Explaining and playing games?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2001
Explaining and playing games?
8
Wed, 01-04-2006 - 8:58pm
So I bought Bobby chutes and ladders, fishing around and the fisher-price InteracTV for Xmas.

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-04-2003
Wed, 01-04-2006 - 10:04pm
I bought my daughter a play station when she turned 6, because all of her cousins that are her age were playing video games. It took her a few more years to really get the hang of it. My youngest really got into video games this year, and she is 8. They both played computer games earlier, though. I think maybe the mouse is easier to control than having the eye-hand coordination with the video game controller maybe. I have always gone ahead and introduced them to board games or video games and encouraged them along. I have found that it is okay to make up different rules or adapt the rules for them. They get less discouraged that way and eventually start to play and really enjoy the games. My youngest has really gotten a sense of accomplishment out of learning to play video games, but it is still very much on her own terms.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 01-05-2006 - 12:52am

My son will be 6y on Saturday. He likes to watch the Xbox. He likes to watch the others play it. He tries--but it's too hard.
Now---after saying that---he went thru a time at about 3-4yo where all he did was the computer(a Yoda star wars thing) in which he had to put weird shapes together to make a picture. He was a genius at that. But after a 1 year or so---he stopped cold turkey. Has not played the computer since.
He also was really into his gameboy at that age. He would play it for 24 hours/day---2 weeks solid. But he hasn't done that either---in years. He was really good too. Made it to high levels and taught himself how to play the games.

I wish he was into something right now. He seems bored with everything we have. Just once--I would like to see him play with his gameboy!!!

Holly
Jacob

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-05-2006 - 9:32am

Have you tried Candy Land? I think that is one of the easiest games to start with. Son doesn't like board games that involve too many rules.

I agree with the others, son started playing computer games at about 3.5 and he has always been good at them. He now (7.5 yrs old) even loads his own games, plays by himself, saves the game and closes it properly. Husband has Xbox and son loved to watch him play so we got son a Playstation (he was about 5)....plays with it on and off....not as consistant as the computer.

Christie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-05-2006 - 11:42am

Actually, we are just getting to be able to play board games now and only because the kids therapist working on it really hard this past year. Prior to that we could occasionally play a game but it had to be 1:1 and they (cait or Mike) usually quit before the end of the game or there was some behavior. And they still have a hard time with group regular age appropriate board games, but we had a great time as a family playing candyland. They will also play moncala 1:1. Any other board games take alot of work (Like Simpson Life and Star Wars Life that we have) and both DH and I playing with them. COnstant direction on how to play, who's turn it is, etc. We like to play crazy 8's too but that takes alot of reminders as well. Mike is just learning checkers. He has the rules down but can't quite wrap his brain around strategy, lol.

Ohhh, Cranium has some great games for kids, even small kids. They have a range for different ages. Hullabalo is great for little ones. There is one of those games they can play as well.

Dave is just really getting into game now and he will be 6 at the end of the month. He is also more typical than the others. He bought Candyland with a christmas gift card and will play that. He has LOVED games for years but mostly to just take all the little pieces out, mix them up and do thier own thing.

Dave does video games (better than me) but only because his older brother is addicted. He probably started just around turning 5. Mike didnt get the motor skills for it until he was 7, nearly 8. We went on a cross country trip and stayed at cousins who taught him how and he was addicted. We got it after that. It took him a long time to get it down. He likes one particular kind of game but has tons of that kind. Dave had a cousin who is NT and still is just starting to get the hang of video games and he is 6 in a few months.

When Cait was 4 we had to do the computer with her because she couldn't get the hang of the mouse. However the neuropsyche who tested her strongly recomended computer games to learn skills. Computers are visually appealling and very patient. There are some great ones for preschoolers. We loved the Jumpstart series, and had a great elmo one then too. We bought a kids trackball which helped her learn how to use a mouse and she really enjoyed those games. That was a good investment. Now I can't get her OFF the computer. Darn neopets!

