Handheld Gaming for Preschoolers

Allowing our daughter Marvel play video games was never really a question in our minds. We are a gamer family so it just seemed natural that our daughter would end up a gamer too. I just didn’t think it would happen as quickly as it did because our consoles’ controllers aren’t really made for such a young child.

All this changed when I recently attended a family event put on by Nintendo. They were generous enough to provide us with a New Nintendo 2DSXL along with some games to take home after we learned about this new handheld device and got some hands-on experience.

Since this device was going to be used by my now preschool-aged daughter (I can’t believe she’s at that age already!), I wanted to go over the benefits of this device for handheld gaming for preschoolers.

Before I go into the benefits, I want to first point out to make sure you keep an eye on how much your kid is playing. Set limits and remember that you are in control. If you can tell your kid is being affected by too much video game playing, pull back!

Okay. Now that I’ve said that, here we go!

Smaller device for smaller hands

Bigger consoles have controllers that are awkward for the little hands that preschoolers have, making it difficult for them to get to all the buttons needed to play a game. 

The New Nintendo 2DSXL is perfect for those little hands to play games on. The buttons are easy to reach and the device is easy to grip. It’s also lightweight! My daughter had no problems playing the games and her hands are so small (well compared to my own).

Child-friendly games

It’s no secret that when you want family-friendly video games, Nintendo is the place to go! And the 2DSXL definitely includes those in its docket. 

Even though it’s called the 2DS, the 2DSXL actually plays any of the 3DS games! You just don’t get to play them in 3D mode. Honestly, I think that’s better for the preschoolers as I know when I play on my 3DS, I can’t play on the 3D mode for very long. 

Some of the games that I think are a good option to get are Minecraft, Mariokart 7(this is my favorite so far), and Pokemon (my Marvel loves to play with Pikachu!). 

I know that with these games, I don’t have to worry about anything that could be deemed too violent and inappropriate for my daughter to play. 

Parental Controls

Even though the Nintendo 2DSXL has great family-friendly games, you can still control which games you want your kid to have access to by using the parental controls. 

You can also restrict access to the internet and data transferring. These controls are a great way to protect your little ones from getting into places they shouldn’t be getting into. 

Portability

I think the biggest selling point is that you can take this device with you anywhere. It’s small so it can fit in a day bag or purse. But even better it’s great for those long car rides or waiting in line at comic con. 

I definitely wish we would have had this on our long ride to Disneyland that we took last year as it would have been another great distraction for my daughter or even myself, as I think I had a harder time than she did! 

Helps your child develop skills

You might not think that playing video games can actually do anything besides “rot your brain out”, but actually playing video games can be really helpful and applicable to real life! 

One of the big skills that can be learned is problem-solving skills. Video games are really like one big puzzle to figure out in order to win the game. And in the case of Minecraft, it can help with creativity! 

Some other skills that I think can be learned from video game playing are reflexes (my husband swears his good driving reflexes are from video games!), and patience (you gotta learn to not get frustrated each time you “die” in a game). 

Whether or not you agree with allowing your preschooler to play video games, there’s no denying that the New Nintendo 2DSXL is a great device for them to play with if you do allow them to play from time to time. You don’t need to worry when you use the parental controls as well as you can have peace of mind knowing that they’re developing skills for the real world too! Just remember to set limits and remember that you’re in control and it can be a great device for your preschooler!