.

I would go for it.
 
lfcjfc said:
For a couple of years now Santa has resisted requests for a games console. However, this year 7yr old is pushing hard for Nintendo Wii. Any opinions on whether 7 is too young for this? What do people think of the Wii?
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With set usage times, maybe an hour or two max per day. Too many kids spending hours on end playing games and it is a terrible habit to try to overcome when they get older.

As it stops them getting their necessary exercise it is also leading to weight problems.
 
On the exercise thing, the wii is the best of the consoles for encouraging at least some movement as it's physically interactive. I certainly feel the effects of a couple of hours playing a tennis challenge with friends. Not the same as proper exercise of course but you move a lot more than your thumbs with the wii plus many of the games are difficult if not impossible to play sitting down.
 
Like everything including TV, etc. when used in moderation they are fine in my opinion. My 8yr old has a Nintendo DS and is allowed to use it for bout half an hour before going to bed each night. If we are travelling in the car for a long journey she is allowed to play it for a while too or when flying it is great to keep her occupied and distracted. Just ensure that the game purchased are suitable for the child's age. It's when usage gets out of hand and kids are allowed to play with these things for as long as they like that problems arise.
 
7 years old is fine for these type of games, also i think you will find the novelty of the games wears off after a while and the kids dont actually use them that much
 
lfcjfc said:
For a couple of years now Santa has resisted requests for a games console. However, this year 7yr old is pushing hard for Nintendo Wii. Any opinions on whether 7 is too young for this? What do people think of the Wii?
Click to expand...


Its great for all the family as well.
 
Spoke to a guy recently and he said if he could undo one thing in his life, it would be the purchase of a games console for his kids. I am sure it is an extreme case, but it now owns his teenage son. I have 6 & 8 y/old boys and I limit them to pc games, i.e. they can't be plugged in on the move. Talking to another dad recently who runs a football team & has lost a number of players to the things. Sometime he drives to the kids houses to drag them away from the console.
 
I have been refusing to buy games consoles for about 7 years now. We have a computer, the kids play games on the computer, max one hour every other day. My youngest is 7, she likes the BBC on broadband. Wi seems a little different to the others but they are basically computers, if you have one already why spend a lot of money on another, less powerful, one. My son's friend has a wi, they play it sometimes, but mainly they go outside and kick football. Spend your money on something more useful. The price of Wi will buy a lot of footballs.
 
I have a relation who regrets the day she ever let the playstation into the house. Her son is 9 and addicted to it. Another relation is being badgered to buy one for her 6 year old this xmas - huge fights over it. I won't let one in the house as I am not going to waste my time controlling the games they play and how long they spend on it.
 
For those who do want to buy the games but are worried about the amount of time spent playing them, the wii has a feature that it suggests you stop playing and go outside after a certain amount of time.

The Xbox 360 has gone one step further and is introducing a feature which allows parents to set a maximum play time and then automatically turns the machine off.
 
Or how old....?
I bought myself a Nintendo DS lite a few months ago... I cannot put it down, any time I get a moment it comes out. Not even reading in bed at night... I am brain training. Love Hotel Dusk and Ace Attorney. I am 53....hubby thinks I have gone mad.
 
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