Wii Fit

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Exercise is a blast on the Wii Balance Board.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning4
Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
Very Good: Engaging, very good learning approach.
Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
Not for Learning : Not recommended for learning.
Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Wii Fit comes packaged with the Wii Balance Board, which you use in the 40+ activities including aerobics, balance, yoga, and strength training. The software tracks the number of minutes that you play on the board per day and charts your exercise progress with the option to track the weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) changes of up to eight people. Body Mass Index is a standard used by the National Institute of Health to measure an adult's body fat based on height and weight. The game assigns you a designation of underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. Parents with kids concerned about their weight should know that the BMI is an index for adults and while the game has made an effort to adjust it for kids, since kids grow at different rates, their pediatrician will always be a better judge of what's healthy. Parents may need to remind kids that they can't jump on the Balance Board, because if they do, the game they are playing will stop. This game can be enjoyed by kids as young as age 5, but it's a better fit for tweens, teens, and adults.

  • This game encourages players of all ages to exercise and makes it fun to do so! However, after you have entered your age and height, the program weighs you and then tells you whether you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. It also calculates your Body Mass Index (BMI) and again assigns those same descriptors. For children, the BMI desciption may be inaccurate because they are growing so fast. Adolescent girls are particularly sensitive to these designations, so parents might want to keep that in mind before using this program.
  • Players receive friendly and positive guidance from a virtual personal trainer.
  • These activities come with excellent tutorials and are easy to play.
  • Not applicable.
  • Not applicable.

What kids can learn

4

Kids can learn about movement, fitness, and body awareness as they play games and activities on the Wii Fit balance board. The game tracks daily weight and BMI (Body Mass Index), and kids can set goals to exercise for a certain amount of time per day. It introduces kids to yoga and various exercises. Wii Fit gives kids an excuse to get up off the couch with fun activities involving low to moderate exercise.

Subjects
  • Science
  • Social Studies
Skills
  • Thinking & Reasoning
  • Creativity
  • Self-Direction
  • Emotional Development
  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Responsibility & Ethics
  • Tech Skills
  • Health & Fitness
    body awareness, exercise, fitness, movement

What's it about?

WII FIT is an exciting way for kids and adults to exercise using the Wii console. It's a compilation of 40+ games to play on the Wii Balance Board, a special peripheral that comes packaged with the game. The Wii Balance Board looks like a giant scale that sits on the floor. When you stand on it, it can detect the slightest shifts in your balance, which means it can tell if you are leaning forward or backward, and from side-to-side. In addition to balance, the board can also determine your weight. The games are broken into four categories: aerobics, balance, yoga, and strength training. Under aerobics, you can hula-hoop, do step-aerobics, run (next to, not on the board), or rhythm-box. The yoga activities teach you how to breathe and do yoga poses. Strength training shows you how to do a variety of exercises including lunges, torso twists, and push-ups, all using the board. The balance games are the most fun because they have you heading soccer balls, skiing down slopes, performing ski-jumps, snowboarding, and walking on tightropes, as well as pretending to be a table with balls on it you tilt by leaning back and forth, and a bubble that you control through a maze by moving your body.


Is it any good?

 

To make all this exercise fun and a little competitive, the game has a crazy calculation called "Wii Fit Age," which is based on short balance games that are given to you every day. As you play the games, the theory is that your core muscles will get stronger. As you get better at the balance games, your "Wii Fit Age" will improve. In addition, Wii Fit can keep track of up to eight players and record the amount of time spent playing on the board, as well as your daily weight and Body Mass Index. You can set a goal of exercising a certain number of minutes a day, and the game helps you meet that goal.

The aerobics and balance games are particularly well done and make exercising more fun. For ski-jumping, you stand on the board, squat down while you race down the slope, and then straighten your legs to jump when you hit the end of the ramp. Part of the skill of perfecting a long jump is to hold yourself perfectly still while you fly through the air. You can challenge friends and family members to see who can land the longest jump. However, although Wii Fit is very well done and a blast to play, if you are a serious gym rat, these games may not be hard-core enough to satisfy those seeking a sustained high-intensity workout. Many of the games represent an overview of potential new games that could be developed in more depth for the Wii Balance Board.


Explore, discuss, enjoy

  • Families can talk about the role of fitness in living a healthy lifestyle. Which of these games did you like best?

  • Do you think the games do a good job of recreating real-life experiences –- did you feel like you were hula-hooping and ski jumping? What new games do you think companies should develop that use the Wii Balance Board?


This review of Wii Fit was written by

What kids can learn

4

Kids can learn about movement, fitness, and body awareness as they play games and activities on the Wii Fit balance board. The game tracks daily weight and BMI (Body Mass Index), and kids can set goals to exercise for a certain amount of time per day. It introduces kids to yoga and various exercises. Wii Fit gives kids an excuse to get up off the couch with fun activities involving low to moderate exercise.


