Best Fitness Tracker for Kids – Garmin VivoFit Junior (with Disney Characters!)
Ever look around a park and wonder where all the kids have gone? Carefree days spent outside with friends from monrning to dusk seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur. Childhood obesity rates are ten times higher than they were in 1975. Health-conscious parents are working double-time trying to motivate their own kids to step away from screens and get moving. It is an exhausting business! Whether or not you want to blame our screen-based world is for you to decide. But, facts are facts and today’s kids need to get up and moving!
That’s why we were so excited about Garmin’s Vivofit Jr 2. It promises to get kids up and moving and engaged in activity. Garmin has partnered with Disney to create themed, fitness trackers with corresponding mobile app adventures. Kids can choose from Disney, Star Wars and Marvel-themed bands. Characters include BB, Captain America, Minnie Mouse and others.
The mobile app gets kids moving by sending them on active adventures. After kids meet their one hour of daily active time or complete a fitness goal, new adventures and/or characters are ulocked. Kids can even challenge friends to timed step competitions or family members can compete to be top of the step-count leaderboard. The new Vivofit Jr 2, is designed to more fully engage children in activity and help combat childhood obesity.
Examples of adventures include:
- Disney – planning a surprise birthday party for Mickey Mouse – bake a cake with Goofy, decorate with Daisy and other adventures
- Avengers – saving New York City from Ultron – meet Iron Man at Stark’s lab, capture Loki with Thor and other missions
- Star Wars – explore the planet Jakku – search abandoned starships, help rescue BB-8 and more
The bands are colorful and fun. The colorful silicone bands are tough and durable with a stretchy pull-on option or an adjustable band. The Vivofit Jr has an always-on screen that not only acts as a watch but has an activity bar that reminds kids to get up and move. It tracks steps, sleep and active minutes.
The Vivofit Jr. also allows parents to assign chores and send their children reminders (these show up as icons), as well as monitor their fitness progress.
The trackers are water resistant and can be worn while swimming. The batteries last approximately one year.
Bands ($30) are interchangeable and kids can swap them out for new ones and new adventures. Band patterns include Minnie Mouse, BB-8, The Resistance, First Order, Captain America and Avengers.
At $100, this is one of the least expensive fitness trackers for kids that we’ve seen.
Orders are now being taken for the Vivofit Jr 2, though delivery is expected to take 6-8 weeks. Ordering now for Christmas might be a good idea!
