As with all purchases for children, parents should first consult the ESRB age rating of the game. They should also ensure that the game they are buying is in fact educational as there are a multitude of Nintendo DS titles available for the 3-5 range but not all of them promote learning.
Brain Training Games on Nintendo DS
After the massive success of Brain Training on the DS the market has been flooded with imitators. Brain Training is still the best although its interface is rather colourless and bland. The most popular titles available are;
· Brain Training
· Brain Challenge
· Brain Assist
· Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach
The parent should keep in mind that although the ESRB rating is 3+ in all of these titles they can be very difficult as the game progresses and may not be suitable for 3-5 year olds.
Maths Play on Nintendo DS
Not suitable for children of around twelve and under because of its difficulty. For those children more mathematically inclined this is a good title for developing mathematical ability. An alternative maths title is Professor Kageyama's Maths Training.
Learning a Language on Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS has a couple of titles that can help with a child’s foreign language development.
· My Spanish Coach Beginner
· My French Coach Beginner
· My Spanish Coach Intermediate
· My French Coach Beginner
The advantage of these titles is they use fun interactive games to help with learning.
Sight Training on Nintendo DS
Sight Training is created by the same people that created Brain Training and helps improve your eye’s 5 focusing abilities through a series of fun tasks. Like Brain Training up to four users can track their results over time which makes for some fun inter family competition.
Puzzle Games on Nintendo DS
Puzzle games are a great way to stimulate a child’s mind whilst still being enjoyable. Some popular puzzle games are;
· Brain Benders
· Platinum Sudoku
Educational Nintendo DS Games Suitable for Young Children
· I Did It Mum : Boy Version
· I Did It Mum: Girl Version
The I Did It Mum titles are suitable for younger children and involve the player completing simple and fun tasks such as colouring in. It features bold, bright and colourful graphics and is a good preschool educational game.
Another game that involves a greater degree of creativity (probably not suitable for preschoolers) is Drawn to Life. In Drawn to Life players draw their own characters. These user created characters are then featured in the games storyline.
For other games that are suitable for children on other platforms please read Best Xbox 360 Titles for Kids.
Peter Reeves - Peter Reeves is proud to be the Suite 101 Writing for Stage/Screen FeatureWriter. Has written the popular articles Aristotle's Six ...
