If you’re like me, you struggle to get your kids to decrease their screen time. One of the ways I’ve managed to do that is by giving my son a kids’ activity tracker. More than just a step tracker, a kids’ activity tracker will track all activity throughout the day and will even monitor sleep.
Why your child should wear a kids’ activity tracker
One of the most popular accessories at my son’s school this past year was a kids’ activity tracker. You could see them on almost every wrist, and the kids would compare the step count on their wearables to their friends’ step count. If one person had a higher step count, the other would take off running.
I wear an activity tracker to monitor my own health, so having one to monitor my child’s health and activity makes perfect sense. You can track their daily steps so you’ll know just how much they were up and moving, and you can see an accurate picture of their overall activity. That makes it easy to decide on how much screen time he or she should have on any given day, and if they’ve had a slow week with little moving, you have the information you need to switch things up and get them motivated again.
All of the data you receive synchs with the associated app on your phone, and, armed with this information, you can teach kids to set goals and make healthy choices that will last a lifetime.
Even better? A kids’ activity tracker is built just for kids, so the points systems and apps are game-like and fun. Your child can use the data to work their way through a Disney adventure or challenge a friend through the app and compare their step count to a friend’s step count.
Types of kids’ wearables
Kids’ activity trackers, also called kids’ wearables, are becoming really popular. Made in kid-friendly colours and styles, they’re designed to be durable so they will stand up to a kid’s daily jumps, climbs, and tumbles. Now available from several big fitness brands, odds are you’ll find a tracker for your child that’s from the same brand you wear.
Fitbit kids’ wearables
Fitbit is one of the most popular types of fitness trackers, and the Fibit Ace 2 kids’ activity tracker is the perfect wearable for kids. It comes in two colours—night sky and watermelon, and it tracks steps and active minutes so you’ll know exactly what their activity level is. It has a swim-proof design, so it can track everything from walking to running to swimming.
With a Fitbit Ace 2 on their wrist, you’ll know exactly how much your child sleeps (and their sleep quality). This is information I would have loved to have when my kids were really young. They will also be motivated to challenge themselves and others through the app.
You can see all of their data any time by looking at the full-colour OLED display on their wrist or syncing it wirelessly with the Fitbit App. You don’t have to worry about charging the Fitbit kids’ activity tracker either. It has a polymer lithium ion battery for 5 days of use, and it recharges via USB in 2 hours.
Garmin Vivofit Jr. kids’ activity tracker
The most popular kids’ wearable on the playground this year—the Garmin Vivofit Jr. kid’s activity tracker, is available in a variety of styles including Mickey Mouse, Captain America, flowers, and camo.
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. is a great motivator for your kids. It’s designed for children from age 4 to age 9, has an LCD screen, and it monitors their steps, sleep, and overall activity time. It’s water-resistant up to 50 metres and has a 1 year battery life (so you never have to charge it).
This is the kids’ tracker my son wears, and he loves how he can sync his data to unlock his BB-8’s adventure every day. There are games within the app, and he enjoys checking out his progress every day. It’s been a good motivator for him to step away from the computer games and get moving out in the yard. I also love how the Garmin Vivofit Jr. shows me a summary of his daily movement and tracks his sleep.
VTech Kidizoom DX2 Smartwatch
You’ll remember VTech as the brand that created a popular kid’s gaming console, and now they’ve made one of the coolest kids’ smartwatches I’ve seen. The VTech Kidizoom DX2 Smartwatch has two cameras to let your kids take photos, record videos, and take selfies. They can change their watch face to help them learn to tell time, track their steps and daily activity, and play augmented reality games.
There are extra games you can add just by connecting the Micro-USB to your computer and downloading free content, and the pedometer on this smartwatch has unique sound effects to make activity even more fun.
Joy Octopus
The Joy Octopus is available in pink and blue. It enables parents to set up schedules and reminders using the free app. Kid’s are shown colourful, helpful icons to help them stay on track with chores, homework, and more. Kids will want to get moving thanks to a fun points system, and you can set timers and alarms to help organize activities.
When you consider how appealing technology is for kids now, having a kids’ activity tracker is the perfect way to make your child mindful of how much they move every day. Kids pick up on new things so quickly that the elementary school years are the perfect time to begin a lifelong habit of daily movement and exercise.
You can find the perfect kids’ activity tracker for your child at Best Buy Canada online right now.
I hate the idea that we have to give our kids something like this just to get them to get up off the couch and get outside and be active… but… I guess that’s just how the world is nowadays.
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