Wii Games and Products for Kids & Preschoolers

I purchased a Nintendo Wii for my family (and me!) last year and since then, I've been on a hunt for cool games that my three year old (almost four) could enjoy and most important - could play himself.When the Wii first came out there really weren't many options for the "little ones" but see more and more games coming out for them now. What makes the Wii really snazzy is that not only is it "backwards compatible" with the Game Cube (meaning you can play GC games on the Wii) you can also download games from the original Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and even Sega onto your Wii using a Wii Points Card for very nominal costs.

There are so many facets to the Wii and I am extremely happy I made the purchase. I hope to add Wii Fit to our collection when the price drops!

When you purchase your Wii be sure to pick up a second "Wiimote" (remote) and "Nunchuck" because it only comes with one of each. You can play up to four players with two of each. If you want four people to be able to play at one time (such as when you play "shooter" games) then you will need four Wiimotes and four Nunchucks. I still only have two of each.

The Wii when first purchased, comes with a game called Wii Sports. The game is a collection of five sports simulations, designed to demonstrate the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii Remote to new players. The five sports included are tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing. Players use the Wii Remote to mimic actions performed in real life sports, such as swinging a tennis racket. The rules for each game are simplified to make them more accessible to new players. The game also features training and fitness modes that monitor player progress in the sports.

As far as kids go - this game is pretty simple. My son (again, he will be four) likes the bowling and golf the best but can do any of them.

Wii Play consists of nine games - Shooting Range, Find Mii, Tanks!, Billiards, Pose Mii, Table Tennis, Fishing, Charge!, and Laser Hockey. All games are designed for 2 players, but can also be played by a single player, with a computer-controlled second player in games where it is necessary. No Nunchuks are required for any of the games; however, players can use a Nunchuk as a substitute for the D-Pad for the Tanks! game if they wish.

When Wii Play is first played, only one game is available. After playing each game another game is unlocked, until all nine games are available. In single player, points are earned in each game and the top 5 highest scores are stored. Getting high enough scores in single player awards the player bronze, silver, gold and platinum medals for that game.

My son (and I also) love Wii Play! Some of the games (Find Mii, Fishing, and Charge!) are great for little ones while the others (Shooting Range, Tanks!, Billiards, Pose Mii, Laser Hockey and Table Tennis) are a little more difficult.

Is most instances, Wii Play comes bundled with a Wii Remote.

Carnival Games consists of various mini-games with a carnival theme. There are over 20 family-friendly games including: Frog Leap, Clown Splash, Ring Toss, Dunk Tank, Day at the Races, Lucky Cups, Hoops, Shooting Gallery, Hole-in-One, Nerves of Steel and even The Great Swami, the mysterious fortune teller. You can win over 250 virtual carnival prizes like goldfish, pirate swords and giant stuffed animals! You can personalize your in-game characters with wearable rewards like the famous Viking horns and "Bling" necklaces.

Related Games: Shrek's Carnival Craze

Playground is a great multiplayer game for the whole family that features "recess" games such as Dodgeball, Tetherball, Wall Ball, Kicks, Slot Car Racing, Paper Racers, Dart Shootout, and more. Playground has a rich Single Player mode where you can unlock new locations, earn power-ups, and find hidden mini games.