Fitness trackers are all the rage, and now your kids can get in on the fun, too. Today, Garmin announced its new vivofit jr fitness trackers just for kids. The band tracks steps, sleep and how long your little one has been active.
The vivofit jr shares a similar look to the vivofit 2, but come in a variety of funky colors and designs. However, the junior model is a one-piece band that stretches over a child's wrist, making it harder to lose than the normal vivofit tracker, which relies on a clasp.
To make things more interesting for kids, Garmin has game-ified chores by giving virtual coins for completing tasks. For example, you can assign your child to brush his or her teeth for a full two minutes. You can assign tasks and rewards with Garmin's free mobile app.
After completing a task, kids will receive virtual coins that can be used for agreed-upon rewards. You can also create a family leaderboard to add a bit more motivation for your kids to stay active.
What's missing from vivofit jr is GPS tracking, making it just a fitness tracker and not a monitoring device.
The standard vivofit jr band will fit children with wrists up to 145 millimeters. If the band is too tight for your rapidly growing child, there are XL accessory bands that will fit wrists between 146 to 170 millimeters. Note that the tracker is designed for kids aged from four to nine.
The band is intended to last up to a year until you have to swap out its CR1632 coin cell battery. It's also waterproof up to 5 atmospheres, so it's safe to use in the pool.
At $80 (£80, AU$130), the vivofit jr isn't cheap, but if your child needs a bit more motivation to do chores or to go outside, it may be worth the price.
The vivofit jr is now available at Target and BestBuy and will be coming to Toys R Us, Dick's Sporting Goods, Walmart and other retailers this fall.
