Best Kinect Games for Kids

Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster is a sweet, uplifting family game featuring favorite Sesame Street characters. Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar, and Grover join new characters as players discover a long lost children's book titled Once Upon a Monster. As they read, kids join the action to become part of a living storybook adventure, helping adorable monster friends with their problems.

Once Upon a Monster focuses on emotional development, our connection to each other and caring for others.

Gameplay is made up of a series of mini games, all very well done in using the Kinect control scheme. The mini games include such activities as dress up, drumming, flying, posing, and tossing. While not a fitness game, by its use of the Kinect it will get your preschool and toddler aged children jumping, dancing, and moving.

Four-year-olds can handle this game well. Three-year-olds can have fun with it, too, if they're tall enough the Kinect sensor can read them properly, and are used to operating the Kinect. My two-year-old does not play this one alone. It's a little beyond his skill level, and he's a little guy. The younger and smaller they are the more likely they will need a parent or older sibling to play the game with them. There's a demo available on Xbox live if you want to try before you buy.

Instructions are verbal, so reading is not an issue.

Game Features:

A Fun, Cooperative Play Experience - Every activity is designed to be fun played by oneself, but even more fun with a family member or friend. Drop in/out cooperative gameplay is ideal for parent-child or child-sibling co-play

Living Storybook Adventure - The game is a guided exploration of a living storybook where players help their monster friends with problems, all while interacting with enchanting and whimsical environments around them

New and Familiar Characters - Players can interact with their favorite Sesame Street characters as well as make new monster friends as they progress in their adventures

Broad Range of Games - A variety of entertaining and intuitive activities enable young kids to play easily with natural controller-free motions using the Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360

Active Gameplay - Players can engage in fun and physical activities such as monkey-see-monkey-do, playing instruments, flying, and running obstacle courses

Product information from: Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster on Amazon.com.

Kinectimals is a supercute pet simulation that really lets children get up close and personal with the exotic pet they've chosen. Even toddlers can have a blast playing with a Kinectimal and teaching it tricks. As you can imagine, this is a fantastically fun game for little gamers.

There's not much storyline to Kinectimals, just an excuse to explore the island and play mini games along the way. Currency can be earned and used to buy decorations for your virtual home, accessories for your pet, and so on. Neither of these aspects are particularly unique or innovative, but where this game shines is in its use of the Kinect to let your child feel like they're in the game, actually playing with the animals.

Truly an amazing game for kids making great use of the motion controls.

Features:

Get in touch with your wild side. Your journey begins when you adopt and name one of 20 playful friends, including a lion, cheetah and Bengal tiger.

Create memories that last a lifetime. From the first time she recognizes her name to when she learns to fetch, your cub will grow up as your sidekick, eager to discover the island around you. She will always be ready for a scratch and a belly rub with smiles and purrs.

The fun never ends. There are new ways to train tricks such as fetch, play activities such as jump rope, and even master agilvity courses with hops, stops and balancing acts. Invite a friend with his or her pet for some fun contests.

Discover, collect and customize. "Kinectimals" rewards those who are curious about the island they live on. Travel far and wide to discover treasures and toys, and find and unlock new environments. You can customize your pet and decorate your home, plus use the in-game store to shop for items to nurture and care for your new best friend.

This isn't a Kinectimals 2, it's the original with the added Awwww! of bears. It does boast an undiscovered island and a new mystery, though.

Product information from: Kinectimals on Amazon.com.

Fantastic Pets is another fun kinect game where kids can play with animal friends. Players can customize their pets' skins, colors, patterns, wings, horns, tails and more, and then do it all again with more and more furry friends. Game offers free-form play time or structured interactions by selecting from 12 mini games to play with the pets. From playing fetch to teaching tricks to grooming, these mini games offer hours of fun. Multiplayer action allows your child and a friend to appear on screen at the same time to interact with multiple pets.

Features:

* Create unlimited numbers of fully customizable pets, and select your pets' skins, colors, patterns, wings, horns, tails and more for a truly unique look

* Augmented reality technology puts you on the screen to interact and play with your pets

* Interact with multiple pets simultaneously with a friend and be on screen at the same time

* Talk to your pets and teach them tricks with voice commands as you develop nurturing and playful relationships

* Discover the unique personalities, lifelike reactions and behaviors of each of your pets

* Play mini games with your pets, including fetch, pet wash, bubble popping, dressage, dodge, teaching tricks, grooming and more

* Enjoy hours of free-form play in a lush 3D world

* Get the most of your gameplay with avatars, tutorials, unlockables, trophies, awards and daily events

* Kinect sensor required to play (not included)

* For 1 to 2 players

Product information from: Fantastic Pets on Amazon.com.

