Wii Need To Get Kids Outside & Involved

A few years back, the Nintendo Wii was being touted as a great form of exercise, especially for kids who would rather play video games than head outside. The games, such as Wii Sports with bowling and boxing, appealed to most everyone from toddlers to adults. Nintendo recognized the success and continued to build upon it. Next was the birth of Dance Dance Revolution and Just Dance. Then came the Wii Fit and Xbox Kinect—these new console add-ons allowed you to take a yoga class or go skiing in your own living room. Indoor exercising had officially become a craze!

Now, the thing about a craze is that it could just taper off into what was once a fad or it could have long lasting effects on culture. This craze is one that we may need to say goodbye to for a variety of reasons. Besides the very obvious lack of fresh air, US researchers are now finding that these games do very little in the way of physical exertion. In fact, the games deemed active (such as Wii Sports and Dance Dance Revolution) result in no more physical activity than those thought of as passive (Mario Kart or Disney’s Sing It). Another issue that has been addressed by experts is the lack of learning experiences children have by getting outside and being part of a team. Kids Sports NSW owner Steve Gordon commented to Fox News, “With real sports you also need to learn how to work with your teammates and you learn the life skills and social skills of how to play in a team.”

So if your kids aren’t getting the benefits of fresh air, exercise or social skills, should you just delete your Mii and call it quits on your love affair with the Wii?

Well, maybe not yet! While it may be lacking in some areas, the Wii can still be a great way for your family to bond and a perfect rainy day boredom buster. The solution is to define the Wii as a fun game to play on the side and ensure that your kids are getting enough fresh air, exercise and exposure to teamwork with relying on Nintendo’s popular gaming system.

Kids are Exercising Their Way to Good Grades

A recent study has once again confirmed that the more physically active a child is, the more success they will have in the classroom. The findings, that are from one high quality intervention study and one high quality observational study, are being published in the January 2012 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. It is noted in the article that “increases in the blood and oxygen flow to the brain that accompanies exercise may play a role in improving classroom performance.” Simply, this physical reaction reduces stress and greatly improves mood which results in better grades in school.

So, we call on all parents and caregivers to get kids active! Encourage them to play and exercise more, and join in on the fun yourselves. The White House even launched a program in 2010, Let’s Move, to raise a healthier generation of kids. Visit the program’s website for tips on getting active. The results will leave the kids happy, healthy and more successful!