Fill the education gap
Whether public, private or charter, most parents are not 100 percent satisfied with their children's school. There is always room for improvement. MarketTools' ZoomPanel Moms online community members said they see play time as an opportunity to fill in the gaps where the classroom isn't measuring up. Parents want to see toys and games that offer exercise and a chance to develop thinking skills and problem solving.
Video games have earned a bum rap as time-wasters. But parents are open to the notion that video games of all sorts can be educational. A game called "Animal Crossing" jumpstarted my daughter's reading, since most of the action happens in written instructions on the screen. Parents can also feel good about having their children visit starfall.com, nickjr.com and pbskids.org because of the quality of their activities. Webkinz, another top site for children, highlights the many educational activities available to its young members.
As for getting exercise, Dance Dance Revolution and the very active gameplay of Nintendo's Wii have parents rethinking the notion that video games are just for couch potatoes. Demonstrable, results (like improvement in reading skills or hand-eye coordination) make it easy for parents to justify an educational purchase.
Mom and Dad want to play, too
It's hard to find activities for the whole family that either don't bore the parents or bore the children. One of the shows in heavy rotation on cable TV is "Mythbusters".
Sure, it's on the Discovery Channel (and therefore it MUST be educational), but it's also very entertaining. The reason a movie like "Ratatouille" does well at the box office while a "Dougal" flounders has everything to do with the level of engagement for Mom and Dad.
If parents are going to spend a lot of money for movie tickets (or a DVD, or a CD or a game), they darn well better be entertained.
Bands like They Might Be Giants have branched out from pure pop to music aimed squarely at children. The Sippy Cups play to the youngsters rushing the stage, slyly winking to the parents in the background as they play classic rock with a family-friendly twist.
The best family websites and online games, like the aforementioned nickjr.com and pbskids.org, have content for parents as well as children.
Keep Mom and Dad in mind when developing toys, games and media for their children and you just may win over two generations of fans.