In Nickelodeon Dance kids can move, groove and learn to improve as they dance along with their Nickelodeon friends -- Dora, Diego, The Backyardigans, and The Fresh Beat Band. This new dance game is designed to help kids stay physically active as they twist, shake, and shout to original Nickelodeon songs and popular favorites too! Kids can really get their heart pumping with the super cool fitness feature for more heart healthy fun with the Nickelodeon gang!

Features:

* 30 songs, including theme songs from favorite TV shows Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, The Backyardigans, and The Fresh Beat Band; and other popular hits sung by Nickelodeon characters.

* Dance routines developed in collaboration with an expert children's dance choreographer. Additionally, special exercise-focused routines encourage active play and promote fitness.

* Multi-player mode encourages fitness, fancy footwork, and a whole lot of laughs for the entire family.

Product information from: Nickelodeon Dance on Amazon.com.

Just Dance Kids 2 offers 40 all-new dances led by kids. Your kids can even record their own music videos and then compete to their own unique dances with family and friends with the CREATE feature.

With covers of today's hot hits for older kids, like "Love Me," "Whip My Hair," and "Just The Way You Are", popular songs from kids' favorite TV shows and movies, such as "Despicable Me," and "The Robot Song" from Yo Gabba Gabba, songs from the Wiggles and mixes of classic kids songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider", Just Dance Kids 2 is a great game for families even with very young kids.

One thing you do have to watch for is how well the Kinect Sensor picks up your kids - this can get frustrating for younger ones if they have trouble participating because they aren't seen.

Cool New Features:

* The non-stop shuffle mode allows Mom to select the amount of time, play mode, and types of songs kids dance to for a continuous non-stop dance party!

* The playlist feature allows kids to make their own playlists (up to 10 songs)

* Onscreen lyrics let kids learn the words and sing along as they dance

* Multilingual songs in English, Spanish, French and German

* Simple menu icons allow kids to navigate on their own

* Cooperative 2-player mode

Product information from: Just Dance Kids 2 on Amazon.com.

Adrenalin Misfits thrusts gamers into seven fantasy worlds with exciting boarding battles in amazing environments. Compete in cross boarding action through freestyle, time and collection challenges against boss characters each with unique abilities. Battle Boss' from around the world growing your abilities and gaining more impressive boards each with their own special features. Win a race, steal that boss' board and do battle to collect all 60. Anyone can play because your body is the controller. It's not just a race, it's a battle!

Product information from: Adrenalin Misfits on Amazon.com.

Multiple sports mini games like this tend to be simple, but have appeal for being a simply fun multiplayer experience. Kinect Sports offers six solo or multiplayer games: Soccer, Volleyball, Track & Field, Bowling, Table Tennis or Boxing. All use the Kinect's motion capabilities, allowing Full Body Play.

There's a new game in the Kinect Sports line to consider:

Features:

* Six team-based and individual sports - tennis, golf, American football, baseball, skiing and darts - with unique challenges and activities for each

* Showcases Kinnect's intuitive gameplay and effortless immersion

* Get personal in a one-on-one showdown with your family, or send a challenge for your friends to tackle when they jump on Xbox LIVE later

* With new Achievements, exciting activities and unlockable avatar awards, every player of every skill will find something to challenge and enthrall them

* Log onto your KinectShare account to download photos and videos captured in-game, and share them with your family and friends

Product information from: Kinect Sports Season Two on Amazon.com.

Just Dance is a fun series of games, it's great to see them on the Kinect. Just Dance 3 boasts a great track list including variety from Katy Perry to Donna Summer to Wilson Pickett to Kiss.

Features:

Just Create - Bust out your own dance moves and take center stage with this innovative mode exclusive for the Kinect!

Simultaneous 4 Player - For the very first time on the Kinect, Just Dance 3 Kinect allows simultaneous 4-player gameplay!

Top Of The Charts - Over 40 all-new tracks, ranging from chart-topping hits to classic dance party tracks!

Don't Stop the Music - Preview and download from an expanding catalogue of new tracks from the in game Just Dance store.

Just Sweat It Out - The popular Just Sweat mode gets an upgrade with more workout plans and playlists. Stay fit, and have fun with Just Sweat!

Dynamic Environments - Watch the background change as you perform progressive moves.

Just Dance - Just Dance 3 still has everyone's favorite modes like Classic Mode, Duet Mode, Medley, Simon Says, and more.

Just Sweat It Out - The popular Just Sweat mode gets an upgrade with more workout plans and playlists.

Top of the Charts - Over 40 all-new tracks, ranging from Billboard/top-charted hits to classic dance party tracks!

Product information from: Just Dance 3 on Amazon.com.