Family Night Fun: Wii Nickelodeon Dance

We might be coming in a little behind the times, but the Easter Bunny bestowed upon our house, Wii’s Nickelodeon Dance, our first get-your-groove-on kind of Wii game. As I, shamefully, nearly threw my back out busting a move to Diego’s theme song it occurred to me that I might not be a kid anymore, but my daughter sure is and this game is awesome for her (and us) on several levels.

So let me tell you a little bit about why I think Nickelodeon Dance is worthy of a family night activity that should be a definite addition to your home video game library.

- We’ve played other dance games for the Wii, but my daughter always lost interest so quickly (or didn’t even want to give it a chance). She loves the characters – we’ve got Dora, the Backyardigans, the Fresh Beat Band, Diego – and the bright beautiful stars that measure your success.

- The dance moves are fun and easy to follow (okay, so I struggled with the cha cha cha move, but she picked right up on it).

- The game itself is easy to maneuver for your little gamer; no pointing and aiming just ‘A’ buttons, scrolling, and easy-to-follow dance moves for the grooving.

- My little dancing queen alternated between earning two full stars and the top three full stars. While she was disappointed when she didn’t quite fill that third star, you should have seen her face light up when Dora told her she was “fantástico” and a “star!”

- In these times when obesity rates are on a continuous climb in our country, one thing that kept running through my mind as we danced, shimmied, and jumped was we’re exercising and having fun together! Not too shabby.

Nickelodeon Dance is rated E for everyone and up to two dancers can play at a time. There are three levels of play in the dance section: Starting Steps, Smooth Moves, and Fancy Footwork. The game has a list of 30 songs – though they’re not all immediately available, your kiddo’s mad dancing skills will gradually unlock all the tunes.

Dance also comes with a Workout mode that provides a “get-fit option for players” with six different songs to choose from. Each song includes four to six unique exercise-oriented moves like lunges and jumping jacks.

Have fun testing your moves and dancing skills with this active Family Game Night idea!

Shout out your family’s favorite family night games and activities in the comments section below.

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Rebecca is a freelance writer and stay-at-home mom to a beautifully dramatic 5-year-old girl.