Subjects
  • Language & Reading: following directions
  • Math:
  • Science:
  • Social Studies:
  • Arts:
  • Hobbies: sports
Skills
  • Thinking & Reasoning:
  • Creativity:
  • Self-Direction:
  • Emotional Development:
  • Communication:
  • Collaboration:
  • Responsibility & Ethics:
  • Tech Skills:
  • Health & Fitness: body awareness, exercise, fitness, movement

What's it about?

WII FIT is an exciting way for kids and adults to exercise using the Wii console. It's a compilation of 40+ games to play on the Wii Balance Board, a special peripheral that comes packaged with the game. The Wii Balance Board looks like a giant scale that sits on the floor. When you stand on it, it can detect the slightest shifts in your balance, which means it can tell if you are leaning forward or backward, and from side-to-side. In addition to balance, the board can also determine your weight. The games are broken into four categories: aerobics, balance, yoga, and strength training. Under aerobics, you can hula-hoop, do step-aerobics, run (next to, not on the board), or rhythm-box. The yoga activities teach you how to breathe and do yoga poses. Strength training shows you how to do a variety of exercises including lunges, torso twists, and push-ups, all using the board. The balance games are the most fun because they have you heading soccer balls, skiing down slopes, performing ski-jumps, snowboarding, and walking on tightropes, as well as pretending to be a table with balls on it you tilt by leaning back and forth, and a bubble that you control through a maze by moving your body.


How kids will learn

Kids learn by following the on-screen directions to perform 40+ activities that are divided into two categories: Balance and Aerobics. They follow onscreen directions to learn how to do aerobics, balance, yoga, and strength training. In some activities, Wii Fit scores players based on how well they were able to maintain balance on the Balance Board. It also tracks weight and overall fitness goals.


How parents can help

  • Sign kids up for activities like soccer or skiing so they can apply what they've learned to the "real thing."
  • Help kids set personal fitness goals, such as walking a certain distance every day.

This review of Wii Fit was written by
Teen, 13 years old
July 28, 2011
 
Sometimes hard to control, but VERY fun and good for exercise.
My rating: E
What other families should know:

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Kid, 12 years old
October 21, 2010
 
awesome
helps you exercise, and has stretching and strength practices. one time i played for about an hour, and was really out of breath!!(and im physically fit!) kids who hate exercising should try this because it helps you work out, but with fun games. not only does it help you exercise, it helps you stretch and learn balance.

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Teen, 13 years old
July 23, 2010
 
6 year olds can play, just explain weight
This game is the best for kids! It'll help them get more flexiable, have better balance and posture, and more! Explain to your kids if they get at risk of overweight or overweight can be just cuz they are very tall.
What other families should know:

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Teen, 13 years old
January 14, 2011
 
Fun for everyone!
Fun and active game for everyone. My friend's sister is 7, and likes playing this game. The only concern I have is how it weighs you. Sometimes the game will rank you as obese, when you aren't (it usually does that with taller adults) so people who are sensitive to things like that should be aware. Other than that, it's great for getting active and having fun at the same time.

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Kid, 11 years old
April 17, 2010
 
Getting excersise and having fun at the same time!
Wii fit helps you excersise and have fun at the same time. I highly recommend playing soccer as your first game or Basic step because those are probably the easiest ones to learn. All the games and excersises are easy to learn and play.
What other families should know:

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Teen, 13 years old
August 1, 2010
 
Nintendo has created a way to make exercising fun!
Nintendo comes out with yet another great Wii game! In Wii fit, your Mii can exercise in fun games. It's also educational because you can learn some yoga poses. You can go running on the Wii Balance Board (obviously in place, but it's still tiring!) There's also this cool dancing game you can do. The BMI test include a number of challenging activities. After the test it will show you your Wii FIt age (you're trying to get it the same as your age, but if you're an older adult and get a young adult age that's even better!) The Wii Fit age is based on how well you did on your test and if you're as strong (or stronger) than people your age. But parents, keep in mind that the BMI is meant for adults, so if it says your child is overweight it's inaccuarate becuase you're child is still going through puberty. That's the only disadvantage. Other than that it's a fun way to exercise for the whol family!
What other families should know:

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Kid, 11 years old
December 24, 2009
 
great for older kids and adults
Great game to play with friends
What other families should know:

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Kid, 10 years old
May 4, 2010
 
Great excercise tool!
Parents, most kids I know love playing this. And they should. It teaches them fun ways to exercise in many categories such as yoga, strength training, aerobics, balance games, and the favorites which is what they play the most. It really does help them become more fit and also gives your kids fitness tips and deadlines that help them lose or gain weight that is necessary for their health. I would recomend it.
What other families should know:

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Kid, 10 years old
July 14, 2010
 
this game is so awesome, even a 5+ can play it!1 lol
What other families should know:

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Kid, 11 years old
May 19, 2010
 
Yea! Way to go!
This is fun! It helped me run faster!
What other families should know:

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This review of Wii Fit was written by
Topics:sports and martial arts
Platforms:Nintendo Wii
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Exergaming
Developer:Nintendo
Release date:May 19, 2008
Price:$89
ESRB rating:E for (No Descriptors) (Nintendo Wii)

This review of Wii Fit was written by

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