Top Holiday Gifts for Your Overweight Child

As the holiday season nears, many parents struggle with deciding on what gifts to buy their children. This is rarely due to a lack of suggestions from their child. Instead many parents face anxiety during the holiday season because they are battling whether or not the suggestions from their children will actually be good for them.

For decades now, some of the most popular holiday gifts have been video games. Gone are the days of the bike or rollerblades it seems, as more and more kids are glued to their video game systems. Systems like the PS2 and XBOX have become a fixture in the typical American household. While this statistic alone is not problematic, when combined with the increasing rate of obesity among America's youth, it is. Most parents are aware of the alarming statistic and view video games as a major contributor. If asked, most parents would admit that their children need more exercise. They might reflect on their own childhoods when physical activity was woven into their daily lives. Fortunately, video game companies have responded by creating a new wave of exciting and interactive games that are both fitness friendly and involving in a whole new way.

Dance Dance Revolution, commonly referred to as DDR, is one such game that would make a great holiday gift. Compatible with just about any video game system, this game challenges its players to get physical. Players must out-dance one another in order to be crowned winner. Don't have someone to challenge? No problem. Like most video games, in DDR, players can also just challenge the game. Utilizing the standard user levels, from beginner to expert, your child can dance their heart out. Newer versions of DDR are also equipped with a special feature that allows the player to monitor the amount of calories they are burning. Where else can someone burn over 500 calories an hour without ever really noticing?

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is another video game that would make a great holiday gift. Like DDR, it requires a significant amount of physical activity. On the surface, Donkey Kong seems to be a simple platformer, but it is actually a surprisingly complex game. Instead of the standard controller, the player can use a set of bongo drums, often included with the game. Using the bongos, the player can drum their way through the jungle. Unlike DDR, a player does not directly compete with another player. Instead, Donkey Kong is a single-player adventure game that is great for both the video game novice and an experienced gamer.

If you really want to wow your child this holiday season, the Nintendo Wii (pronounced wee) is a new system that is determined to change our way of playing video games. Not yet available, this system is boasted to have the potential for an unlimited amount of games that require physical interaction. The Wii differs from traditional systems in other ways too. The Wii remote controller, or wii-mote, is specially designed with motion-sensing ability, a speaker and an expansion slot. In other words, the incredibly versatile controller can be your tennis racquet, your gun, your steering wheel, or even your bow and arrow. No sport is off limit, giving people the chance to feel as though they are really playing their favorite sport. For more information on this great holiday gift idea, go to Nintendo.com.

In many ways, the video game industry is headed in a new direction. These new fitness friendly games and systems are here to stay. It won't be long before the Wiis of today have replaced the old systems. This holiday season, parents need look no further. Any parent who follows this holiday gift guide can rest assure that not only is their child getting plenty of exercise, but they are also enjoying themselves. They might even adopt a whole new approach to physical activity.