How I've been introducing my kids to videogames

My son is 4 (nearly 5) and my daughter is 6 (nearly 7). They’ve been around gadgets their entire lives, and at this point it’s unavoidable. They’ll happily start their day by coming downstairs and saying “Okay Google, turn on the lights”. I’ve always been wary of using a screen to buy a few moments of peace and quiet. Lately they’ve been getting into videogames, though, and I’m happy with how it’s going. Handhelds first I’ve always had portable consoles around, mostly retro handhelds that play games up to the GBA. The kids were curious about these pocketable, brightly lit noise machines from the start, and I’ve encouraged it. Even before they could read, they were learning about “A” and “B” buttons. I recently gave both kids a Nintendo DS Lite and loaded them up with games using DS Pico flashcarts. Both of them love Mario Kart, and occasionally we play multiplayer on three DSes. They’re getting the hang of it. Outside of that, my daughter likes the Drawn to Life games, Cooking Mama…

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