Wheee! 17 Nintendo Wii games for Toddlers and Preschoolers to Play as a Family

Yes, You read that right. Wii games for toddlers. We got a Wii last year for Christmas and we have a family game night with it on Friday nights. We have such a good time laughing together. I'm going to recommend a few games for Toddlers and Pre-K kiddos in case you want to start your own family tradition game night. 

Please take note: I do not recommend toddlers playing the Wii unsupervised, and as always, make sure you set limits appropriate for you, your kids, and your family. Some kids may be fine with several hours of Wii playing per week, while others can only handle 15-20 minutes. Do what is best for you. Everything in moderation. Go outside, play, do crafts, play board games, do puzzles, cook together. Just spend time with your kids. All I'm saying is that this is another way of doing this.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's play some games (in MODERATION, of course!). Some of these games are ones we already have, and others are ones that we'd like to try. 

Let's kick this off with Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece. Oh, Elmo! Elmo is a favorite in almost every household with toddlers. This game is pretty simple. Just dance to various rhythyms and beats using simple Wii movments. Kids can rock out with their favorite Sesame Street characters, engaging in activities that promote musical creativity and dancing. The game also manages to throw in a few activities designed to foster development of math skills through connections between math and music. The game is simple enough for toddlers to play without too much help, but there is plenty of room for parents to get involved and get in some playtime with their kids. This game is rated 3.9 stars after 46 reviews and it seems that this game is a good first Wii game for toddlers. 

Just Dance: Disney Party is next on our list. Just Dance and Disney are working in collaboration to create the greatest dance game for the whole family - Just Dance: Disney Party on Wii. Dance like a star to 25 songs from classic Disney movies and Disney Channel's hottest shows. With an amazing selection of family favorite songs, fun dances, and kid-friendly gameplay, children of all ages can dance along with family and friends! The music includes songs from Disney Favorites for the whole family: The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Tangled, Lilo & Stitch, Tinker Bell, Enchanted, The Muppets, Bolt, Mary Poppins, and The Aristocats. It also has dances from the hottest Disney Channel shows: Shake It Up, Phineas and Ferb, Jessie, Hannah Montana, A.N.T. Farm, Wizards of Waverly Place, Camp Rock, High School Musical, and Good Luck Charlie.

Here's another Elmo game: Elmo's A to Zoo Adventure. In Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure, kids head to the zoo with Elmo, Zoe and their animal friends, as they explore games based on a variety of literacy skills, including letter identification, letter sounds and word families. Kids can also explore exciting zoo habitats including the Aquarium, Savanna, Jungle, Wetlands and the Arctic. Unfortunately, this game is rated only 3.4 stars after about 100 reviews. Reviewers say it's hard to maneuver and it's either way too easy or way too hard for their kids. 

This next one is Nickelodeon Fit. Nickelodeon Fit is the first fitness video game designed specifically for children for the Wii. It's a game so big it has all your Nick Jr. favorites: Dora, Diego, Kai-lan and the Backyardigans. They're getting together to promote exercise fun, achievement tracking and parent and child collaboration. Packed with 30 scientifically developed and designed exercises that target a variety of fitness areas important for healthy physical development in children, Nickelodeon Fit is the perfect way for parents to ensure that their young children remain active as they are entertained by their favorite cartoon characters. Additional features include: Wii Remote and Wii Balance Board input options and play monitoring and customization functionality for parents to observe their children's progress and plan their exercise routine. It's rated very well at 4.3 stars after over 300 reviews, so I think I'm going to put this one on Froot Loop's wishlist for Christmas as it's probably made more for older toddlers and Pre-K kids. 

Woo! Another Sesame Street game. This one is Cookie's Counting Carnival. In Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival, kids join Cookie Monster and Big Bird at a fun-filled carnival through gameplay steeped in math skills that include number identification, counting, shapes and pattern recognition. Kids journey through the game in the many areas of the carnival such as The Grandstand, Midway, Petting Zoo, Food Court and the Arcade. It's rated 3.6 stars after almost 150 reviews, and they're fairly mixed. Sounds like it could be fun if you're willing to put the time in to learn the game. 

