Video Games for Young Kids

Many parents are against letting young kids play video games and there are valid reasons for keeping kids from playing video games. One of the biggest reasons, in my opinion, is that they will become addicted and not play more active kids games that serve as great exercise. Now this guide is not meant to encourage parents that are against allowing their kids to play video games, as I totally support their decision. This guide is meant to help parents that do want to allow their young kids play video games (in moderation, I hope) and use them as a learning experience. These are just a few games I have found that are great for young kids that teach them certain concepts or just give a fun age-appropriate way of improving their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. This guide focuses only on the following game systems: Xbox, Playstation 2, Gamecube, and Game Boy (Color, Advance, and DS); and does not cover computer games of which many educational ones are available for young kids.

Xbox, Playstation 2, and Gamecube Games

These are games systems that play games on the television making it easier to monitor your kids and participate with them, especially in games with multiplayer modes.

Game Boy Games

These games are great ways to give kids a way of entertaining themselves, especially when traveling. They can also offer some great educational playing experiences. Although the new DS has some good games, I find that many young kids cannot handle the two screen playing modes of most of the games. The DS can also be hard for small hands.

Recommend Games in Alphabetical Order

Chicken Little (Xbox, Playstation 2, Gamecube): This game is very closely based on the movie. You play through the levels and as you progress you get to see different cut scenes. This is a great game for kids who enjoyed seeing the movie and those who have not will not feel lost because of the many cut scenes throughout. Some of the levels can be hard for young kids, but with practice they should do okay.