MOOKs: Pokemon cards

[jeaniebueller]

They are all the rage among DS and his friends. We bought him a set and my H spent a stupid amount of time trying to figure out how to play the actual game. I told him not to bother, as DS seems to have enough fun just looking at the cards and making up his own game. Sounds like the boys just trade the cards and make up their own games anyway? I don't know. Anyway, are these a thing where you live too? I didn't even think that Pokémon was still around until DS started talking nonstop about the cards.

[imojoebunny]

They are a thing. My 6 year old has been into them for about a year. It has been good for his reading and math skills. He has learned to play from other kids, not sure whether they play the actual game as it is suppose to be played, and don't care. He will pour over them for large amounts of time. He shares some with other kids when he has duplicates. Mostly, they seem to bring them to the playground after school in binders or boxes and discuss who has the "best" cards. I felt stupid forking over cash for a deck of cards, but the reading and math skills he has developed make it a better investment than an educational workbook or some math games I have bought.

[6fsn]

My 7 year old 1st grader is really into them. I don't let him take them to school so the kids are making up their own to trade. He has fun and they are relatively cheap and they don't hurt to step on. I am resisting the shopkins urge for my daughter.

[jeaniebueller]

Oct 12, 2015 7:48:49 GMT -5 imojoebunny said:

They are a thing. My 6 year old has been into them for about a year. It has been good for his reading and math skills. He has learned to play from other kids, not sure whether they play the actual game as it is suppose to be played, and don't care. He will pour over them for large amounts of time. He shares some with other kids when he has duplicates. Mostly, they seem to bring them to the playground after school in binders or boxes and discuss who has the "best" cards. I felt stupid forking over cash for a deck of cards, but the reading and math skills he has developed make it a better investment than an educational workbook or some math games I have bought.

YES!! This is exactly what they do. They all bring them and bust them out at the playground at afterschool care. We spent about 3 hours yesterday with DS playing with the cards and saying "mom, look at this card. Isn't it cool?" And adding up the numbers on them too.

My H watched a youtube video trying to figure out how to play it. I kept telling him, no really, don't worry about it.

[imojoebunny]

Oct 12, 2015 7:51:00 GMT -5 6fsn said:

My 7 year old 1st grader is really into them. I don't let him take them to school so the kids are making up their own to trade. He has fun and they are relatively cheap and they don't hurt to step on. I am resisting the shopkins urge for my daughter.

SHOPKINS...  I kind of love them because they don't take up much space :-)  I am all about small, portable toys.  DD will sit at lunch for 2 hours and play with them at the table. They are also great on car trips.   

[Deleted]

Am I the only one annoyed by these? DS likes them too - and I get so annoyed when they play with them on the playground.

Go run around! Throw a ball! Play tag!

*shakes cane*

[SpartanGirl]

My 9 year old and 7 year old LOVE Pokemon cards. They keep them in binders and trade them too. DS got a Pokemon trainer game that taught him step by step how to play the game. It really helped me understand it. They will sometimes play the game but mostly just trade and compare cards.

This is the trainer set DS has: www.amazon.com/XY-Trainer-Kit-Learn---Play/dp/B00I5PU1I8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1444655849&sr=8-3&keywords=pokemon+trainer

[KKD]

My girls aren't into them, but I know the 7-8 y.o. boys in DD1's class are. That's what she picked out to give her best boy friend for his birthday over the summer.

We've also been able to resist Shopkins so far, but my girls were asking to get some of their own when DD1's best friend brought some over the other day. I am trying to get rid of pointless little toys, not bring more into the house!!

[Marmee]

Not a thing in my kids circles. The only thing I've ever heard about was Minecraft & that was the boys (my girls play but it's not a thing their friends are into). I believe they couldn't bring that stuff to school anyway. I've bought DD1 a lot of stuff we were into as kids (charm bracelets, Swatch watch, Garbage pail kids, etc) but nothing stuck.

[rootbeerfloat]

Yes, they are a thing. And they just trade.

[Deleted]

My oldest was onto them for like a year around 7-8. She kept them in a binder and made herself a poster explaining the cards to herself. I think one of her friends was into them so she got into them. But she's not anymore really. She is now using that binder for her cleaning "business" that she's trying to start (she's 9).

[somersault72]

Yes my kid is into Pokemon cards. He asked for some for his birthday. I don't know that any of his friends from school are into it, but a couple of his friends from cub scouts are, so he might get more into trading them. He does not know how to play the game.

[formerlyak]

My ds is 9 and they are big with his friends. They use to bring them school trade them, get mad when they got a bad trade and the person wouldn't trade back, lots of fighting. Then the crazy parents go on ebay and spend way too much on EX and Mega cards so their kid has better cards. My friend's soon to be ex spend like $40 on one card on ebay. Said card was stolen along with many more out of kid's backpack. More fighting ensued. Pokemon is now banned from school.

Can you tell I am not a fan?

[Deleted]

They were a big deal for DS1 a year or so ago. He has moved on but we are still the owners of many cards that I find all over the house. I can now throw them away when I find them because he doesn't care much anymore. This is a much better deal than when I had to try to protect them with my life because he loved them so dearly.
They never brought them to school because they weren't allowed so this was not an issue. The neighborhood kids used to "battle" with them and that involved some form of math plus making up of their own rules. I never fully understood but they enjoyed themselves and stayed out of trouble so I let them do their thing.

[niq]

My ILs played pokemon into their 20s. lol.

I don't know when kids start playing the game by the actual rules. I played MtG in high school and there were maybe a handful of middle schoolers at tournaments?

I think as long as you set some boundaries -- the way you would with video games or anything else -- it's fine.

[savan]

Pokemon cards are big around here. DS has a whole collection of them. He does have a game board that that goes along with them. He and DH will occasionally play. Mostly he just looks at the cards and shows them off to friends at school.

[niq]

And because somebody had to do it



chilerellanos formerlyak @kar @lazerus24 

[niq]

Oct 12, 2015 13:23:44 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

Oct 12, 2015 13:20:52 GMT -5 niq said:

My ILs played pokemon into their 20s. lol.

I don't know when kids start playing the game by the actual rules. I played MtG in high school and there were maybe a handful of middle schoolers at tournaments?

I think as long as you set some boundaries -- the way you would with video games or anything else -- it's fine.

This is going to be my son! Lol

Eta: I also sent your gif to him.

He makes remixes of Pokemon songs. I mean, he's full on Pokemon nerd. He owns it though. Lol

I was looking for even nerdier GIFs of Junior but this was the best I could come up with

[h]

Neither my 8 yo nor my 5 yo have ever even mentioned them, and I haven't heard them come up with other kids or seen them at birthday parties or anything like that.