Sure, that Xbox 360 makes a great babysitter when you're nearing day seven of the holiday break and everyone's got cabin fever, but if you're looking for a way to sate your kids' game cravings that won't add girth to their bottoms, you've got quite a few choices this year. Here, then: a round-up of your Babble bloggers' favorite calorie-burning kid games from the past year.
How do we love Wii? Let us count the ways: Its motion-sensitive controller and huge list of kid-friendly titles literally put you into the game, and assuming you can still find one of these hot sellers on shelves before Christmas, you and the kiddoes can burn off those calories via the Wii Sports pack that comes bundled with the core system. As Babble's own Karen Murphy pointed out earlier this year, Nintendo has even started donating Wiis to select YMCAs as a way to get kids and parents playing (and feeling the burn!) together.
We drooled over this one several times this year, and not just because it hasn't been dinged by lead-paint recalls: Aimed at the littlest gamers, Fisher-Price's Smart Cycle is a combination video game/exercise bike that plugs directly into your TV (no game console required) and lets kids zip through various levels of fast-paced, vaguely educational racing action. It's not actually powered by kids' feet (now that would be innovative), but it'll definitely keep them moving. It's listed at $100, but both Amazon and Toys "R" Us have dropped the price for the holidays.
From our recent gift guide: Kids not yet old enough to get down with Dance Dance Revolution will dig Konami Kids Playground, a series of games that, along with teaching fundamentals for both brain (shapes, colors, numbers) and brawn (coordination and motor skills), utilizes a cool DDR-style mat controller that plugs into your PlayStation 2. You need to pick up the $40 Frogger: Hop, Skip & Jumpin' Fun game (pictured), which comes bundled with the controller, to get started, but from there, games average around $30 each.
Finally, of course, there's Dance Dance Revolution proper, which, as MetroDad noted earlier this year, has even started infiltrating the public school system. If you're looking for a way to bond and battle with your brood, it's still probably the healthiest gaming addiction to span multiple generations, with the new DDR Universe 2 (pictured) adding features like freestyle mode (where you can boogie down without those familiar flashing arrows to torment you) and a wider-than-ever selection of tunes from the '70s to today.
So, Babble readers, what do you think: Are these genuine fitness tools, or are we just dumb for smart marketing? The parental death match begins in the comments.