Up next, we have World of Zoo. My kids love animals and they love the Zoo. I'm looking into this game. Kids create and customize their zoo experience and develop hands-on relationships to earn the trust and love of your animals.It's well reviewed with over a 4 star rating after about 100 reviews, and it looks like this game is good for toddlers and even kids a little older. It doesn't require specific knowledge to play, and actually may be a little repetitive. I think my boys would LOVE this, and I've decided that Santa Claus is going to bring it to them for Christmas! 

Toy Story Mania looks like a pretty fun game! It's rated 4 stars after over 330 reviews. Join all the classic Toy Story characters in Toy Story Mania! as Woody, Buzz and the gang stage their own zany, fun-filled carnival. Toy Story Mania! allows players to participate in familiar and all-new carnival-inspired shooting galleries and win top prizes in mini-games. The game features multiplayer competitive and cooperative modes supporting up to two players, providing hours of fun. You can engage in 10 fast-paced shooting galleries - some adapted from the theme park attraction, others brand new and original to the game. It also includes 30 addictive mini-games.

Are your kids as into Cars as mine are? I found this Mater's Tall Tales game. Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales is inspired by Disney/Pixar's wildly popular animated shorts of the same name. Cars Toon: Mater's Tall Tales is part of the Mania! video game franchise, featuring fast-paced, multiplayer, family fun. The game is a frenzied pick-up-and-play experience to be enjoyed by everyone in the room. The game will bring Mater together with Lightning McQueen and the "Cars" gang for a new set of adventures, capturing the endearing sense of humor of everyone's favorite tow truck. Players will join Mater and his pals as they relive the wild stories he conjures up about hilariously unpredictable events that may or may not have taken place. It's rated 4 stars after 120 reviews, and it looks like so much fun! 

MarioKart!. Yes, MarioKart! We play this almost every Friday as part of our family game night. And yes, all 4 of us play. Froot Loop is actually getting pretty good at the racing, and Cocoa Puff likes to drive in circles, so he holds his own during the balloons or coin games. This is one of the games I cannot highly recommend highly enough for family play. We've also played with my parents, which brought tons of laugher to the room. It's just so much fun, and there's ways to play where even the little guys can join in. Seriously. If you get ONE Wii game, get this one. 

Also on our list is Game Party 2. Game Party 2 is the ultimate Wii party game for players of all ages and skill levels. Game Party 2 features new games like Bean Bag Toss and Horseshoes, as well as classics like Shuffleboard and Hoop Shoot. Every game has exciting new features like four player mode, customizable characters and tournament play, making Game Party 2 the family favorite party game. It's only rated 3.7 stars after over 130 reviews, but I rated it higher than that. Some of the reviews say the graphics are a little "old," but really, who cares? There's 11 fun games to play, and most of them, the kids can at least try to participate. It's fun overall, but it doesn't last too long before the novelty begins to wear off. 

Another classic family Wii game is Wii Sports Resort. It's rated a very high 4.6 stars after almost 900 reviews, so I'm definitely not the only one who thinks this game is awesome! Wii Sports Resort takes the inclusive, fun and intuitive controls of the original Wii Sports to the next level, introducing a whole new set of entertaining and physically immersive activities. With the deep control enhancements of Wii MotionPlus, veteran Wii users and newcomers alike can enjoy unprecedented gaming precision as they cruise on a water scooter, duel with swords, throw a Frisbee and much more. You NEED the motion plus accessory to play this game, but it's worth it to have anyway since a lot of games need it. There's Swordplay, Wakeboarding, Frisbee, Archery, Basketball, Ping Pong, Golf, Bowling, Power Cruising, Canoeing, Cycling, and Air Sports. Some are more fun than others, but overall, this is an awesome game that everyone in the family can play. 

