Editors Best Tech of 2011: The coolest family-friendly video games

For the last few years on Cool Mom Picks, we’ve ended the year with our Editors’ Picks for best of the year. We’re excited to do the same on Cool Mom Tech this year, starting with the best video games that the whole family will love.

Best video games of 2011: ABBA You Can Dance

ABBA You Can Dance (for Wii)
Kristen: We’re all singing “Waterloo” around our house these days thanks to ABBA You Can Dance, which has kept us all entertained. Even the baby. And it’s a great way to work off those Christmas calories. From dancing. And laughing.

Discovery Bay’s Duo Plink, Duo Pop (for iPad)
Kristen: With my kids grabbing at and fighting over my iPad whenever they get the chance, I love how the Discovery Bay games like Duo Plink and Duo Pop allow everyone to play together, collaboratively. It’s like board games are finally going digital. Even better, the ones from Discovery Bay are educational and fun–always a
fantastic combination.

Best video games of 2011: Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster

Sesame Street’s Once Upon a Monster (for Xbox Kinect)
Liz: When you’re Sesame Street, and you’re developing a video game for toddlers and preschoolers–already a controversial market for gaming–you’d better do it right. And boy, they did. This game-slash-storybook can be enjoyed alone (even by a 3 year-old) or collaboratively, and feature monsters both new and familiar. The settings and overall tone is just magical. And the best part is that a child can actually navigate through it fairly easily, which isn’t always the case with Kinect games.

Just Dance 3 (for Wii, XBox Kinect, Playstation Move)
Liz: Okay, so we’re biased towards dance games as a great family-friendly, active indoor activity. But seriously, you have not lived until you’ve seen your four year-old imitate a mermaid in a pas de deux with a deep sea diver to Somethin’
Stupid; or embarrassed yourself reprising some of your own (bad) 80’s moves while singing along with Bananarama on Venus. Bonus: I finally know the lyrics to Taio’s Dynamite.

More 2011 Editors’ Tech Picks: