Computer games or handheld for almost 4 yr old

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to figure out the best thing to get my almost 4 yr old DD for Hannukah. I've seen a lot of those computer keyboard like games that you hook up to your computer and I've also seen some of the handheld or laptop like ones. Anyone have experience with any of these toys? She is not proficient at using a mouse or playing video games yet.

Any guidance would be most appreciated!

Oh yeah.... I don't want to spend tooooo much money either.

[Anonymous]

Leapster is great. The games are for ages 3 - 6 and are very simple & colorful.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. Anyone else with suggestions????

[Anonymous]

Before going out and spending big bucks on something, make sure it is something your child would actually play with. I just sold my son's First Leap Pad he got last XMAS and only played w/ a handful of times. I would say to save your money b/c the video game thing will hit once they get into elementary school.

[Anonymous]

We had a Dr. Seuss ABC game that our daughter loved at that age. I'm not sure if it's still around, but you could probably score a used copy on Amazon; it's a regular DVD that you load onto your computer. Your child would need to learn to use the mouse or touchpad to make the game work, but that should come easily enough if you sit with her as she's learning, with the game serving as motivation. Our kid also loved the free Sesame Street games on the pbskids website.