The original Wii Sports game is also totally fun. It usually comes bundled with the Wii, but sometimes, like if you buy a used console or a special version of the Wii, you don't get it, but EVERYONE needs this game if you have a Wii. It has 5 games in one: Boxing, Bowling, Golf, Tennis, and Baseball. 

This Sonic Colors game looks like a lot of fun for older Toddlers and Preschoolers. The diabolical Dr. Eggman has hatched another plan for world domination! He has built an amazing interstellar amusement park, floating in space around Sonic’s home planet, bursting with incredible rides and attractions. However, all is not as it seems as Dr. Eggman has abducted an alien race called Wisps and is harnessing their colorful energy to fuel a sinister plot. However, before Dr. Eggman completes his evil plans, Sonic discovers his mysterious theme park in space. When he arrives, Sonic finds he is also able to use these alien powers and is ready to help! Sonic will need all his speed and skill as he faces this test, but, empowered by the alien energy, it’s a test he’ll pass with flying colors! It's rated 4.6 stars after over 400 reviews and people seem to think it's a lot of fun. I'm not sure young toddlers could do much with this game, but I can see preschoolers playing with some help. 

Up next, we've got the Angry Birds Trilogy for Wii. Gather your flock and sling into action, Angry Birds is taking flight for the first time ever on Wii and Wii U systems! 140 hours of comical, addictive gameplay 3 best-selling Angry Birds games in 1 Over 800 levels, including 19 exclusive Wii U GamePad and TV swap capability, touch screen controls and online leaderboards. Froot Loop loves Angry Birds, and he's played it on the Roku fairly unsuccessfully (it's hard!). He LOVES playing it on the Wii though and actually does pretty well. It's rated 3.9 stars after about 70 reviews, but I don't really understand why it's this low because it's fun. My guess is that it's because it's only a single player game, but it's easy enough to take turns! 

Wii Music is amazing. It's not just another Guitar Hero or Rock Band, which is good, because Toddlers and Preschoolers most likely can't handle these games just yet. This is a great way to introduce these kinds of games though. Unlike other music games, which penalize players if they don't play perfectly, Wii Music is a musical playground where there are no mistakes. Here anyone can pick up and master the huge array of instruments available, through simple motions like strumming and drumming. Musicians in your band jam by simply playing their instruments to the beat of a song or by improvising to their heart's content. Play faster. Play slower. Skip a beat, or throw in 10 more. No matter what you do, Wii Music automatically transforms your improv stylings into great music. You can play most of the 60-plus instruments in Wii Music using simple motions with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. Strum to play guitar, banjo and sitar. Drum to play jazz drums, congas and marching drums. Hammer away to play piano, vibraphone and marimba. Unlike most music games, Wii Music doesn't make you use complex buttons. You only need to imitate playing the instrument. Wii Music offers virtually endless ways to make music. It's rated 4.1 stars after 265 reviews. Remember, it is NOT Guitar Hero or Rock Band! 

I'm going to lump all of the Lego games together. I've tried a variety of them and they're all basically the same concept. These really are a good game to play cooperatively with your children. They're all rated very well and it's not hard to see why: Legos are amazing and these games are very well done. There's Batman, Star Wars, Pirates of the Carribbean, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Avengers, and more. 

I bought this game for the boys sort of on a whim. I found it used on sale for only a few bucks, but overall, we're pretty happy with Playground. Capture the exuberance of the neighborhood playground with this fun game. It's actually a lot of games rolled into one as it includes Dodgeball, Tetherball, Wall Ball, Kicks, Slot Car Racing, Paper Racers, Dart Shootout, and more. The slot car racing game is our favorite, followed by tetherball and wall ball. It takes a little bit to get the hang of the controls for each individual game, but once you get that, the game play is pretty easy. Froot Loop has no problem playing most of the games, and we're working on teaching Cocoa Puff. If you can find it on sale, it's a really good game for the kids. 

I'm sure there's other awesome games out there for young kids, and I'd love to hear about them! 

What Wii games do you play?