Top Three Educational Nintendo DS Games for Young Kids
A close friend once told me that the Nintendo DS was a major source of headaches in his family i.e. addictive, it’s all the kids do, hard to get them off, etc.. So imagine my surprise (because I’m a casual gamer) and dismay (because I’m a Dad) when grandma got Book Boy a DS for Christmas!
After thinking about what games I could buy for myself (hehe… Zelda here I come), my thoughts wandered to how the DS could be used for the forces of Good and help teach Book Boy useful things versus just being mindless entertainment. Courtesy of the Internet and anecdotal info from other Dads, here for all you Busy Dads are our Top Three Educational DS Games for Young Kids!
What Platform to Choose
Before we get into the games, a comment on the gaming system. Our kids already have the Leapster 2 and between the ages of 3 and 5, this served us well. Games such as I Spy Treasure Hunt and Disney Worlds of Enchantment really helped their pre-school/kindergarten level spelling and mathematical skills. From age 5 and up, the Leapster really couldn’t hold Book Boy’s attention anymore. Enter the Nintendo DS.
Top 3 Educational Games for Nintendo DS
Coming up with a Top 3 was difficult as a) there were so many titles to choose from, b) there were so many reviews both for and against each game, and c) finding that balance between fun and educational value (or the highest level of edutainment!) was very hard. This post was initially supposed to be a Top 5 list but I’ve already spent WAY too much time working on this post trying to find 5 so I’m copping out. After much research, here are our Top 3 choices (in random order):
1) Scribblenauts
Description: Using the Nintendo DS touch screen, help Maxwell reach the Starite by solving a series of puzzles ranging from easy to challenging. Catch the Starite by writing down any object you can think of and watch it come to life. Try another word and watch as a completely different scenario unfolds. With your stylus and imagination, the possibilities are endless.
Age: Most sites on the Net peg this game at age 8 and above. Personally, I play many of these puzzle type games with my kids (and love the time we spend together) so as long as they can spell and have an imagination, I think age 6 is fine.
Skills: Problem solving, spelling.
Other Reviews: Some comprehensive reviews here from Amazon.com.
Video: Here’s a quick video showing you how the game works!
2) The “Learn” Series
Description: Practicing your skills and honing your knowledge of facts can be fun with Learn Math for Nintendo DS. From DreamCatcher Interactive, this collection of math games can by synced with syllabuses for grades one through four, making it easy to ensure problems are just hard enough to keep students both interested and motivated. “Learn Science” is being released in February 2010.
Age: Since it’s targeting grades 1 through 4, ages start at 5/6. I’m a bit wary of the entertainment vs. education balance here but there are enough positive reviews out there to warrant checking these ones out.
Skills: Basic mathematics and/or geography skills.
Other Reviews: Some comprehensive reviews here from Amazon.com.
Screen Shots:
3) The “Cooking Mama” Series
Description: Let’s get cookin’, Mama! Now you can learn how to cook on your Nintendo DS! Prepare foods, combine raw ingredients, cook the meal and present your culinary masterpiece to Mama for your final score.
Age: Given the complexity of control needed for some of the recipes, 5 years old is probably the youngest aged child you would want to give this game to.
Skills: Rudimentary cooking skills and food prep. Won’t prepare your child for “Iron Chef” but at least there’s some educational value mixed in with the play value. I think this tilts a bit further on the ‘entertainment’ side (versus the Learn series) but still better than fighting and guns.
Other Reviews: Some comprehensive reviews here from Amazon.com.
Video Trailer of Cooking Mama to give you a taste of the game (ouch…):
Other Titles to Consider
Nintendogs
Nintendogs is an animal simulation where you can raise one or more adorable puppies and play with them to your heart’s content. This is a game where balance of entertainment versus educational value is suspect. However, the game does give your child a taste of what’s involved in taking care of a pet… but only a taste… Here’s a video glimpse of what to expect from IGN.
