Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school 4 yr old "addicted" to video games....help!!!

Hi, I've been reading posts but have not posted yet. I finally had to throw this out to the group. My youngest of 4 kids just turned 4 years old a few weeks ago.

When he was 18mths old he learned letters, letter sounds etc. on his own. He is very verbal and interested in numbers.

Over the past few months he discovered the lego.com website and began playing some of the adventure games like Indian Jones and Lego Star Wars. Then he figured out his brother's DS and Playstation 2. He's been playing the star wars games and is obsessed with them!

Since he is the youngest of 4 closely spaced children, I admit that I have been busy with my older ones at times and have left him have more free rein of "screen time" than he probably should.

When I pull him off these games he has a fit. Honestly he wants to do nothing else but the games and websites. He doesn't care to play with other kids, isn't interested in learning to read, etc.

My two oldest test HG and EG and I feel he is on par with them. Has anyone seen this interest in other gifted kids. I know it is out of control and I need to do something about it. I'm guessing pulling the plug "cold turkey" might be best.

Just wondered if anyone else has been there?

Thanks!

Yes.

When we introduced Wolf to video games (I was playing them) he would beg me to play them nonstop and have fits when it was time to stop. Now he plays on his own and actually stops after awhile without urging. When he gets a new one he gets very upset about stopping, but the rule is whine and you lose it for tomorrow. Begging to play and/or generally being a butt head about a game gets the same consequence. It works pretty well, although we normally still lose a day of a favorite game about once a week or so.

YES definitely. We had this exact same issue with my son starting at 3. We started using a timer with him at 4 and we are still using the same little kitchen timer at 9. My son gets 20-30 minutes of recreational computer/wii/gameboy time a day. I think we started with 15 minutes. He might have gotten 10-20 minutes more if he was doing something educational (reading, math games) We have had to have some dry runs with NO recreational technology. I've found if we set a rule and live by it (like using the timer), it becomes ingrained pretty quickly.

oh yeah. been there done that.

My DD9 can be very intense with some computer games. Some of the never ending mazes had to be put in the never do again folder. Last summer I took away computer internet games and got him an online writing course that kept him busy. If you can limit time and find other projects/activites that may help. My DD can't play video games for more than an hour. It just gets him too wound up and unpleasant.

good luck.

Same here. Video games became an obsession at around 3. Time limits are crucial. About an hour/day is what my two (7 and 8) are allowed otherwise they get really anti-social really quickly. Sometimes I consider pulling them alltogether but DS8 has really made a lot of discoveries etc. on the computer and such. We do live in the computer age so I guess I appease myself with the idea that he is gaining on his future. :-) As for DD7 it has really helped her reading skills - most of the games require reading.