Why My Kids and I Love The Garmin Vivofit Jr.

This Christmas my kids got a few things from their lists to Santa but one of their favorite gifts was the Garmin Vivofit Jr., an activity tracker/watch.

Why Mom Likes Garmin’s Vivofit Jr.

These activity trackers work with a free app that a parent controls. I add chores with reminders that alert my child that they have a task to complete. Some of the chores/tasks are for them to make their beds, brush their teeth, feed the dog, help with dishes, shower, complete school work, practice piano, lights out at a certain time, etc. When their task is done I check it off the list and they earn a token. They can use these tokens to buy rewards that I, the parent, determine and set the token cost. This has really motivated my kids to complete their chores daily without me having to constantly remind them. Another aspect I like is the sleep data that is recorded. I can see how much sleep my child is getting and how often they are awake throughout the night. There are also timers that my children can set themselves, for example, 15 minutes of reading time, 2 minutes for brushing teeth, 30 minutes of screen time, etc. This helps them self-regulate their activities. Lastly, I can see how active my child has been throughout the day/week. As a parent this helps me determine what activities to plan or maybe my child needs a little rest.

Why My Kids Like The Vivofit Jr.

My kids love having a watch with one of their favorite themes. They like earning tokens and turning them in for rewards. Some of the rewards we have chosen are ice cream, the kids get to pick what we have for dinner, stay up and have a movie night with mom, date night, and even a day off school (we homeschool). When they have been active for 60 minutes a day, they earn a move to play on the game that comes with the app. For my oldest, it’s Star Wars, my middle has Spiderman, and my daughter has Frozen 2. My kids also love the feeling of being independent.

Overall, my kids and I love the Garmin Vivofit Jr. The kids are excited to complete their chores and I am happy that I no longer have to keep reminding them. My daughter is 6 and the band fits her little wrist. She is also able to understand how to operate it. The battery life last a year and the Vivofit Jr. is water proof. I would recommend this for anyone who is looking to teach their kids how to be a little more self-sufficient. As far as their activity tracking, I am not sure how accurate it is. However, it gives me a good idea of my child’s activity habits. I don’t need it to be precise to know if they are getting enough sleep or if they need to move more during their day.