The new LeapBand activity tracker has some features you’d find on an adult-sized fitness tracker but with a kid-twist.
One of the things I like best about my adult fitness tracker is the flashing lights and vibrations that occur when I reach my step goal. My husband coined this disco-esque feedback “party-on-my-wrist” and, because we felt like celebrating every time it happened, it stuck. Before the LeapBand came out, the kids would breeze past and assault our wrists with a double-tap, to check our (and, by extension, their) progress and they’d even suggest we walk to dinner to get more steps! They’d do a dance when “we” got party-on-my-wrist.
Flash forward a year and all 3 kids are SO excited to get their very own step counter! Instead of using a number (like Garmin Vivofit) or blinking lights (like FitBit Flex) to track steps, the main screen has a color frame around the edge. As steps accrue the color around the border changes in succession. I tell my 3 year old, “You’ve done a great job. The red colored frame is eating up the purple colored frame!” With my 7-year-old, I offer a greater goal of “getting back to the greens” – the first two colors.
I like that there are four “bases” around the edge too. To me, the frame looks like a baseball diamond with the bases mid-way down the baseline. I use them when discussing the kid’s progress and hopefully teach them some fractions to boot. For example I have said, “You’ve gone so far! Look, you’re at ‘Orange-and-a-quarter’ or ‘Blue-and-a-half!’”
Yesterday’s final “score” remains today as a single colored dot on the frame. The kids can try to get that far, or even further, today!
One day, I stole the LeapBand for myself. “Congratulations! Your energy bar has moved a long way.” “You’ve earned SO many joules” the LeapBand complimented me! A white arrow flashed, highlighting my progress. Rather than a single party-on-my-wrist, kids will feel as though they are getting regular pats on the back.
LeapBand: Learning to Tell Time is tons of fun!
Features you might not expect on an activity tracker can be found on LeapFrog’s new LeapBand.
The LeapBand is here!
Here's what happened when my kids took the LeapBand activity tracker for a spin.
Blog
Back to Top
