Does a product exist like Leapster but for over age 8? My daughter is 8 and I think the Leapster is not appropriate for her age. Does anyone recommend a toy like Leapster for the over 8 year old set? I do not want to get her a laptop or a DS. Thank you Does a product exist like Leapster but for over age 8? My daughter is 8 and I think the Leapster is not appropriate for her age. Does anyone recommend a toy like Leapster for the over 8 year old... » Read More Does a product exist like Leapster but for over age 8? My daughter is 8 and I think the Leapster is not appropriate for her age. Does anyone recommend a toy like Leapster for the over 8 year old set? I do not want to get her a laptop or a DS. Thank you « Show Less
1778289
Thanks for the suggestion! Since I didn't get my first ipod touch until age 46, I think 8 is a little too young. I also am not happy with unrestricted internet access for an 8-year-old. But I do appreciate the suggestion.
1778290
You might check your local game stop and look at a refurbished unit. The last time I was in there they had some units in there for 79.99. I bought a ds lite for my son when he was 6 and he is still using at 8 we just got a nerf case to increase the durablity for it. My niece got hers at 7 and is still using it and she will be 12 christmas eve. It is definatley a investment but she will not grow out of this toy for some time to come. There are very few toys that I buy for the kids that I can say they're still use on a weekly basis 5 years later, but this is one of them.
1468026
Try an ipod touch. As crazy as it sounds there is a ton of educational aps that you can get for the device that are majority free are cost only 99 cents. There is a website called utech tips just google it with educational aps and it will list at least 50 aps free to 4.99. It even catagorizes them for you. If you think about it you are shelling out the same amount as much buying a comparable gaming system. Plus she gets the ability to store music, pictures, and movies as well. Hope this helps
1778291
Nope...once they get to age 8, that is about it for the learning toys/Leapfrog line. Didj may get you for a short while, but it was short lived in my house.Can I ask why you don't want to get a DS? They have some great learning games for it!
1778292
my son got his 1st ds at 6 and still loves it. I think a ds lite is fine i dont think you need a dsi. It did break at the hinge (his fault) so we bought him a second hand refurb one for 70.00 aud.i can tell you he takes very good care of the hinge now after being without it for a while. Rather than buying mario etc games that can be expensive buy some non trademark games or pre owned games. my son is a tech head and loves his play station 2 and wii but i think he would say he loves his ds best. having said all that i agree also with the itouch or ipad as most of the apps are free and there are loads of educational apps available on the net. my son got his 1st ds at 6 and still loves it. I think a ds lite is fine i dont think you need a dsi. It did break at the hinge (his fault) so we bought him a second hand refurb one for 70.00 aud.i can tell you he takes very good care of the hinge now after being without it for a while. Rather than buying mario etc games that can be expensive buy some non trademark games or pre owned games. my son is a tech head and loves his play station 2 and wii but i think he would say he loves his ds best. having said all that i agree also with the itouch or ipad as most of the apps are free and there... » Read More my son got his 1st ds at 6 and still loves it. I think a ds lite is fine i dont think you need a dsi. It did break at the hinge (his fault) so we bought him a second hand refurb one for 70.00 aud.i can tell you he takes very good care of the hinge now after being without it for a while. Rather than buying mario etc games that can be expensive buy some non trademark games or pre owned games. my son is a tech head and loves his play station 2 and wii but i think he would say he loves his ds best. having said all that i agree also with the itouch or ipad as most of the apps are free and there are loads of educational apps available on the net. « Show Less
738404
My 2yr old daughter is insane over her Innotab 2 and so is her 6yr old sister..lol so I would say from my experience it can last till shes 6 or older they have games for 6-7 yr olds so as she grows you can get the more advanced game.
2158672
my son loved this product.. he has learned alot from it. i think playing on the notepad is too young at that age. i did get my son his own vtech laptop,.. love that too
1155857
Could you expand on what difficulties your 6 year old has with the DS. Is it the size of the screen, buttons, etc? Or the games being too difficult? Or something else?I already own a DS (for myself) and am debating buying a couple of the children's learning games for my son (3yrs but he is advanced) to use on my system instead of buying him his own system like the Leapster.
1163032
My daughter is 5 and she really loves this. I'm not sure if it has a age limit...maybe how far along with playing games or on computer helps. I would say its good for ages starting around 3-4. Hope this has helped you.
261441
My 3 year old nephew loves his - the games vary greatly in age appropriateness. My 7yr old niece still uses hers constantly. I had to get the little one a Leapster2 so they would stop fighting over it.
