Garmin Vivofit jr.2 Review: The Fitness Trackers for 2 – 4 Years Old

In this article, you will learn more about the numerous features embedded in this smartwatch. You will also learn how to help your kids derive maximum benefit from the smartwatch.

As a reputable smartwatch company that it is, Garmin seeks to cater to the fitness needs of children with the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2. The smartwatch is a second-generation product from Garmin to keep kids active and fit. The Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 tracks basic children's activities such as counting steps and sleeping duration, among many other features.

Another impressive thing about the smartwatch is the way through which it takes children with a short attention span into account. It also gamifies the user experience using a reward system that rewards kids for every activity or chore carried out. This way, your kids earn virtual coins whenever they brush their teeth and do other healthy activities.

Garmin vivofit jr. 2 review

Finally, you can help your kids get the best out of the smartwatch by setting reminders for healthy and important chores with a parent app. These and many more are the features of the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2.

Our Verdict

Ratings: 8 out of 10

While Garmin, the maker of this smartwatch, designed the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 for kids' fitness tracking, there is a lot more to the smartwatch than that. The smartwatch has numerous features, especially its chores and rewards system. With a capable and grown hand to guide them, kids will benefit a lot from the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2.

Also, the Disney theme and comfortability of the watch makes it perfect for kids. It is easy to use and enticing for children.

However, the need for adult supervision to get the best of the smartwatch seems like its only downside. Nonetheless, the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 remains one of the best options when it comes to a fitness tracker for kids.

Why we like it:

  • Lovely video game themed designs
  • Comfortable and easy to use
  • Uses a gamification approach/experience.

Why we hate it:

  • Has a bit of a dull display
  • Requires adult supervision to get the best out of it

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Design and Comfort

  • Uses video game themes as band
  • Have two different band sizes for comfort
  • It is waterproof
  • Easy to use and a multipurpose button

This is one area where the maker of this fitness tracker scored a major point. The Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 features an enticing and impressive design style. The fitness tracker comes in different video game themes including Star Wars, Disney or Marvel. Garmin uses these themes to introduce kids to their fictional heroes.

Garmin vivofit jr. 2 Design and Comfort

While the aesthetics are good, Garmin also paid enough attention to the comfort and usage of kids. The Garmin Vivofit JR. 2's band comes in two different styles.

There is a stretchy type that accommodates wrists with size 147mm, and children between the ages of 4 and 7. The second style is an adjustable one that kids can adjust to fit any wrist between size 130mm and 170mm. The band type is suitable for children of age six and above.

With these two band types, there is no reason for your kids to get a fitness tracker that doesn't sit well on their wrists. The bands will neither be too tight nor too loose, providing a comfortable usage for kids.

Regardless of the band types, the band houses the fitness tracker module. The module, measuring 11mm by 11mm in size and 88 by 88 in pixels, sits inside a polymer casing. While the tracker's backlight is not the best out there, it seems enough for kids' use.

Garmin vivofit jr. 2 fitness tracker

Also, you will not enjoy a touchscreen feature with this fitness tracker. This makes sense as the screen of the fitness tracker is too small for swiping and tapping. Rather, you get a big button that allows you to shuffle between data screens. If you hold this button down for some seconds, you will get information and features such as medals, stopwatch and timer features, and many more.

Finally, the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 is waterproof. This feature is in tandem with the tradition of Garmin, where all its products are water-resistant. The Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 has a 5ATM waterproof rating. This means that you can swim or walk in the rain with this fitness tracker without having to worry about the integrity of the fitness tracker.

Performance/Battery Life

  • It doesn't require charging
  • It is securely placed inside the fitness tracker
  • Uses a strong and durable coin cell battery

The performance of the tracker's battery is another impressive feature. Firstly, you need not worry about charging or misplacing charging accessories. The fitness tracker uses a standard coin cell battery. This battery doesn't require charging.

Garmin vivofit jr. 2 Battery

The coin cell battery is a strong and durable battery type. It can provide as much as a year of tracing before showing signs of weakness. At this point, all you need to do is replace the battery and continue enjoying the features of the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 for another year.

