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| Sonic Slam: Electronic Tennis Game without the Ball |
Tennis, anyone?
If you have active children, particularly those with a bent toward hands on learning (kinesthetic, or tactile learners), then you know that sometimes it's very difficult to harness that energy, never mind channel it in a positive direction. There are lots of toys and games available which are well suited to this type of youngster, many of which I'll highlight later in the article. However, I'll begin with one that caught my attention recently, Sonic Slam.
No ball!
Sonic Slam is essentially virtual tennis, but without the need to be tied to a gaming console. Whereas activity based video game systems such as Wii require use of the television screen, Sonic Slam simply includes electronic tennis rackets. The ball is seen as a light, which is bounced back and forth between players. No running after that stray ball! This isn't strictly of interest to the young crowd. If your better half is a tennis fanatic, this is a way to tap into that interest.
My husband faithfully watches all of the tennis tournaments, and I often wake to middle of the night showings of tournaments when it's the right season. In our first year of marriage, his delight in my owning a tennis racket quickly turned to disappointment when I couldn't keep his pace. Sonic Slam provides an opportunity to enjoy his interest, without frustrating things by constant misses!
Of course, there are some plug and play sets which focus strictly on tennis games, played through television. Not nearly as intriguing as Sonic Slam, but nevertheless, another tennis option. There are also many tennis options for the major video gaming systems, including Wii, XBOX, and PlayStation.
Sports Minded Kids
Of course, if you have sports loving children, there's no absolute replacement for real sports equipment, and with tennis type action, you will want to consider a real tennis racket and ball, or perhaps a table tennis set. Electronic tennis is a hit with my children, and I see this as potentially translating into a great interest to pursue as an outdoors activity.