1556215
Manufacturer recommended age: 36 months - 15 yearsBut I bought for my kids when they were about 2.5 years, so that would be about 27-28 months, a little younger than what they recommend - this might be because there are small parts - "Screws" which a child maybe could swallow; my kids didn't put the toys in their mouths, you probably could take the smaller parts away and just let them play with the larger tools - hammer, wrench, screw-driver etc... They kids love this toy.I dont know what the manufacturer is talking about up to 15 years, must be a standard thing, I cannot see a kids playing with this beyond 5 or 6 years old. Manufacturer recommended age: 36 months - 15 yearsBut I bought for my kids when they were about 2.5 years, so that would be about 27-28 months, a little younger than what they recommend - this might be because there are small parts - "Screws" which a child maybe could swallow; my kids didn't put the toys in their mouths, you probably could take the smaller parts away and just let them play with the larger tools - hammer, wrench, screw-driver etc... They kids love this toy.I dont know what the manufacturer is talking about up to 15 years, must be a standard thing, I... » Read More Manufacturer recommended age: 36 months - 15 yearsBut I bought for my kids when they were about 2.5 years, so that would be about 27-28 months, a little younger than what they recommend - this might be because there are small parts - "Screws" which a child maybe could swallow; my kids didn't put the toys in their mouths, you probably could take the smaller parts away and just let them play with the larger tools - hammer, wrench, screw-driver etc... They kids love this toy.I dont know what the manufacturer is talking about up to 15 years, must be a standard thing, I cannot see a kids playing with this beyond 5 or 6 years old. « Show Less
1842628
yes it is suitable for an 8 year old. we played it with my granddaughter. and she is 8 yrs. old. She loved playing it. The more people that play the more fun it is.
1155853
I agree wholeheartedly that it depends on the child. Our daughter received her ds at 5 and had no problems using it right away. Our son just turned 3 and we're considering purchasing something similar for him because he already knows how to do some things on the computer and work portions of my iphone. If you think the stylus may be too difficult for him to handle at this age, go with the leapster or let them try an old gameboy perhaps.
1294873
My children who are now all a bit older, went through the same phase. They learned they needed to be X years old to have a DS. I believe the bar was set at age 5 or when they were responsible enough. Granted, the youngest tend to get things younger and younger, but still...it's nice for the oldest to be special. We went the Leapster route and my son was content for about a year....possibly a bit longer. The games were not as challenging as those for DS and he was very proud of HIS own special game system. They do make some games for the younger ones now, but why not be successful with a Leapster first and move up to a DS? You'll be glad you did! My children who are now all a bit older, went through the same phase. They learned they needed to be X years old to have a DS. I believe the bar was set at age 5 or when they were responsible enough. Granted, the youngest tend to get things younger and younger, but still...it's nice for the oldest to be special. We went the Leapster route and my son was content for about a year....possibly a bit longer. The games were not as challenging as those for DS and he was very proud of HIS own special game system. They do make some games for the younger ones now, but why not be successful with a... » Read More My children who are now all a bit older, went through the same phase. They learned they needed to be X years old to have a DS. I believe the bar was set at age 5 or when they were responsible enough. Granted, the youngest tend to get things younger and younger, but still...it's nice for the oldest to be special. We went the Leapster route and my son was content for about a year....possibly a bit longer. The games were not as challenging as those for DS and he was very proud of HIS own special game system. They do make some games for the younger ones now, but why not be successful with a Leapster first and move up to a DS? You'll be glad you did! « Show Less
879474
Leapster is great. My kids loved the educational games. It lasted a couple of years. While they still play it, they are now ready for the DS. I'd go with the Leapster, and maybe go with some used games. I wouldn't invest too much because around 6-7 they want the newer big-kid games.
1144595
It is an awesome toy, but I think a little too "old" for a one year old. I would wait until he is maybe three. You could get it while on sale if it still is, and put it away till you think he is old enough for it. Sorry.
1959930
I'm not sure what to get my almost 9 year old granddaughter she will be 9 in jan she does not currently have anything? should I get kindle fire a dsl nintendo or leap pad help please!
2163473
Hi, My daughter has the Leapster 2. It has one game installed and there is also a "paint" option, kind of like Windows "draw." She rarely played with those features, but they're not bad features. The game has dragons and you have to chase letters or something like that. If I'm not mistaken you can also download a game or two from the site. Just the same, I would definitely consider getting your niece a game to go with it -- Leapfrog.com was having a sale, maybe still is, which made many of the cartridges very affordable. My daughter loved Digging for Dinosaurs, Wall-e, the Backyardigans, and Finding Nemo in particular. She got the Disney Princess game but only played with it once. It looked like a real stinker. If cost is a consideration (as it is for me) maybe just let her parents know that you got her a Leapster 2 so they can plan on getting her a game or two. And how nice of you to get her such a lovely gift! It is a truly educational tool and was a huge hit in my house.
415197
I got this game system for my son when he was 4. He was not yet in school but getting ready for preschool. He loved it myself as well. I loved watching him learn new things and answer the questions he already knew. He had the leapster explorer and the leapster 2 way before he got the Nintendo ds and Wii. He wanted all the games so we got him as many as we could including Tangled . He played it and just like the other games he learned from it. We also found out the store Five and Below carries tons of Leapster Explorer games for $5 not the $20 you pay in a reg. Store. But I highly recommend this game especially for a 7 year old girl. Hope this helps.
1903153
So the way I looked at it EVERYONE has one (or both) of the other two. Especially the leapfrog one. I didn't think my daughter would use it if she had the same one at daycare and every play date. Also she loves loves balls and still (at 16 months) watches them go down the legs and sings to the songs.This table also has different (new) songs. I find that leapfrog reuses the same songs on everything she has and so does fisher price. I would pay good money for NEW music on toys!! :)
879481
You probably already got one, but my concern would be the dropping. My 4 year old has dropped his leapster so many times and I wouldn't get him a DS for a few years because of it. If they could be responsible I think the DS would be cool. I will upgrade probably when he is around 7ish and maybe get one for his brother depending on if he can do it when he is 5 or just get another Leapster or pass brother's down.