Lastly, the battery is safe and secure. The manufacturers placed the battery inside the tracker's plastic body, securing it with four screws. This means that only an adult can get to the battery. Hence, you need not worry about kids tampering with the battery, misplacement or in serious cases, ingest and swallow the coin battery.

Fitness and Tracking

  • Numerous feature and fitness activities for kids
  • The Move Bar feature stores the data on inactivity for up to four weeks
  • Unique icons and challenges based on tracker's version
  • Impressive, but advanced challenge feature

This feature is the primary offering of the smartwatch, and Garmin did not disappoint in this regard. Firstly, there are a lot of activities that this tracker monitors with regards to fitness.

Garmin vivofit jr. 2 Fitness and Tracking

One of the basic and important activities that it tracks is the movement/ steps counts. The Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 uses a solitary accelerometer and motion sensor to track the movement and steps taken by kids. This count is further used to unlock the sleep monitoring feature.

There is also the Move Bar feature that shows the duration of inactivity. This means that all the periods when your kids didn't do anything gets recorded by the tracker. What's more, the tracker can keep up to four weeks of data. Thus, as a parent, you have enough time to sync the data from the tracker to the parent app.

The tracker's screen shows the time, calendar, total step count and other information regarding the level the user is currently at. Remember that there are different versions of the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 based on video games themes. Hence, each version has a peculiar step count icon and games. For instance, if your kids use a Star Wars version, the icons and challenges therein will be peculiar to the Star Wars storyline and characters.

Lastly, the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 also incorporates the challenge idea where kids get to challenge themselves or their friends into movement games. While this feature is useful and nice, it is, however, difficult to use for kids, and requires adult supervision to set it up.

Who's this for?

Garmin vivofit jr. 2 for kids

According to Garmin, the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 is a fitness tracker for kids between the ages of 4 and above. The features, games and challenges on the fitness tracker are best suited for children within this age range. However, there are some advanced features on the fitness tracker that requires adult supervision before kids can use them.

Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 vs Garmin Vivofit JR

The Garmin Vivofit JR is the first competition that the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 has. The Garmin Vivofit JR is the JR 2's predecessor, meaning that the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 features some upgrades that were not present in the Garmin Vivofit JR.

Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 vs Garmin Vivofit JR

The primary differences between the trackers include the change in design, the introduction of a parent control app and the band types and styles.

Below is the brief and tabulated breakdown of the difference between the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 and the Garmin Vivofit JR.

Specifications Garmin vivofit jr. 2 Garmin Vivofit JR
Strap Stretchy and Adjustable Stretchy only
Screen Size 11mm by 11mm 10mm by 10mm
Resolution 88 by 88 64 by 64
Display Color Monochrome

Other Competition

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This is another worthy alternative for the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2. The fitness tracker also allows kids to stay fit by engaging in healthy activities. As a plus, this fitness tracker includes feeding and dietary schedules in its features.

However, the LeapFrog LeapBand tracker is slightly heavier than the Garmin Vivofit JR.2. Also, the LeapFrog LeapBand is not waterproof.


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The Kidizoom smartwatch is another competitor that offers impressive features for kids. This smartwatch has a completely different reward system for engaging in healthy activities. While the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 gives virtual coins and unlock new challenges, the VTech Kidizoom offers an array of multimedia functions. These functions include video and picture editing and voice recording.

However, this fitness tracker is also not waterproof, unlike the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2.


The App for Parents

Garmin vivofit jr. 2 App for Parents

Garmin allows parents and guardians to help their kids and wards utilize the Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 in the most effective way possible. This is through a companion app that allows parents to review data, control settings and create multiple profiles, among other things. This app also gives room for kids to have limited access to the settings of the tracker through a Kid Mode.

Parents can get this application on Google Playstore through this link. It is also available on Garmin Connect, for pre-existing users.


Conclusion

The Garmin Vivofit JR. 2 is one of the best options when it comes to a fitness tracker for kids. The smartwatch possesses some exciting features that help children engage in healthy activities. The fitness tracker also allows for adequate parental control and supervision. While it has few downsides, its advantages and benefits outweigh the drawbacks noticed in the fitness tracker.

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