When we got together with some good friends the other day, my 11-year-old and the other girls spent every minute minus a quick dinner playing Dance Dance Revolution on the Nintendo Wii. If the dance mats hadn’t been brought out, there’s a good chance they would have been horizontal and sedentary, watching TV most of the time.

Dance Dance Revolution was what finally swayed us to give into my son’s fevered pleas for a Playstation 2 a few years ago. My husband and I were not in a rush to embrace video games because we wanted our baseball-loving boy to play the real game more than he played the virtual one. But I liked that we could also get Dance Dance Revolution going with the PS2, and it turned out to be a big hit with all of our kids and their friends.

The good news is there are lots of video game options that get kids up off the couch and moving. What I like about all of these games is that there’s nothing holding adults back from getting in on the fun and movement with their kids, too. The chance to turn game night into an interactive fun fest has never been more possible. So here’s my take on the best games to get kids moving:

Yes, Nintendo’s Wii gets you up on your feet and mimicking bowling, tennis, and golf motions. Truthfully, not everything you play on the Wii gets your heart pumping, though you can work up a sweat boxing with the Wiimotes. Sweat-inducing or not, it’s fun and social and a good indoor activity for a group of kids and adults.

Dance Dance Revolution: Hook these dance mats up to the Wii or Sony Playstation or Microsoft Xbox and the popular arcade dance game can be played at home. Hitting the arrows on the mat with your feet as they appear on the TV screen to the beat of pop songs takes dexterity and stamina. It’s a workout.

Guitar Hero: I’ve got friends who bought this for their kids (wink, wink) but when Friday night rolls around, they’re logging more hours rocking out to Deep Purple and Jimi Hendrix than the kids. This is up-on-your-feet, addicting kind of fun. And while you won’t learn how to play a real guitar strumming on the colored keys as the same colors hit the screen, Guitar Hero has inspired kids to take guitar lessons.

So even if we’re not always talking hard-core cardio workout, these games are winners because they get kids off the couch and interacting with each other. And that’s a good trend. For more info on these video games and more check out, WhatTheyPlay.com, a terrific new web site filled with descriptions of video games that kids play.

Have your kids been moving more with these games and others? ‘Fess up: Have you?