Nintendo Wii Fitness Games — Fitness Ideas For Kids

Written by Greg

I had written some months ago that we were considering a Nintendo Wii for Christmas. We have two little boys, and had been contemplating the addition of a game console to the house for some time, but didn’t want to bring something in the house that would promote them becoming lazy. Well, we did get one, and two days into it, the kids are loving it. I may have had a little fun playing with them, as well. Let’s talk a bit about the games, and my initial impression of the system.

Wii Fitness Games

Since our family knew we were getting the console, they got the kids some games and accessories. the games we’ve had a chance to play so far are: Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels, Wii Play with Wii Remote, Ben 10 Protector of the Earth, and Wii Sports. My initial impression is that all of them will certainly will get your heart rate up. My 8-year old commented on how tired he was after playing Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels for just 30 minutes. Once he conned me into playing against him, I fully understood why. He was leaping all over our living room, and after a half hour, I could certainly tell that I had been doing something. I also tried playing both Boxing and Tennis on Wii Sports. Tennis is mildly aerobic, but if you try Boxing, get ready to bob and weave.

I will say that, while Wii Sports is perfectly suitable for our 5-year old, Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels is probably too complicated for him at this point, and its essentially a head-to-head competition. However, Ben 10 Protector of the Earth, although more complicated, offers a collaborative mode, so the two boys can play together, rather than against one another.

So, the verdict on this is that games we have so far will certainly get your heart rate up. The days of sitting on your tush and clicking a controller are certainly a thing of the past with this game system. Although nowhere near as aerobic as actually playing tennis or boxing, its a far cry better than having the kids sit in front of the television with their brains in the off position. On the downside, I can see the risk of repetitive stress injuries. After 30-minutes of dueling with the 8-year old, I had a slight twinge in my elbow. I can also see a possible risk of unwarranted confidence. It would be easy to assume that since you’re good at Wii Tennis, you can actually play tennis — and while fun, the game is nothing like the actual event.

So, now I’m looking for other possibilities for Wii Fitness Games. I’m hoping readers can weigh in with thoughts for games that are both age appropriate, and will help get them up hopping around. The goal here is to provide them with entertainment that doubles as hidden exercise. So, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.