Webkinz

Updated on May 22, 2008
D.K. asks from Londonderry, NH
18 answers

I just bought my 5 yr old his first Webkinz and we are just getting familiar with the website. My question, for those of you whose kids have them, is how did you figure out how to do everything in order to take care of your childs pet? Trial and error? Reading through all the instructions or from an older child? The reason I am asking is because my son is so excited that he just wants to get started and I want to read all the info/instructions in order to see how everything works. Should I just let him go and figure it all out on his own or should we take the time before hand to read through everything? Thanks!!

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S.B.

answers from Boston on

What I did with my kids, was I just let them go on an do their thing, what ever they wanted. Then, whenthey were not home, or had gone to bed, I went on and did all the research so that as they were playing, I could make suggestions of things they could try doing (which I already knew about) so that they get the joy of discovering. Another thing I used to do, was go on a play some of the games for them to get them more credits to buy things. The Quizzy Game really racks up the credits, so I would answer the questions that are way beyond their age to get them more credits. Hope this helps. Have Fun!

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J.P.

answers from Bangor on

Hello,
My 7 year old has 15 webkinz ( I know crazy) He's really enjoyed getting online and playing with them! There's an animal that reads the directions to the kids and kind of guides them through it. It's one of those things that when you get going with it....it's easy. Maybe you could just sit down with him and help with the typing and spelling.
Have fun!

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W.D.

answers from Boston on

play with him for a while.. he'll figure it out.. his friends will tell him things too.. my 4 yr old plays with it because my 9 yr old tells him everything thats there.. it's cute and it is fun.. there's nothing objectionable there, so let him go wild.. play the games with him to teach him the games, but he'll catch on quick!!! there's daily things to do that he'll catch on to fast, there's gardens that he can tend to daily, there's special parties every now and then.. just play with the site and you'll do fine

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K.D.

answers from Barnstable on

I agree to trial and error. Once you log in the pet, go to the pet's room and let him have fun at the W Shop picking out a theme and buying furniture. To earn more money you need to play some of the games. My girls don't like the regular games (they'd rather buy things). They usually get money from the Today's Activities section and Quizzy's questions. I don't think there is any one guide you can read that explains everything. There is still a ton of stuff on there that I have no idea about and between my girls we have over 40 WebKinz.

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A.C.

answers from Boston on

HI.My daughter has just gotten her first two webkinz also. She a beginner reader so it can be a challenge to sit and "play webkinz" with her.We learned trial and error how to play.On the home page there are symbols next to the list of choices so i taught her to memorize which one was for food,shopping ect.. so that way she can do a bit herself while i run my toddler to the potty ect.. I sat on the site when she went to bed a couple times to totally understand it and am still learning some stuff.If you have specific ?'s let me know. I think we've mastered it for the most part.thanks to some help from my sister who sells them at her store.If it helps theres nothing dangerous or innapropiate people or spam/pop up ect.. so its entirely kid friendly and laid back with no pressure to "win" ect..So your son should be ok to try it on his own now and again before you "understand" all the in and outs of the site.good luck. the kids sure love webkinz world!

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J.M.

answers from Boston on

Forget the directions.....take an hour or so yourself to navigate the website. Afterward show him what you figured out....that should be enough to get him started....he'll figure out more on his own. I did that when we got our first Webkinz...it worked well. Now my older kids show the younger kids and they are alwaysing figuring out new stuff

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S.C.

answers from Bangor on

My experience has been to let them figure it out! They seem to enjoy that aspect of it! My 2 kids are 12 & 10 and I also have 8 & 6 year old neice & nephew & they all do it together! They have a great time & it seems that the older ones help the younger ones take care of things. They even buy things for each others pets through the webkinz program & share gifts, etc...

I still don't completely understand it, but see that they get enjoyment from it. It's also teaching them a little bit of responsibility & also sharing with each other!

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J.E.

answers from Boston on

It can become stressful both you and your son if he tries it out on his own and can not figure it out. What I did with my daughter when she received her first web kinz @ 4 years is that I sat down with her and we both figured it out together. She would still have questions but I could at least try to help her out and walk her through it. It's pretty simple, some things are a little tough, but not too bad. Good luck.

