Abstract
The World Health Organization (Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_young_people/en/, 2016) recommends children engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. In order to increase physical activity, children can participate in a plethora of activities, such as exergames. Exergames are interactive video games that require physical movement to participate. Children’s heart rate increases when engaging in exergames, such as the Nintendo Wii Fit and Just Dance, providing users the ability to achieve a moderate to vigorous activity level (Adkins M, Brown GA, Heelan K, Ansorge C, Shaw BS, Shaw I, Afr J Phys Health Educ Recreat Dance 19(3):576–585, 2013; Gao Z, Chen S, Stodden DF, J Phys Act Health 12(3):349–354, 2015; George AM, Rohr LE, Byrne J, Sports 4(3):2–10, 2016). This chapter describes how exergames can be effectively implemented in the classroom setting to increase physical activity. Specifically, Dance Dance Revolution, Nintendo Wii Fit, Just Dance, and Zumba exergames are discussed. Educators can utilize these exergames into their classroom while increasing enjoyment and motivation to provide positive exergaming experiences to children.
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Rudella, J.L., Butz, J.V. (2018). Using Interactive Video Games to Enhance Physical Activity Among Children. In: Brewer, H., Renck Jalongo, M. (eds) Physical Activity and Health Promotion in the Early Years. Educating the Young Child, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76006-3_6
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