Kinect Sports Season Two: Skiing

LQ: 7.8

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Brain grade: 8.1
Fun score: 7.5

Kinect Sports Season Two: Skiing - Educational Game Review image 1
Game Type: ESRB Rating: Everyone Platform/Console: LWK Recommended Age: 7+ Other Requirements: Microsoft Kinect Thinking Skills Used: ,

In Kinect Sports Season Two: Skiing, players race downhill against other skiers, weaving in between slalom flags while competing for the best time. Players control the game by interacting with Microsoft Kinect, using motion controls to perform different gestures that trigger certain in-game actions. Players squat down to gain more speed, lean left and right to make sharp turns, and jump to send their skier into the air. If players miss a slalom flag, they are penalized and more time is added to the clock. A bonus mode called Downhill Dodge is also available where the goal is to avoid obstacles while traveling down slopes. This game is recommended for kids ages 7 and up, as the crashes are not graphic, and the game is easy to learn and play.


THIS GAME IS GOOD FOR KIDS WHO NEED HELP WITH:

Working Memory

Recalling and retaining information in our minds while working.

In Kinect Sports Season 2: Skiing players compete on a variety of courses, each of which are constructed with a  unique layout and different flag positions. In order to improve their performance, players will need to memorize different aspects of each slope, like the locations of slalom flags, sharp turns and safe straightaways. Players are penalized if they miss a slalom flag, so knowing the locations of hard-to-reach flags makes them much easier to hit. Players should also remember the locations of each course's jumps, as hitting these can help improve their score. By recalling these elements as they race, players can know precisely when to crouch and pick up speed, and when to prepare for big jumps.

Time Management

Being efficient and aware of our use of time and effort.

Balancing speed and precision is key to winning, as players must try to both finish fast and hit all of the slalom flags. Missing a flag earns a penalty that adds additional time to the clock, so simply racing through as quick as possible is not always the best tactic. On the other hand, taking too long to ensure each slalom flag is safely reached may end up costing more time overall. The key to winning in Kinect Sports Season 2: Skiing is knowing how much speed is needed to beat the opponent, and doing what is possible to avoid penalties and finish in good time.


Use this PlayTogether guide to learn how you can help your child turn Kinect Sports Season Two: Skiing play time into a positive learning and relationship-building experience. To learn more about why playing games with your children is so important, check out our Science of Play page!

Talk Before You Play

Take a minute to talk with your child about how the Time Management, and Working Memory thinking skills work, and why they are important for success in school and at home.

Set Gameplay Goals

Kinect Sports Season Two: Skiing can be experienced as both a single, and multiplayer game, so the best way to play with your child is to play competitively. Players compete in downhill races where the goal is hit checkpoints, or dodge obstacles. Because Kinect Sports Season Two: Skiing lets players enjoy the action simultaneously, both players can work together to meet the gameplay goals listed below.

Gameplay Goals:

  • Don't miss a single slalom flag in any single race.
  • Replay a course to improve your time.
  • Earn the "Big Air" achievement by performing a perfect jump.
  • Earn the "What Obstacles?" achievement by scoring 50 or more points in Downhill Dodge.
  • Earn the "Maximum Velocity" achievement by staying in the tuck position for more than ten seconds.
  • Play and complete at least 5 different courses.

Stop and Reflect

After you have completed each of the goals above, take a minute to pause the game and talk with your child about how the game is exercising your Working Memory and Time Management skills.

  • Share your ideas on how good Working Memory skills helped you learn the layout of the different tracks. Ask your child to name different aspects of the course that need to be committed to memory, like upcoming turns, straightaways, and the locations of jumps and difficult-to-reach flags.
  • Explain that even though the goal of every level in Kinect Sports Season 2: Skiing is to win the race in the least amount of time, remembering the location of these things can decrease the overall time added to the clock.
  • Discuss how Working Memory and Time management can be used together to help you balance speed and precision. What happens if you miss too many slalom flags? What about if you take too long trying to hit every flag?
  • Talk about some everyday situations that require you to manage your time and use your Working Memory. For example, making it to the bus stop while still being able to eat breakfast, and remembering all of the necessary materials and assignments for the day.

Our Make it Work activities are designed to transform your child’s gameplay into real-world improvements in thinking and academic skills. If you’re just getting started with LearningWorks for Kids, we suggest you try them all to find which are the best for you and your child.

Introduce the Thinking Skills

Read over our Working Memory, and Time Management pages, and then take some time to introduce these thinking skills to your child.

Explain That: 

  • Working Memory is the thinking skill that helps us recall and retain information in our minds while working, follow multi-step directions, and solve problems in our heads.
  • Time Management is the thinking skill that helps us complete tasks on time, finish things quickly, and be efficient and aware of our use of time and effort.

Working Memory Activity

Conduct a memory project where you and your child brainstorm methods for remembering daily activities. This could include putting backpacks by the door in the evening, designating a drawer in the kitchen for your child's papers, money, and other school materials, and using cell phones as calenders. Compare levels of success using new strategies versus older methods and then discuss what was and wasn't helpful.

Time Management Activity

Prioritize. Create a “to do” list of necessary and discretionary activities. Then show your child how you list the items from most, to least important. Help your child create similarly ordered list for himself.

ADHD & Kinect Sports: Skiing

Children with ADHD struggle to complete assignments before deadlines, failing to acknowledge time constraints. Working to finish tasks in a timely manner is an important skills to master, especially as schoolwork begins to increase in quantity and difficulty. Kinect Sports: Skiing helps children with ADHD to be wary of the clock, as they must finish races before their opponent. Recalling the course layout is also important in slalom style racing, where children must maneuver between flags to gain speed. Knowing the location of each flag can prove to be the difference between winning and losing. Children with ADHD are forced to control their hyperactivity, and demonstrate the necessary self-control to steer between flags, and jump when prompted.

How to Use Kinect Sports: Skiing for Children with ADHD:

  • Children with ADHD should enter a slalom race where they will compete against an opponent. In order to secure a victory, awareness of every physical movement is important. The impetuous temperament of children with ADHD to barrel down a course in a straight line, jumping impulsively, will ultimately result in a last place finish. Children must follow on-screen cues to jump or move left and right to ski between flags, consciously aware of the importance of following these behavioral directions. Combining quick and decisive movements while demonstrating self-control, will give children the best chance at success.
  • Kinect Sports: Skiing will ensure children make the best use of their time while on the course. Children with ADHD may develop an affinity for speed. While speed is important to complete the courses in a timely manner, it can also cause children to miss flags, a penalty that results in an extra 2 seconds added to their total race time. A constant wariness of the elapsed time will let children know when they must sacrifice speed for accuracy. Especially when behind in a race, children with ADHD must set quell the desire to continue straight down a course, and make a concerted effort to pass between each set of flags.
  • Children with ADHD will find "Downhill Dodge," a game where children must collect coins while avoiding obstacles that are laden throughout the course, extremely difficult. To succeed in this challenge, children must demonstrate a completely mastery of self-control. Coin directed racing can be frustrating at times, especially for children with ADHD, as they may crash into too many objects. However, once they become more familiar with the course, they will be able to recall the locations of the obstacles, and anticipate where coins will appear. "Downhill Dodge," will challenge children with ADHD to activate their working memories, and demonstrate self-control.

 

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