is a Wii a good idea for a 4 and 6 yr old?

[TessTing123]

I know nothing about the world of video games. nothing. 6yr old dd has started to talk about playing on the Wii when she goes to her friends houses.

She says she plays a singing along game? And some sort of dancing game? and the Olympics? it all sounds quite jolly.

Is it definitely a Wii she is talking about?

And would a Wii be a fun thing that we could all play as a family? Like most people I am not really looking for ways to encourage my children to have more screen time, but on the other hand if "everybody else has one..."

Your thoughts appreciated.

My 9 year old DSS has one and occasionally lets our 4 year old play a game called Mario Karts with him which is fun (you have 2 players) and easy to learn.

He has lots of sporty type games too and one singing one but I don't think our 4 year old would be able or want to do most of them. Oh actually, scrap that as I've just remembered one of the sports games has some sort of flying pop the balloon game that they also play together on occasion.

So go for it (but establish screen time rules in advance with them so no arguments later!)

yes there fab. i allow my 4 year old ds golden time on it for good behaviour. just establish how long you want them to be on it. mariokart is the most played in this household too

Another vote for Mario here. It is generally good fun. We also like the wii fit with balance board, would say is worth getting that, they can do fun exercise games indoors. The 3+ games are quite easy, 7+ are a bit trickier but the 6 year old will probably manage them. When you get to the 12+ it is more classified on content than difficulty, so like a DVD. Ours just have the 3+ and 7+ games. I find it is particularly useful on rainy days, just make sure you have lots of AA batteries!

Oh and worth having a spare controller so you can compete together.

I have bought a 2nd hand wii from game station for my DC (7 and 4) for £40...

You can get some good Wii game bargains on eBay, I've bought a couple for my DC for Christmas. Mine are 5 and 10 and there's lots of games that both of them enjoy. Wii Play and Wii Party are very good.

We have had a Wii revival this week as my DS is starting to be interested in it (will be 4 in 6 weeks).

I bought Mario Party 9 and he is getting the hang of that. Nickleodeon also do games that are good for little ones. We also have Wii Fit, and he likes the balance and aerobic games for that. We are really enjoying having it again.

There are loads of dance games - like Disney Dance, Broadway Dance, Smurfs dance, Just Dance 1-4. DS is bothering me for the Olympics - Mario Vs Sonic. There's a London 2012 version.

I Wii is great, but if you get it for a 4 and 6 year old, you will run out of "big" presents in the future. I personally would hold off for about five years.

We resisted for ages but bought one recently when the price went down. Dds are 8 and 5 the biggest surprise is how much we are enjoying it as a whole family (bowling and tennis tournaments, dance offs) - it's great fun! So I'd say go for it.

Wii games are generally cheaper than play station or x box ones I think. We already have one which hasn't been used for ages because DSSs have fancier consoles at their mums so the Wii doesn't have the same draw anymore. We are going to get some games for our DDs this Christmas and give it a bit if a revival like KinkyDorito.
I think 4 and 6 would be a good age for a Wii.