As a parent, I want to find ways to connect with my kids. I like to be involved in my kids’ lives, and they enjoy doing things with me (they’re not teenagers yet, obviously). My daughter has recently become interested in Webkinz. Webkinz is an online world that is designed for kids from ages six to fourteen. It is a web site where children can see their Webkinz stuffed animal come to life. They can design a home for them, take care of them, and participate in games and activities in order to earn “Kinzcash,” which pays for items for the child to buy. Since my daughter enjoys Webkinz so much, I decided to see what all the fuss was about. In the process, I discovered that Webkinz is a fun way to connect with your child.
Get Your Own Pet
If you want to really connect to your child in Webkinz World, you’ll have to get your own pet. If you look around, you can find a LilKinz pet for as little as $5. Larger pets are normally sold for anywhere between $10 and $15. Every pet comes with a code that allows you to access the Webkinz online world for one year. This is a bargain compared to the price of a yearly membership to the cost of most online worlds.
Play with Your Child
Once you have a Webkinz pet and have registered at their site, you can play with your child. Add each other as friends, and you can go visit each other’s houses. You can meet in the Clubhouse and talk to each other over KinzChat. You can play any one of several different games with your child. I’ve found that the games can actually be pretty challenging. My seven-year-old has won some of the games that she’s played against me.
Even though Webkinz is designed for six to fourteen year olds, I’ve discovered that Webkinz can be quite a lot of fun. The games appeal to a wide variety of age groups, and I’ve found games like Cash Cow to be challenging. I’ve been putting together a nice house for my Cherry Blossom Bird, and my daughter thinks it’s great that we have something fun to do together. Now when she talks about gardening or feeding her pet, I know what she’s talking about.
Don’t Just Restrict Yourself to the Parent’s Area
Webkinz does have a page on their web site with questions that parents might have about the site. This page is good if you would like to find out more information about Webkinz without actually playing the game yourself. However, children love it when you get interested in the things that they are interested in, and if you get involved in Webkinz with your child, you might just discover that you are having a good time too.
