What's new

Recommendations for a 4-year-old girl (1 Viewer)

Gabe D

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 16, 2001
Messages
2,172
I got myself a PS3 for Blu-ray, and now my 9-year-old boy is contantly playing video games on the big TV. His 4-year-old sister would like to try it, but his games (sports and action games) are too complicated.

I was going to get a couple of Spongebob games for her, but then I saw the reviews on Amazon, where people are saying how hard some of the games are. Too hard for their kids.

Can anybody suggest a more appropriate game for a 4-year-old? If it helps, she loves Spongebob, Disney princesses, Barbie, etc. Really, though, any fun and simple game would be good.
 

Aaron Silverman

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 22, 1999
Messages
11,411
Location
Florida
Real Name
Aaron Silverman
I've heard that the Pixar Cars game is pretty good and not too tough.

Can she play the sports games in practice mode?

If she likes to sing, Karaoke Revolution can be calibrated to be very forgiving. Also, there's a Disney version of Dance Dance Revolution that she might enjoy.
 

Gabe D

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 16, 2001
Messages
2,172
Thanks for your reply, Aaron. I'll check out the Cars game.

Jeez, I don't know. I'm not a gamer at all, and I didn't even know there was such a thing as "practice mode."
htf_images_smilies_blush.gif


Singing and dancing games sound like a great idea! Would I have to buy accessories, like a microphone or a pad to dance on? Also, regarding Karaoke: she can't read. (She'll be in preschool this fall, kindergarten in fall '08.)
 

DaveF

Moderator
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2001
Messages
28,687
Location
Catfisch Cinema
Real Name
Dave
For a child that young, you might better off getting the inexpensive standalone game systems -- modern console games are quite complex. Something like Gigapets, like my 9-yr old niece plays. Or perhaps those joystick / gamesets with simpler games from 20 years ago?

My friend with a 4-year old son lets him play Sesame Street games and such online; they are age-appropriate web-based games.
 

Aaron Silverman

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 22, 1999
Messages
11,411
Location
Florida
Real Name
Aaron Silverman
Usually the singing and dancing games can be purchased with the required peripherals included. You may want to wait until she can read the lyrics for the karaoke games though. :)

For that age group, it's easier to find appropriate games for the PC than for console systems. The Playhouse Disney website is one place that has a lot of fun activities featuring the characters from the TV shows.

If your daughter likes construction vehicles, and you can find one for a reasonable price, look for the Tonka Dig'N Rigs playset. My son (who is almost 2) *loves* it. It's a plastic truck dashboard that straps to the PC keyboard and works in tandem with the game, which includes a number of simple activities that very young children can enjoy. (Note that it won't work with ergonomic keyboards -- I have to swap keyboards when my son wants to play.)

It's an interesting concept in that it's entirely mechanical -- each of the controls on the dashboard causes a little plunger to poke out the bottom of the unit and press a particular key on the keyboard, which controls the game play.

Importantly, I feel good about letting my toddler play it. Most of it is more of an activity than a video game (and you can skip the video gamey parts), and watching my son figure out how to work the controls to get things to happen on the screen makes me feel like he's learning something. He sits in my lap and we work on it together, so it's not so different from story time. :)
 

dave_brogli

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 30, 2002
Messages
1,021
Guitar Hero. My 3 yr old daughter loves playing shes no good but put it on practice and shell wail!
 

Gabe D

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 16, 2001
Messages
2,172
Thanks for the helpful suggestions.

She has played some web-based games before -- Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, etc. Those are great, but now she wants to play on the big screen TV in the family room.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Forum statistics

Threads
356,814
Messages
5,123,716
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top