& WIA TR | ae ERTS | yu 2 aP a e ? owls J = =e de VAL MBLEfCEN 9 Innovative Incentives (NAPSA)—Finding a common middle ground with young and teenage children may be easier than parents think. Getting your kids to clean their rooms, strive for better grades, or reach goals you’ve set for them can be easier with the right kind of incentives— and there may be hidden bonuses. For example: If your child is a sports fan, help start or enlarge a collection of sports cards. Offer a special or rare card when heor she far exceeds expectations. Here’s the bonus: tracking baseball players and their statistics helps children to sharpen math and memory skills. If your child is a movie buff, offer a trip to the cinemaor rent a favorite movie. The bonus: discussing the movie afterward with yourchild allows you to focus on the beneficial themes and lessons present in the film viewed together. Give a video game. The bonus: recent statistics show that playing age-appropriate video games helps kids and teens interact socially and bond with friends, parents or grandparents (almost 60 percent of frequent game players play with friends, 33 percent play with siblings and about one-quarter with other family members). At the same time, the games can improve handeye coordination, cognitive and cooperative play skills because players have to maneuver characters on screen and makereal-time decisions. What’s more, children get a sense of independent achievement when playing video games, which can increase self-esteem and confidence. That may be why more than 65 percent of parents believe computer and video gamesare a positive part of their children’s lives. One great example is the eReader from Nintendo, which brings new enhancements to games available on the handheld video Rewarding youngsters for good behavior may be more effective than punishing them for bad. game systems, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP. This unique Game Boy Advanceaccessory takes data directly from traditional paper trading cards, turning it into electronic fun. The latest games to enjoy using this increased playability are the number-one selling titles of all time, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 8, and top-selling Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. The Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3-e cards add new levels and let players use special power-ups and learn strategic techniques, while the Pokemon Battle-e cards let players battle new Trainers and receive exclusive berries when playing Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire on Game Boy Advance. Rewarding good behavior with toys, trips and time together can be a much healthier way to encourage cooperation than with snacks and sweet treats, plus you get the benefits of all those extra learning opportunities—a reward for the whole family. For more information on Nintendo or e- Readercards, visit nintendo.com or nintendo-e-reader.com.