HTH

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Thu, 01-05-2006 - 1:19pm

I agree about Candyland -- it seems like the easiest game to play. Sylvia's grandmother got it for her this Christmas. She just turned 4 years old on Dec. 26 -- and honestly, 6 months ago, I wouldn't have even attempted a game with her. But she seems to get it now... sort of. She understands that she has to take turns with mommy or daddy or whoever she's playing with; she understands the concept of moving her game piece to the different-colored squares on the board. She USUALLY leaves her game piece on the game board while we're playing, although sometimes she forgets and picks it up to examine it. But I don't really think she gets the concept of winning or losing -- the game just ends, is all. And a lot of the time what she really wants to do is just sit alone in her room and look at the game board and all of the cards, identifying all the colors etc. But we keep trying to get her to play with us, even if she doesn't get the rules quite right, because it encourages her to play WITH us, and to learn some social skills like taking turns etc. We also simplified the rules a bit -- if anyone lands on a "lose a turn" square, for example, we just ignore it; she's just getting the concept of taking turns now, and I think skipping a turn is a bit too complicated at this point.

Just so you know, though, several months ago I tried playing "memory" with her, and she had NO CLUE what I was doing. She just wanted to flip all the cards over, had no clue that I was trying to remember where certain pictures were in order to match them, didn't have any idea how to take turns, etc. So don't be distressed if Bobby doesn't quite get it yet -- he may just need a couple of months. If it's frustrating for him and you, then just take a break for a bit, let him play with the game however he wants, and try again in a couple of weeks.

I wouldn't worry about getting him a gaming system until he starts to show some interest. By the time it becomes an issue with his peers, there will be many new games and systems out there anyway! So you might as well wait until you see what his friends have, what he wants, etc. We do the sesamestreet.org stuff with Sylvie, too, but that's about it. (Also DH keeps saying that the kids REALLY want an x-box... which of course is code for, DH wants an x-box!!!)

Jennifer :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-26-2005
Thu, 01-05-2006 - 8:44pm
Tina,
I bought Jake the read with me dvd system for christmas. It works similar to the toy you have. DH spent a couple of days explaining to Jake how it worked and he caught on pretty quickly but the problem I have with the game is that he has already memorized all the answers to the questions!I have similar problems explaining how different games work to Jake. For instance, his ST would play a matching card game with him that he just couldn't get. I couldn't understand why he had such a problem with it because he has a Thomas computer game that has a matching game on it and it's scary how well he remembers where all the pairs are.
Teresa
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2001
Thu, 01-05-2006 - 9:11pm
You know it is funny you said Jake has already memorized the answers.

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2004
Fri, 01-06-2006 - 2:54pm

Tina,

Sorry it took so long for me to respond, been busy with the surgery thing!!!

Anyway, Nathan was a bit late in doing the "games" too. He wasn't really interested when he was 3 and 4. Tyler and I taught him how to play "go fish" (Thomas the Train cards), Connect 4, Sorry, and a couple others. But it took a bit for him to "get" the game. He wants to win all the time, and gets upset if he doesn't. He also had a problem with his attention span too. Even now he jumps from toy to toy all day!!!lol The memory games were way too frustrating (even though Tyler LOVED these games!) Nathan liked and still likes games that go fast. Not games that take too long to finish.

We have Playstation 2...Tyler plays all the time, but Nathan just watches and tells Tyler what to do!! lol Nathan says it's too hard for him. We do have a couple of games for Nathan to play, but he will only play if daddy sits with him and helps him constantly!! Which is rare, because Nathan will usually say no to playing. He likes some computer games, but again....they have to be easy.

He does play games at school during his social skills group, and during speech sometimes. But he always does a "wonderful" job for THEM!!! So, I know he can do it.....just doesn't prefer to do it. He still likes playing by himself.

michelle