My Stepson loves his DS. I would say he plays it 2 hours everyday/weekday and 12+ hrs on the weekend when he is with my husband and I. I cant say how much he plays at his moms house but i do think she controls it better than my husband does. Where i'm concerned is my husband who LOVES computer games has just got himself a DS and this is how they spend most of their father/son time. They both enjoy playing together on the DS but I just wish they would do more outdoor stuff(baseball,hikes,parks) now that its so nice out.My question is how much time do you think a 8 yr old should spend playing DS games?
nintendo ds how much is to much for 8yr old...
- Thread starter sarah1971
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Personally I would say no more than 1/2 hr at a time with 1 hr breaks in between and no more that maybe 1- 1 1/2 hr total a day, no matter what day of the week. We had this problem with Aaron, he loved his PS2 and so I had to seriously cut it out of his day so he could work on other things. It got to where he thought about playing it even during the day at school, he could hardly wait to get home to play. Not good I think. Your husband should want to do other things with your son.
My son was the only one of my children interested in video games.We limited him to one hour per day during the week, and two on weekends or breaks from school. That rule held until he was 18. We made sure that it didn't become the focus of his life, and that he had other interests.
Don't forget, there are some benefits to playing video games. However, "all things in moderation!" Also, Nintendo is one of a very few companies that offer good educational video games. Obviously, 2 hours a day is a bit overboard...so i would suggest just limiting the time.
2 hours a day times seven days a week is 14 hours per week. That's as much as a part time job! Maybe I'm just getting old.... 
So long as his grades are good, chores are getting done and spends SOME activity time out playing with friends, running around etc, if he wants to play i think its ok.
I don't think it is to much time, some of those games take an hour to get to a "good" point. I don't limit, we are big gamers (not me, can't figure it out to save my life!) but also make sure that there is plenty of outside activity, reading etc,. I also see no problem of father and son having bonding time even if it is with a video game, it doesn't matter how they het it only that they do. It is a balancing act that's for sure!
Well I don't think 2 hours per day on weekdays is excessive SO LONG AS he isn't watching TV during those days too!
And during the weekend, 12 hrs a day is way too much. I understand him and his dad bond doing this stuff, but I would say that they need to do outside stuff together too.
So for the weekends the time could be adjusted, and heck if they went outside to play maybe he might just be too pooped to play for so many hours on the weekend!
Good luck
And during the weekend, 12 hrs a day is way too much. I understand him and his dad bond doing this stuff, but I would say that they need to do outside stuff together too.
So for the weekends the time could be adjusted, and heck if they went outside to play maybe he might just be too pooped to play for so many hours on the weekend!
Good luck
K will play her DS for about 20 mins at a time, and sometimes put it away for days.
She had this kid in her class this year, who everytime he approched me would talk about Mario, and by the reaction of their teacher, you could tell this was becomming a problem. So one day I see his Mom walking to school to pick him up, with a DS in her hand, and she almost gets hit by a car.
I would imagine that at home this family spends all their time staring at video games, and little time talking, doing crafts, sports etc.
I thinks that's just sad as sad gets.
She had this kid in her class this year, who everytime he approched me would talk about Mario, and by the reaction of their teacher, you could tell this was becomming a problem. So one day I see his Mom walking to school to pick him up, with a DS in her hand, and she almost gets hit by a car.
I would imagine that at home this family spends all their time staring at video games, and little time talking, doing crafts, sports etc.
I thinks that's just sad as sad gets.
My 8 year old daughter has a DS and so do I. Like Music dad she plays it then you don't see it for a week. I also have a DS, we practice my daughters spelling, and time, on it since you can chat with each other on them. She loves it, she has been doing very well in spelling since we started, it is just another way to keep them interested. I do think 12 hours for a weekend is a lot, where are the friends?
My ex wife bought a Nintendo DS for herself, but it wasn't long until our son wanted to play on it. Once he started, that was all he wanted to do...ever. We immediately cut it out from him for a week, and things were fine, but it's really easy to use it as a baby sitter.
I do think a few hours on the weekend are good, or an hour a night is fine...but 12 hours?? That's crazy.
I do think a few hours on the weekend are good, or an hour a night is fine...but 12 hours?? That's crazy.