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E.M.

answers from Boston on

If your son can read, just let him play. It's trial and error and he'll probably have more fun discovering the ins and outs of the site (totally harmless, we're 13 webkinz into it by now) on his own. If he gets frustrated jump in. Really all they need to do from the outset is play a few games to earn "kinz-cash" that they then buy food and comfort items with. We keep computer time to a half hour, it's plenty.
The kids all talk about it at school too so he'll pick up tips from his friends.

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J.A.

answers from Boston on

Hi D.

Just go. They'll figure it out. You may have to read some things for him to really enjoy the site, but he'll learn quickly and you can't hurt anything. Good Luck. It really is a great site.

J. L.

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H.C.

answers from Boston on

I did a combo of the two. Let him play and then when he's done (maybe in bed) you can read the instructions on line. There is a lot of trial but have fun!
H.

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T.D.

answers from Boston on

There are lots of things in Webkinz world to do, obviously. The only things you HAVE to do is feed your pet and exercise them once in a while too! To do that you need to have money to purchase food in the W shop. You can get money by playing games and doing jobs in the employment office. I have found that it was a great way to teach my kids about how money works and what you need to do to take care of a pet. I would suggest if you want to read the guide, go on when your son is sleeping so you have time to peruse the info and play around, that way you can help him as he explores. I will say you should set limits now because it does become something they want to do all the time, at least at first. Once the novelty wears off a little, they aren't quite as gung ho. My kids each have a bunch of them and really enjoy playing but we have limits and they do fine with them.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

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T.P.

answers from Boston on

My daughter also got her first webkinz when she turned 6. She immediately wanted to play , after trying to read the directions she kept getting aggravated. So we just let her go. She is a good listener so she did listen when she clicked on different things and trial and error helped. Now she is a pro. I think the draw to these games is it is all hers. And she likes to have something of her own.

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K.G.

answers from Hartford on

Hi D., My son is 9 and now is up to 18 webkinz - crazy! He loves them. Just let your son have fun. He will absolutely figure it all out - they always do. I too always grab the instruction manuals, whereas my son, just picks up and starts playing, and it always works out great. Your son will learn to feed it its "favorite" foods, and healthy foods to keep it healthy. If it ever gets sick, as they sometimes do, you can buy vitamins. The pets love it when they get a bath and shampoo! And just to be played with keeps them very happy! Your son night get a kick out of having his own outdoor garden. They plant seeds, and have to water and rake daily, and then the plants grow, and they can pick them and sell them for more money. It's a bit of a pain though, as they really have to tend to the garden daily, or it gets filled with weeds. I think your son will have a great time with Webkinz. They are very user friendly, and my husband and I enjoy some of the games. My husband loves the word challenge. I like cash cow. So we earn extra money for my son to save and spend. Have fun!

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K.M.

answers from Boston on

Hi
My daughter is 4 and we play around with it. I don't think you can mess anything up if you let him go for it. I am right there with her and move her around because she is 4 and this is the 1st time she has ever been on a computer. You can only name the webkinz once and can't change it so you may want to be there and help with that. Other then that its just fun stuff. Enjoy!

K.

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R.B.

answers from Boston on

My name is Lisa and my mom let me read your posting. I am 11. When I first got my webkinz, my mom sat with me and watched me for a while. I think that you should read over the instructions first. Now that I know how to play, I go on all the time, but my mom still sits with me.

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C.H.

answers from Providence on

hi D. k, my son will be 5 in two weeks we know have I am embarrassed to say about 37 webkinz....he loves it and I think my husband and I do also we go on when he is in bed to play games and win money for him to buy things:). we let him get started it is pretty straight foward. As they get older there are contest and all kind of things I know we are missing right now. he will go on and play with his pets, do games, daily activities, get a job, etc. at first I monitored and helped him to make sure it was safe and it is!!!!! now he can log in and play all by himself he knows his way around the site. it is fun and some of the games have some educational value Have fun

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J.G.

answers from Boston on

I quickly scanned through the info from the webkinz guide they provide to familiarize myself with it, but my daughter already knew a lot about them from watching her older cousin. I think a bed and food are the two most important things to buy with the money they initially give you. Without those your son's pet will get sick quickly then you'll have to pay a visit to Dr. Quack. :) Have fun!

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