Remember the days when gym class meant simply running around or playing in groups whether it be a round of basketball, dodge ball, wiffle ball or even baseball? Most kids live for these outlets to give them a break from math or history class and kids just like to move and be active. With all that said I was really surprised when I learned that two Texas schools were going to start instituting the Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit to promote health and physical activity.
For those of you who have not had the opportunity to try the Wii Fit, you can read our Wii Fit review along with a follow-up article on the reality of the Wii Fit, once we all made it past the initial hype.
The idea of having the Wii Fit at home in your living room to encourage kids to get off the couch and be more active and engaged is great. On the other hand, using this system at school can actually inhibit the amount of exercise students would otherwise normally get due to the physical activity associated with the Wii Fit being somewhat limited. Students don’t need the Wii to learn how to do a push-up or sit-up the good old-fashioned way; kids running and jumping and interacting together and not with a machine is best. (more…)
