Kids Get Fit with High-Tech Play

Developers are finding ways to combine toys and games with physical activity to create gaming technology that motivates children to be more active. A new study from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services suggests that video games incorporating physical activity may help children meet exercise requirements. Here are some examples of tech toys and games that promote active play.

Preschool Children
Fisher Price Smart-Cycle This toy combines educational video games with a stationary bike so children can learn and stay active no matter what the weather is like outside.

Sesame Street Wii Games Perhaps the most well-recognized item in active-play technology, Nintendo Wii’s Sesame Street titles like Elmo’s A to Zoo Adventure, Ready Set Grover and Cookie’s Counting Carnival make these games accessible to preschool children, with a fuzzy cover for the Wiimote that covers unnecessary buttons to make it easier to use.

Elementary School Children
Zamzee The Zamzee is an activity meter, worn like a pedometer, that measures the intensity of activity rather than just steps. Users can set up an account online and plug the device into a computer to take part in the online Zamzee community where they can track their activity and earn points, badges and even free prizes for their movement. A new study from HopeLab and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that children who used Zamzee and its online game over six months were 59 percent more active than those who did not.

Twister Dance This spin on the age-old classic turns Twister into a dance party. One or two players can follow the lights on the Twister dots to dance to pre-programmed tracks by top artists or plug in their own MP3 player and use the game’s beat-detection technology to dance to tracks of their choice.

Middle School Children
Geocaching In this outdoor treasure hunting game, participants hide and seek containers called geocaches using a GPS. Children can take part in the world-wide treasure hunt or simply spend an afternoon hiding and finding geocaches in the backyard.

Kinect for Xbox 360 Kinect is a system that responds to how players move, requiring full body movement rather than controllers. A study from the University of Chester in England found that the Sports Boxing and Dance Central Kinect games can raise heart rate to an appropriate level to bring about changes in cardiorespiratory fitness.