What's the best handheld game system for a 6 yr old? I want to get him one for Christmas but overwhelmed by the options. It obviously needs to be durable & have game options age appropriate.
Honestly, the best one is the one that his friends have, because what kids love about these games is the ability to connect the games and play with each other. So, if all his friends have a 3DS and you get him an iPod, he's going to wish had the 3DS. Or vice versa.
My son and his friends (age 8) mostly have iPods at this point, so that's what he plays most often. We got an otterbox case for it. Those are almost indestructible.
This is going to depend on how much you are looking to spend. My 5 year old has a VTech MobiGo 2. He really likes it. Very durable, age appropriate games, comes with a stylus, but you don't have to use the stylus (figures work, too, on a touch screen). The only down side for me is that the games are all cartridges, so it's easy for him to drop them in the couch cushions or something. He doesn't always know where the games are.
My 8 year old has a IPod Touch (4th Generation) that his grandma bought off Craigslist for about $100 or $150. The newest versions start at $200, I believe. There are so many apps you can download. Many of them are free. The nice things about apps is that you can't lose them.
I think a tablet might be more appropriate for a 6 year old. You might be able to find one on Craigslist for less than $200. You can also buy a case for it so that it's protected. The advantage really is that there are no games to lose. Cartridges for the VTech, Leapfrog and DS are all so small and very easy to lose.
DS was great for my son....my daughter liked to play with it too. You can get games for each gender. iPad would be good but its a bit more expensive
We got ours DSI's BUT we had to manage the games. Kids this age just don't have the ability to manage the games and keeping them slid into the carrier just right and everything. I know some parents give them to them and figure if they don't take care of them they just don't have them anymore.
I would rather have the money I spent on all those games safe. I take the games and keep them in a case and the kids "check them out". This helps them learn to take care of them.
As they've aged they take much better care of them by themselves.
If I was doing it over I'd would have bought them a tablet instead, totally, completely a much better choice.
Ours kids have tablets. They aren't allowed out of the house, and there are tons of age appropriate aps.
at 6 my kids loved ds (they still play it, age 10). but i have to say iPad is the best. you can download kindle app and download books. there are tons of things they do on them, and this year i used the best buy's trade in and replaced their old iPads with new ones, and paid a fraction.
ipod is good too but my kids didn't care much for it.
I got my daughter a Nintendo DS when she was 4 and she still has it and uses it often. She also is one of those kids that takes good care of her belongings (wish I could say the same about her half siblings). She has never lost or broken games, accessories etc..
They also have a nice variety of games available that are age appropriate. You will also find different styles of carriers that will hold the game system, games and charger. My nephews have the 3-D version and they are 10 &12.
I think in the long run this would be the best buy for the money since your child can use it for years to come. I noticed some of the other gaming systems are geared for younger kids and then you end up buying something else in a year or two anyway.
if you can manage I would do an ipad mini. Or you could go with the kindle fire although most of my friends ended up going ipad after a year or two with the kindle anyway. My son has an ipad mini and I have a full sized ipad. I like the mini more. He had an ipod which is great too but its pretty small, especially if they do the kindle app and read books on it. He sold his ipod. My daughter also has an ipod touch and it sits there for the majority of the time while she plays on the ipad because its bigger. She also likes the mini more, but she is asking for dolls this year instead. They have very durable cases, otterbox makes a great one. These are a must on all of our devices and have saved us numerous times. They both also had dsi's which the game cartridges are easy to lose.
