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| Click image to visit Kinect site for fitness info. |
Make sure you have LOTS of room. Not just from hitting objects with flailing limbs but from any other players! Watch out for the obvious; plants, lamps, fans, chairs, and pets! Do stretches first because it is quite a work out! Keep an inhaler near by if needed. It's worth repeating, this is quite a work out!
Your body is the controller. Most games go up to four players. It's definitely interactive and puts the player IN the game. Games are made for the whole family; sports games, petting animals at a zoo, fighting games, and much more!
Here is my review using my guys with special needs as the guinea pigs:
1) With autism, they have no concept of personal space. One son wants 10 feet of space around him and the other stands a foot away, if that far. With two players, it's good to have about 8 to 10 feet of space for both players and a few feet between, for those flailing crazy limbs! The boys have to learn to be aware of where their body is in space, with each other and with other objects in the room. (We have taken out a lot of furniture!)
2) Where are your limbs in space? With some special needs (ASD for example) it's difficult to know where their limbs are in space. They have to duct, jump, dive, swing arms, lift legs, and move their head. This is a GREAT way to learn coordination without even noticing. The symbols of body movements show up on the screen and they have to move their body accordingly so the Kinect system picks it up. It's important they are aware of their limbs and movements so they don't get hurt with an object or with each other.
3) Pacing yourself. The boys have difficulty with exercise. They often forget to breathe while moving around. It's important to know how to pace themselves. They get in the game and forget the time. It's important they stop and rest periodically! They need to learn to read their body's language and know when to slow down and take it easy.
4) Following directions. The game is specific about the movements needed to execute in order to play. This is a fantastic motivator to follow directions. If they're off a little, the game still works so don't worry about the perfectionist either.
5) Motor movement. This is a fun way to execute gross motor movement. This is the best gym class they ever participated in! It's mostly big muscle movement. It's definitely a cardiovascular workout, be careful of children with weak hearts.
6) Peer cooperation. They have to coordinator with the space around each other. They have to learn how to lose and how to win with grace. They had to work together to set the system up. Some games encourage working as a team and some games are competitive.
7) Sensory awareness. The games are loud. Not only are they visually seeing the game, instead of a controller, the whole body is involved. This is fantastic vestibular movement. The sound, sight, and having the whole body involved creates an exciting sensory environment. It's important to know sensory overload is a possibility.
9) DRINK WATER! (That's an order!) Do NOT get dehydrated because "it's just a video game system". This is much more than a video game system, this is a full body work out. Make sure to keep hydrated.
The most important rule of all: Give your children a turn!!!
They are going to sleep good tonight!
Disclaimer: SNH is not responsible for anyone getting hurt on the system because of this review. I get no money for writing this, just thought you might be interested.
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