Wii For Children

Video games and children go together like movies and popcorn.  Our children are exposed to video games and arcades virtually from the time they’re born.  Is it any wonder that merchants and toy makers all over the world spend millions of dollars developing games and marketing them to our children?

Video games are not all bad.  The right games can help develop eye and hand coordination in children of all ages.  And, using game consoles helps our young children learn to live with the technology of today and tomorrow. It is important for children to become active from at an early age. 

The Nintendo Wii game console comes with a sports package that is a good starting package. The games in this package will help your child get basic skills they can use for playing sports later on.

Of course you should limit the amount of time a child plays the Wii so they don’t become too dependent upon it for their entertainment.   Playing a Wii or other game console can be addictive.  Children should still be exploring their skills, learning to use their imagination and developing their creativity and social skills.

There are many Wii games developed for children and rated “E” for everyone.  Many like the Madden NFL football game and there are several versions of this popular game that children can play with their parents.  Children seem to be able to grasp the concepts of the game and adults don’t feel like they are playing a child’s game.

There are several Mario games that are popular for people of all ages.  The Mario Kart game is one that young children really like.  The can learn to use the controller that comes with the package or the steering wheel accessory if you choose to invest in one. You will find it adds a new dimension to this game that even adults have fun using.  After you use the steering wheel, playing games with the regular Wii controller just isn’t the same.

If you or your child is interested in outer space, Super Mario Galaxy is a game that is fun for those about 7 years of age and older. +

You should pay attention to the likes and dislikes of your children when it comes to buying them video games. Some children don’t like puzzles while others love them. Some won’t play sporting games while others don’t want to play anything else.  

There are puzzles such as Boom Blox that will exercise their brain and themed Nintendo Wii games like the Star Wars Saga and Harry Potter games that pre-teens will enjoy and find challenging.

If you want to make sure your children don’t get bored and are enjoying the learning experience with Wii games, you may want them to have some games that are slightly higher than their age level.  You should consider letting the children pick out some games to help get ones that they like. 

Cost is a real concern when buying video games.  Many parents don’t like to invest a lot of money in games their children will outgrow or just stop playing.   Nintendo has made the Wii console backward compatible and earlier games, even GameCube games, will play on a Wii console. 

A great way to save money and to still give them plenty to play with is to buy used Nintendo GameCube games.  If the games don’t have the original instructions, you can download them from the internet.  This is most helpful if you are struggling to figure out the concepts and strategies for particular games.