Nintendo is a household name in kids entertainment. As a parent, you likely have fond memories of playing Nintendo games as a child — or maybe you still do! Who doesn’t love a great game of Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros.?
If you have a Wii U at home or are one of the lucky families to get a Nintendo Switch this year, you may be looking for the best Wii games for kids or which Nintendo Switch games for kids will be the optimum fit for your family.
Here at Twin Cities Kids Club, our goal is to help you, the parent, navigate the toys, tech, and experiences that are right for your children. Here are some of the best Wii games for kids and Nintendo Switch games for kids for 2019 that we have compiled for you.
Minecraft
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you’ve likely heard of Minecraft. It’s the best-selling PC game of all time and a worldwide phenomenon. But now, as a parent, you are looking at Minecraft with fresh eyes.
If you’ve nabbed a Nintendo Switch for your family or you already have a Wii or Wii U, you can play Minecraft on those platforms. You can also join in the play from phones, tablets, computers, and other consoles.
Minecraft is extremely popular with kids ages 6-13, and for good reason. It allows kids to be creative and to learn about working together. Your kids must gather resources, craft items, build things, and tend to animals. Depending on the mode you play in, they must also engage in combat when unfriendly creatures arrive to relieve them of their hard-earned resources.
One nice thing about playing Minecraft is that you can play online in Realms with your friends, or make new ones. Another great embedded feature is that when your kid signs up for an account and puts in their birthdate, certain game features are not available for users under age 13.
Younger users are prohibited from playing in public Realms (they can play on private servers that you create and monitor). Younger players also are not able to chat in scrolls with other online users.
Kids love Minecraft for the freedom it allows. You can build quite literally anything — from houses to animal pens to secret tunnels to roller coasters. Kids are having so much fun designing, building, and showcasing their creations that they don’t realize they are learning. Important skills like problem-solving skills, basic computer programming, and mathematical, spatial, and analytical skills.
Minecraft has very little violence and no on-screen blood. You can hit or kill animals (indeed you must if you want your character to eat) and, in multiplayer mode, other players’ characters.
If you allow your children to play online on public servers, they may encounter bad language, inappropriate content, or harassment. Access to this online public spaces can easily be disabled, however.
Zelda Breath of the Wild
The Zelda franchise began in 1986 and is still going strong. If you want a game that will pique your nostalgia and enchant your child, the latest effort, Breath of the Wild is for you.
Children around age 8 and up will enjoy this game with beautiful art and music and an open-ended world. If you’re planning to play with your child, you can potentially start even younger to help them master the controls and assist in the problem-solving and battles.
As with every Zelda story-game, there is a compelling narrative, beautiful scenery, and a variety of characters. As the franchise has progressed, you have become more and more able to control what you want to do in the world.
With Breath of the Wild, there is no specific order that you must complete tasks in. Players can take themselves down crafting, exploration, or puzzle-solving rabbit holes.
Violence is limited to cartoonish depiction, with no blood or gore. Because of its open-endedness, younger players may be confused about what they should do. Playing with a parent or older sibling resolves potential frustration.
Overcooked
One of the most popular Nintendo Switch games for kids for 2019 is Overcooked 2. Rated “E” for everyone, kids love this chaotic cooking game. Players must create dishes in crazy kitchens to fight back the Unbread raised by The Onion King!
Full of puns and silliness, your chefs will work alone or with up to three friends to create food orders while overcoming obstacles such as collapsing floors, floating work surfaces, or cooking from the basket of a hot air balloon. Toss ingredients to your co-chefs to solve the challenges and save the kingdom from the doughy army of Unbread.
New dynamic levels and multi-player online mode make this second edition much more flexible and fun. Your kids can play with their distant cousins or their friends around town. You’ll smile as you hear their giggles and joy when they play this game full of whimsy and surprises.
Lego Worlds
If your child loves Minecraft, Lego Worlds has a similar feel with procedurally generated worlds made entirely of Lego bricks. You can build your own structures or insert pre-fabricated ones.
Unlike Minecraft, Lego Worlds allows you to complete specific quests to earn gold bricks. These rewards unlock hidden worlds and treasures.
If your kids like to play with physical Legos or are fans of the Lego movies, this may be a great choice for them. Ages 10+ will get the most enjoyment, but if your child is already quite savvy with video games, they could start sooner.
The controls can be somewhat complicated, so it isn’t a good first game for kids, but it works well for those who are ready to move to more complicated maneuvers.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
No Nintendo games list would be complete without a Super Smash Bros. title! Nintendo has pulled out all stops for this ultimate edition. The game includes every Smash Bros. character from any version, ever, alongside new characters from the Splatoon series and more.
The game also boasts new attacks and defensive options, over 900 different musical compositions. Plus, there is an option to have your battle stage morph from one stage to another during the battle!
As with other Super Smash Bros. titles, you can choose to go head-to-head with a friend or hold a four-player melee. In this ultimate addition, you can have up to 8-player battle royales and play online with friends or other champions.
You can even hook up GameCube controllers for this one. If moms and dads still have chops on the older controllers, you can wow your kids with your competence.
Have fun storming castles, cooking up a storm, or battling favorite characters with these great Nintendo Switch games for kids! Video games can be a fun activity to play together. With Nintendo’s family-friendly titles, you can get everyone together to make some memories.