Video Games for Kids Under Five

Lots of times I am asked by parents about what games they can get for their children under 5. I have a little soon-to-be 4 year old at home and we do play games together on several different consoles. What parents sometimes fail to understand is that video games are NOT meant to be babysitters. Often times I suggest a game and follow up my recommendation with, "as long as you're there helping him/her control the character and solve puzzles, your kids will have tons of fun and really enjoy this game." Sadly, the response is usually, "Oh, no. I'm looking for something I can just give him and walk away so I can keep him out of my hair."

Well, sorry. I don't have a recommendation for any parent who wants to keep their kid away from them. I am going to give a list of some games that I suggest for children, but keep a few things in mind.

• Child may need help controlling the character
• It may take several sessions before your child can play the game with little assistance
• Video games aren't babysitters. Pay attention to your kids! Use game time as a bonding time to teach patience, creative thinking, and problem solving.
• Not every game is for every kid
• Your child may not be able to beat a level or complete an objective in the game, but that doesn't mean they aren't having fun. Let your kid drive around the racetrack backwards, who really cares if Wario wins?

So here are some games in no particular order:

.Viva Pinata. Caleb loves this game. It has adjustable controls so you can choose between advanced and basic controls. The concept of the game is that you plant a garden and little living animals in the likeness of pinatas will come and live in it and you take care of them. For older kids (and adults) there are objectives you can complete, but the game really has no end. You can decide how to decorate your garden, and what to plant and build. The options are endless. Sometimes Caleb digs up his entire garden and makes the whole thing a lake. No worries, because it's just a game. All you have to do is sell everything and start over.

.Lego Games. There are a variety of Lego Games including, Lego Indiana Jones, several Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, and Lego Harry Potter. They are similar in that you play as little Lego men and all of the terrain, bad guys, animals and items resemble Lego pieces. You don't die in the game, you just break into Lego pieces and then reappear assembled again. There are unlimited chances to solve puzzles and pass levels. Some of the puzzles can be challenging, even for me, but the games are a lot of fun. It's fun for kids because they never have to restart a level because they never run out of chances to try something. There isn't any real violence, just mostly cartoon mischief and cartoon violence. There are guns in some of the games, and some fighting, but you only ever break into Lego pieces or break your foe into Lego pieces.

.Super Hero Squad. Caleb is playing this game on the Wii. The controls are easy to use, and the game is fun. Simple objectives and only cartoon violence with super hero powers. Sometimes he spends a good amount of time shooting lasers into a wall, but as long as he is having a good time I am fine with it. The game is cute and I enjoy watching him play it. You play as one of several Marvel Super Heroes as... children? I'm not sure, but they look like little babies so that's what I call them. The game is 2 player co-op (2 player cooperative) meaning 2 people can play at the same time on the same team and help each other out. You can also play alone and choose a character for the computer to play as your teammate. Since Caleb can't read he needs the objectives explained to him, although he doesn't care much for completing them. He mostly likes to watch the characters run around and use their super powers.

.Kinect Games. There are several games on the XBox 360 Kinect that kids will enjoy. Kinectimals is a game where you get to have little pets on the screens like baby bears and tigers. You can feed them and pet them and care for them. The greatest thing about the Kinect is that there is no controller. The Microsoft slogan for this accessory is "You are the controller". Kids simply stand in front of the connect camera and move their arms to pet their baby tiger! Microsoft is working with Sesame Street to create fantastic educational games for kids. The most recent uses the Kinect and is called, Once Upon a Monster. I haven't played this yet, but I have heard that it is amazingly fun and easy for little ones.

.Sesame Street. Sesame street has released some games on the Wii. Elmo stars in one that teaches letters and sounds while Cookie Monster features the numbers learning. Caleb has an alright time with these games. In my experience the controls are hard to manage, so a child will probably need an adult with them the entire time to make sure that they are able to answer questions correctly by moving the controller in the appropriate way. This is definitely not a game to plop them in front of, (and I don't feel that's right for any game) but it does help learn letters and numbers and kids get a kick out of seeing their favorite Sesame Street characters on the screen. Another nice thing about this game is that the characters speak all of the instructions, that way small children are able to play even if they can't read.

So there you have it! I hope that helps you with your Christmas shopping this year. Which leads me to my next post.... hmmm.....