Which Handheld Games are Suitible for my Child?

Handheld games are fabulous toys for keeping children occupied on any long journey (car, train or plane).

However, games that require looking down can cause travel sickness, so it’s always a good idea to try one of the other entertainment options if your kids are prone to motion sickness.

Most large book stores sell various simple cheap handheld games. Suduku, card games, chess and other electronic goodies like Pac-man, are a useful £10 substitute for the new expensive ipods, psp’s and nintendo’s – but can be short lived.

As with all technology, the price and quality of the different products available varies enormously. And how much you’re willing to spend on your kids entertainment is a personal choice, as is how you monitor or limit its use! (All the prices listed are approximations only)

Handheld games for children
Which One Does What...?!

• Ipod or Itouch (start at approx £100, plus downloads at approx £10ea)

Shown in the picture, an Itouch is like a mini computer. It has a touch screen and plays music, videos, games and more at all levels for all ages.

Apple started the trend with the ipod, a smaller (both in size and storage space) device that was more or less todays version of the ‘walkman’.

The iphone (itouch with mobile phone added) is a spectacular device that can store plenty of movies, photos, applications for just about anything and games of all sorts (as well as being your mobile).

Our daughter really enjoys a free application called Doodle, that she can draw with using her finger. At 2yrs of age, she has mastered how to use it and takes delight in creating colourful pictures.

Naturally, as parents we encourage its use only at times we deem appropriate – every parent has their own limits on these things.

• PSP (approx £130 plus games at approx £15ea)

Sandwich sized handheld game that plays amazingly graphical games. Each major game is purchased separately.It has tonnes of other features but these all require either the latest consol, numerous updates from Sony or quite a lot of tactile intervention.

Now, I might sound like a technophobe, but when it comes to playing video instead of an in-car DVD player, the PSP just seems like too much hard work.

I feel you’re better off buying a DVD player for the movies and using the PSP for gaming.

Yes it can play a movie but this requires formatting the DVD on your PC to MPG4 the saving it on a memory stick for the PSP – so much easier to just lift the lid, pop in a dvd and press play don’t you think? As far as a gaming console, it top notch.

• Nintendo DS and DS Lite (approx £100 plus games at approx £15ea)

Main competitor to the PSP. Great toy for games, has two screens which can be used at the same time – for example one to play the game the other with the map of list of instructions.

If you buy more than one, they can be used to chat to each other (not sure how useful this might be the car) or to play multi player games.

• Nintendo Gameboy Advance and Micro (approx £10-£30 plus game cartridges at £5ea)

Originally famous for it block puzzle game tetris (that addictive game where the blocks all need to fit together, cascading on top of one another).

Other popular games are the Pokemon Red, Blue and Green and Mario Brothers. Gameboy’s take gameboy cartridges and with w wireless adapter you can play up to 5 other gameboy’s.

And when all else fails, there are always good old fashioned communication in the form of free car games played as a family!

Return from Handheld Games to Driving with Children

The Best Handheld Games & Applications for Travel with Children

Have a fantastic Handheld Game that you believe to be the best travelling companion for kids? Or perhaps you've found the most amazing applications for your itouch or iphone that your children adore? Share it!