There is a phrase that perfectly describes what the Boys & Girls Club of Shelby County is trying to accomplish with its Exergame space:
“Meeting the kids where they’re at.”
Today’s kids have grown up with technology. Video games, smartphones, tablets, interactive entertainment, and digital experiences are simply part of their everyday lives.
For youth organizations, that creates an interesting question.
Do we constantly try to pull kids away from technology?
Or can we use the technology they’re already interested in to create something positive?
At the Boys & Girls Club of Shelby County, they’re choosing the second approach.
Using Technology as a Tool for Engagement
One of the things the Club emphasizes is the importance of creating programming that actually connects with today’s kids.
That doesn’t mean simply putting a screen in front of them.
It means understanding what captures their attention and then finding ways to turn that interest into opportunities for movement, interaction, and positive experiences.
That’s where exergaming fits in.
Instead of asking kids to choose between playing a game and being physically active, Exergame brings the two together.
Kids can compete against a friend on the tWall, move together through iDANCE, or jump on an Exerbike where pedaling becomes part of the gaming experience.
The technology gets their attention.
The interaction is what keeps them involved.
They Want Kids Interacting With the Equipment
One of the most important points the Club makes is that they don’t want technology to become another passive experience.
They want the kids interacting with it.
That’s an important distinction.
A traditional video game might mean sitting on a couch with a controller. In an Exergame space, the child’s body becomes part of the experience.
They have to move.
They have to react.
They have to pedal.
They have to dance.
They have to make decisions.
And very often, they’re doing all of that alongside other kids.
Technology becomes the starting point for something much bigger.
Meeting Different Kids in Different Ways
Not every child walks into a Boys & Girls Club excited about playing basketball, joining a sports league, or participating in a traditional fitness activity.
And that’s okay.
Some kids love sports.
Some love gaming.
Some love music.
Some enjoy competition, while others simply want to play with their friends.
Meeting kids where they’re at means recognizing those differences and creating more than one pathway into physical activity.
A child who might never voluntarily get on a traditional exercise bike may be excited to ride an Exerbike because there’s a game attached to it.
A child who doesn’t consider themselves an athlete may discover they’re really good at the reaction challenges on the tWall.
Another child may be drawn to iDANCE because they enjoy music and playing alongside friends.
The goal isn’t to force every child into the same definition of fitness.
It’s to give more kids a reason to move.
Technology Can Bring Kids Together
There’s another side to this that can sometimes get overlooked.
Technology doesn’t always have to isolate kids.
When it’s designed around shared experiences, it can actually bring them together.
Walk into an active Exergame space and you’ll see kids watching each other play, comparing scores, challenging friends, taking turns, laughing, competing, and showing each other how the games work.
That peer-to-peer interaction is an important part of the experience.
The equipment may be what initially catches their attention, but the environment around it creates opportunities for communication, teamwork, encouragement, and friendship.
For a Boys & Girls Club, those moments matter.
Creating Programs for the Kids of Today
Youth programming has always evolved.
The activities that captured a child’s attention 20 or 30 years ago aren’t necessarily the same things that will capture a child’s attention today.
But the underlying goals haven’t changed.
We still want kids to move.
We still want them building friendships.
We still want them developing confidence.
We still want them learning how to communicate, compete, cooperate, and support one another.
And we want Boys & Girls Clubs to be places kids are genuinely excited to visit.
At the Boys & Girls Club of Shelby County, meeting kids where they’re at doesn’t mean accepting more sedentary screen time.
It means taking something kids already understand and enjoy—technology and gaming—and turning it into an opportunity to move, interact, and connect.
That’s what makes exergaming different.
Sometimes the best way to get kids moving forward is to start by meeting them exactly where they are.