webkinz hippoIf your child doesn’t have a Webkinz yet, get ready to be begged for one. Webkinz is probably the biggest fad with the 5 to 12 crowd right now. Webkinz are stuffed animals with a digital twin on Webkinz.com. Webkinz come in a ton of different animals like, dogs cats, bears, koalas, and birds. Each Webkinz has its own unique code that identifies it with its online twin on Webkinz .com. Be warned, Webkinz aren’t in every toy store in the US. You may have to hunt around to buy one. Amazon.com has a huge selection in their future releases section of their toy department.

Webkinz.com is an online community, where children take care of their digital Webkinz and also can have fun gaming, participating in quizzes, competitions, or just chatting with other Webkinz owners. Webkinz.com is meant for kids aged 6-13 years. It is brilliantly designed to match the computer skills and intellectual abilities of children in that age group.

The entry to the Webkinz.com community is through a secret code, included with all new Webkinz or Lil’Kinz plush toys. Using that secret code, your child can adopt the virtual plush pet in the Webkinz adoption center, have a room for the pet, feed, exercise, and take care of it in a way one might does in the case of a real pet.

There is a big catch to Webkinz.com where a parent can get frustrated. The site allows your child to buy virtual upgrades for their digital Webkinz. This is done using Kinzcash. To start with, every new user will get 2000 Kinzcash. To care for a Webkinz, your child might need Kinzcash, which he/she can earn by participating in the arcade or tournament arena, doing jobs in the employment office, answering the trivia questions, and other paying games or simply adopting another pet. The positive side of this is that the kids learn to earn, save, and judiciously spend their virtual money for his/her Webkinz World needs. Also, by taking care of the pet(s), the child learns responsibility and companionship. All of this without parents having to feed and/or walk an animal a child is no longer interested in.

webkinz puppyWebkinz.com is not totally focused on Kinzcash earning or looking after pets. Instead, there are games that have been brilliantly designed to promote the child’s intellectual abilities, analytical mind, and above all, the discretion to choose right and wrong. Fence Painting and Shoe Store Clerk and arcade games like Booger, Lunch Letters, and Operation Gumball, and age-appropriate quiz competitions and puzzles are few games that fall in that category. W Tales and Webkinz News, on the other hand, encourage reading habits, creativity, writing, and problem solving skills of the children.

Finally, the games are designed that children can either play them alone – like in Arcade – or kids can compete with other Webkinz.com members in the Tournament Arena and The Room. The plus of gaming with others is that it improves the child’s social interaction abilities and promotes the sense of camaraderie and team work. There are some games on Webkinz .com that may be difficult for the youngsters to comprehend. But, in these cases, their parents can help them out.

The website has an exclusive parent’s area where they can manage the child’s account, set his/her playing time, and manage his/her access to programs like the KinzChat PLUS area in the Clubhouse. This not only prevents the children from becoming game addicts, but also sets a balance between their academics and entertainment, which is very important. For more info, see www.webkinz.com for yourself.

Webkinz stuffed animals range in price from $30 to $60. For more info, see www.webkinz.com.