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Toys

Of Gaming Consoles

By

child with psp
The Christmas season has just ended and I just realized how BIG gaming consoles are for children. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my extended family and I was really surprised to see that most of the kids had a gaming console with them – the portable ones!

Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against gaming consoles. In fact, I kind of like the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which my husband got for himself when it first came out. Aside from the price, I think that this gadget is quite nifty – you can do more than play games.

The dilemma I have been having is how old should a child be before he or she could get a gaming console? More so, what kind of console is right for a certain age? Take my nephew, he is only 5 and his parents bought him a PSP. I think it’s too expensive a toy for his age.

My other nephew got a Gameboy Advance and he’s 7. I think that’s a better match. Then again, he felt so envious of the PSP, which a younger cousin already has!

As a parent, it could be quite hard to make the right decisions – should you get your child a gaming console? If so, which one? More than that, how do you handle their use of the console?

I believe that it boils down to more than the game or toy itself. It is part of disciplining your children and giving them what they want at the same time. Good parenting includes treats and teaching children control at the same time.

Tips for “Good” video gaming

By

dd

Ok, it isnt such a far-fetched idea really, but given the day and age we live in, when it comes to video games and kids, its just a matter of time (unless you live in Outer Mongolia – but then again, even there they’ve probably got some bootleg gameboy from the mainland).

Not that I’ve decided to give in and allow N to have one just yet- I think its better to get all the facts and get oneself ready to make the best out of a situation.

So here are some tips I found:

1. Find the “good” games and stay away from the “bad”

Find games that people can play together (team building and sportsmanship) like sports and action games. Make it more social, as opposed to a “mind-numbing” activity. Steer clear of violent titles, do your research and check out online reviews first.

2. Get “Active” Games

If like me, you’re concerned about the health aspect, then get some games which will get the kids (and maybe even yourself) out of the sofa and moving! These usually come with a dance pad, which younger kids will enjoy. Karaoke games are fun too, like Singstar, which can get the whole family spending some fun quality time together.

3. Be Involved

As with most things in your child’s life, take an active involvement. Try and spend some time together playing and discover why your child loves it. In my case though, it will be my husband playing the sports and action things – I’ll just stick to the karaoke.

The same pro-video game parent who inspired these tips had this to say (he does have a point).

Don’t believe all the popular media about violence in video games. While there have been a great deal of sensationalist news claims over the years, little legitimate supporting research has been presented that makes a strong link between games and violence. In 2001, the Surgeon General of the United States released a report that concluded, “[t]aken together, findings suggest that media violence has a relatively small impact on violence.” Besides, the debate becomes mute if you pay attention to the content of the games your child is playing.

It’s easy to want to say no when your kid asks for a video game system for Christmas or for a birthday; after all, we’ve all seen various news reports about the dangers of video games. But next time your child makes such a request, don’t be so quick with that knee-jerk reaction. Two thirds of parents with children under the age of 18 say that they feel video games are a positive element of their child’s life. You don’t have to feel guilty next time someone asks you, “You let your kids play video games?” Just look surprised and say, “We play video games together. Why? Don’t you?”

You might be surprised at how nice a ring that line has.

Thomas Thomas and More Thomas

By

dd

If you have a little boy, you’ll probably understand the relation betweeen Christmas shopping and fulfilling your child’s obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine. Ever since my boy O started to take an interest in toys, it was Thomas the whole way. Unlike my daughter, who enjoyed those colourful, apparently “smart” and un-cheap baby toys from Lamaze and Manhattan Toy, my son ignored all that and only wanted trains – Thomas, to be precise.

That was about a year ago, fast forward to today, and at 22 months, his penchant for all things Thomas has escalated to a normal (yes, it is!!) obsession. So, the indulgent Mom I am, have taken it upon myself to go the full whack and purchase the wooden sets plus table (as seen in picture above) for Christmas.

As those wooden sets are hideously expensive ( but the quality is fine, let me assure you, and will no doubt last for many many years!!- I hope), I’ve am having the table made by our carpenter/handyman, who actually just built our dogs a veritable mansion in the yard, complete with veranda. So, a toy train table shouldnt be too difficult?????

I have never actually bought toys online, preferring to go to our local toy stores and seeing what the kids naturally gravitate to throughout the year. However, for this Thomas project, I did find myself checking out what was there online, as some Moms had alrealy beat me to the retail outlets and supply was getting thin.

Here are some of the websites with the best selections for all things Thomas (still havent tried them out though, so on purchase and delivery I really cant say). Click on the words to link:

Thomas the Tank Engine Store

Totally Thomas

Thomas Station

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas gifts, Thomas Tank Engine[/tags]