Well my daughter's birthday is next month and she has been begging for a DS for two years so we are finally getting it for her. We would like to get her a few games to go with it, and were looking for some recommendations as to the best games out there for a 7 year old girl. If your daughter has a game she loves let me know.
Littlest Pet Shop is a fun one my daughter thinks. Also, my daughter has LOVED Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader - my husband loves playing it with her....
My daughters both love Cooking Mama. Other favorites include (this is coming from my 8 year old): Fantasy Aquarium, Animal Crossing, New Super Mario Bros, Yoshi's Island, Princess Debut, Disney Friends, Spore Creatures, Drawn to Life Spongebob Edition, Viva Pinata Pocket Paradise, Boing! Docomodake, Gardening Mama, Legendary Starfy...she could go on and on. There's a great site for DS games for kids; I don't have the link on this computer, but if you search "DS Games" and "unschooling" you'll find it. Wonderful resource & where we find game rec for our children. Have fun!
My two little cousins love Cooking Mama. Even their parents like it too.
My neighbor's daughter LOVES her Littlest Pet Shop game
My gf recommends Cooking Mama and says her 6 year old really likes Tale of Desperaux.
Our daughters' favorite is Nintendogs. There are lots of versions (chihuahua, lab, etc.)
Some other pieces of advice...
1. Consider a "membership" card to GameStop (they don't call it membership, but for $15 you get a 10% discount on purchase of any used items, along with a bonus for any games you trade in). We got our Wii Fit board used there, so they have very current items as well.
2. Set some groundrules for playing the DS before she even opens the package. All too often, I see kids who are literally addicted to them. You'll see them at restaurants and out with their parents, and everyone is totally ignoring each other. I've even had kids come over for playdates who literally walk up to our front door, into the house, then over to the couch, all while playing, with no greeting whatsoever, or the only greeting being "I wanna show you this new..." When the parents leave, I ask the kids to put their DSs away - it's playtime! We personally limit our kids to playing in the car. I find there are lots less distractions for me (arguments, loud noises, etc), so I get to drive more safely. But when we get to someone's house, or we get home, the DS goes away and we play, talk, etc. By setting expectations early, the girls understand when they can play and when they can't. Of course, there have been several times (usually when they've gotten a new game) that I make an exception.
3. You'll find there are different "kinds" of games. Some are single player. Some can be multi player (2-player or 4-player). Some each player has to have the game to play... others, if one person has the game, the other kids around them can download their game and play with them as long as they maintain a certain distance... once outside of that distance, they lose the game). I don't completely understand all the options, but the people at Game Stop have been very helpful.
Good luck!
My nieces love Club Penguin.
Super Mario Bros, Dolphinz, Apartment Pets, Nintendogs (where you train the dogs) - that one is my DD's personal fav! Has a pic of a yellow lab puppy on the front. Theres a zoo one too but I'm not for sure the name. You create a zoo and care for the animals. She likes that one a lot too. Good luck, they're a lot of fun!
My 6 year old loves the Disney Princess game!!
