My wii remote is not working!?

Ok so the remote is fully charged and ready to go. i stand 3 feet away from the console. when i turn on the wii the hand shows up. but when i play a game it wont even show. the sync button button didnt do crap. i unplugged the wii and plugged it in again and its still not working. it wont work on the mii channels and other channels even when you press the home button the hand wont show up. can you tell me whats wrong and how to fix it?