Top 5 Kinect for Xbox 360 Games for Families

1. Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster. By far, the most popular choice. We agree.
2. Michael Jackson: The Experience. @ForestofWishes says dancing along with Michael is "awesome."
3. Family Game Night: The Game Show. @TiggerMommy082 says "it rocks!" Can you imagine playing Connect Four, BopIt, or Scrabble with your whole body?
4. Dance Central. @LittleTechGirl says she's addicted to it.
5. Kinect Sports. The game features tennis, golf, American football, baseball, skiing and darts.

5 Tips for Selecting Family Video Games for Any System

1. Pay attention to the ratings.This article explains them. I, as a mom and frequent gamer, am well-acquainted with what they actually mean, and, while I'll let my son play the occasional T-rated game, I won't ever, not even when he's a teenager, let him play anything beyond that. There are plenty of awesome, fun games in the E category. Here's one I recommend.
2. Read reviews to ascertain how fun or challenging a game is. Thankfully, Amazon and other sites are realizing the usefulness of reviews, and they're becoming more available. Next best thing to face-to-face word-of-mouth. Other good sites for reviews are GameFaqs.com and IGN.com.
3. Consider how many players will usually play. The Xbox 360 Kinect only allows for two family members to play at a time, so there's more opportunity to teach turn-taking, and no controllers to buy. The Wii and other systems, on the other hand, can have up to four family members playing at a time, but the price of the controllers can really add up. @DovGame says that, for her, it comes down to this list of priorities in a game: First: is it appropriate? Second, is it fun? Third, how sharable is it?
4. Rent, or borrow, first.@BlondeFabulous says it's a great way to check games out before you buy. You can rent games at RedBox, GameFly, or other such places, or you can download demos on Playstations 3 or Xbox 360.
5. Don't always go for the easiest or most-popular games. You need a certain amount of challenge for a game to be fun for your family, says @DreamFog, and you are the best judge of what will most challenge and amuse them.

What video games do you like to play with your family?

The post Activities and Entertainment: 5 Family Friendly Games for Kinect for Xbox 360 appeared first on Mom it Forward.