Getting into Gaming (with Kids)

Back in the day (and I mean WAYYYYY back in the day) I enjoyed video games. I enjoyed playing Lego Star Wars with my brother on a Saturday afternoon and having a blast doing so. Yet, times changed; I got married to a man who was not a gamer, had kids, and life became too busy for the video game pastime. However, in the past year, I noticed my son seemed to take after his uncle (and his Mom!) and always wanted to play video-like games on an iPad. I resisted though – not seeming sure when to introduce (or let him) play with ‘real’ video games. Until one day, a doctor recommended video game play as a way to improve his logic and strategic thinking, as well as motor planning. I thought about it and realized, if I could ensure he would play with age appropriate games, and have proper limits on screen time, perhaps there were some benefits to letting him start gaming.

Best Video Game for 6 Year Olds

He is now six, so it is at the age where I felt, in my personal parenting opinion, he was at an age to start. Then it became a question of what game play I felt was an appropriate place to start; that would give him the benefits the doctor was suggesting, but appropriate for a six year old boy (and for a Mom that has to crash course modern day game play!) One day leading up to Sweet Suite and Blogger Bash, two events I help manage for The Toy Insider, I realized that Disney Infinity checked all the boxes.

Disney Infinity

In addition to the logic, planning and fine motor skills, the Disney Infinity gaming appeared to be age appropriate with less, hmm, violence. I mean, yes, Olaf may throw his carrot nose at people, but it seemed more suitable to me then, say, a machete. Also, I could select Disney Infinity characters that suited the goals and gaming I wanted him to experience now, and he could grow into others (ie., Captain Jack Sparrow) later on. Plus, I knew he may be more engaged with characters he already knew, and those characters would stay true to themselves in game play, which Disney (and as a result, Disney Infinity) is known for.
So I got the system plugged in and we are going to kick start this new chapter in the weeks ahead, and I look forward to sharing with you the things I learn as a parent. Was I right in my selection of Disney Infinity? How do I use the pieces? What is the plastic one for and what is with those cards? (I have a lot to learn!) Needless to say, my kids are so excited as you can see from this video! So here we go! Stay tuned!