Spelling Challenges and More
Your Spelling Bee host, Mr. Niceguy, will introduce the game to you and award dollars and prizes. There are a plethora of word games to test your skills and improve your brain. Opportunities to aquire bonuses by going for broke and the words will increase in difficulty as your progress. Your ultimate aim is to be invited to the Super Challenge and hit the big jackpot! Most reviews around peg this game at a minimum age of 7. If you have an advanced reader, you could probably get away with 6. Some comprehensive reviews here from Amazon.com.
I Spy – Funhouse
Following in the tradition of the I Spy books and Leapster games, lets your child exercise their powers of observation to find various items throughout the game. Unfortunately, the game didn’t get very good reviews here though but I’ll leave it to you to decide.
The “My Hero” Series
Instead of mindless arcade entertainment, how about gripping fire-fighting drama as you take on the role of a becoming a firefighter. Also in this is series is “My Hero – Doctor”… but do NOT get this game just to try and plant the seed in your child’s mind to become a doctor! Here’s the official site for the My Hero – Firefighter game with screen shots and video.
The “Professior Layton” Series
I include this game for the same reason I included Scribblenauts – I love spending time with my kids working on puzzles. With the next installment out now (Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box), this should provide endless hours of joint entertainment… just remember to INCLUDE YOUR KIDS! Here’s the official site for screen shots and trailers. Also, for you Busy Dads who are having some difficulty with some of the puzzles, here’s a very well laid-out hint site for “Curious Village” and another hint site for “Diabolical Box”.
Animal Crossing – Wild World
An older game but one that was very well reviewed, this game is slightly similar to SimCity but more interactive and at a village level. From what I’ve read, another cool part to this game is that it works in ‘Real Time’ which means that as you’re building your village, the virtual surroundings continue to develop based on DS’ internal clock… whether you’re playing or not! Here’s a comprehensive review with screenshots and video.
Another Educational DS Game Review Site To Check Out
Common Sense Media – Has a robust (if slightly dated) DS review section complete with educational ratings and desciptions.
Best Nintendo DS Games of all Time
For all you Gamer Dads that are wondering what games to buy for yourself… I mean for your kids when they’re a bit older … ahem… check out this site:
Top Nintendo DS Games in 2009 by CNET
Best 2009 Nentendo DS Games by Gamespot
If you’ve come across any other educational games that your young kids enjoy, please share with all of us!
Happy gaming everyone!
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My kids have gotten a lot of fun and learning out of the “Brain-age” games for DS.
Thanks Nigel! Was there a specific title from the “Brain-age” series you would recommend for young kids?
Or were you referring to the Junior Brain Trainer series? Thanks for your comments!
We finally purchased a DSi for both our boys this Christmas. Thanks so much for the fantastic tips!!!
The Nintendo DS is excellent for making kids want to “learn”. The fact that they love playing video games makes it that much easier for parents to get their kids to sit down and play their favorite video game and learn at the same time. May i suggest the Reader Rabbit series? It’s for grades Pre-K through 2nd and has some pretty engaging cartoon characters that the kids really seem to like.
My kids really liked the PC versions of Reader Rabbit, great learning games!
thankyou! I didnt know there was one in ds but the pc one was great:) cheers. this was helpful.
Great tips. Thanks. I was trying to find some educational games for my boys, 5 and 8.
The ds has some great games for testing the logic of children (Lemmings) and for testing their memory (Memorize me), as well as being used for more mindless games, (video games hero comes to mind, its similer to guiter hero), it can also be enjoyed by older players with classics such as Pac man, and frogger available for it.
These can all be found at http://www.dshomebrew.eu at a very cheap price!
[...] use, it was time to load it up with free (because I’m cheap) apps for the kids. Similar to my other post on Nintendo DS games for young kids, I started searching for apps on the Android Market and on the web… information [...]
[...] Top Three Educational Nintendo DS Games for Young Kids … [...]
my 7 yo enjoys scribblenauts & nintendo dogs, animal crossing too:)