This year for Christmas, Santa brought my two older boys children’s Garmin watches. This may sound crazy for a 6 and 8 year old to have a Garmin watch but the price is reasonable and the benefits outweigh the flaws.
First off, this teaches responsibility of taking care of a watch, being vigilant about putting it in a safe place and using fine motor skills of putting it on every morning and taking it off each evening.
Next, it is a fitness watch so it promotes movement everyday! This is easy for my boys as they do not sit still usually but it is keeping track of their movement. The goal for steps is 7,500 but they far surpass that almost everyday and usually have somewhere between 10,000-12,000.
Another benefit is the coins that come out of this. Dadjogger has set up their watches in a way where they get coins for chores they complete. This is all done through the app. For example:
Billy’s (8 yo) responsibilities that receive = 1 coin:
- Taking out the trash.
- Emptying the silverware from the dishwasher.
- Making his bed.
- Putting his pj’s in his drawer or in the wash.
- Straightening up his room before school.
- Setting the table.
- Clearing his plate into the dishwasher for all three meals.
- Feeding Freddie (our dog) breakfast.
Ben’s (6 yo) responsibilities that receive = 1 coin:
- Bringing in the mail.
- Wiping down the counters after dinner.
- Clearing his plate into the dishwasher for all three meals.
- Making his bed.
- Straightening up his room before school.
- Putting his pj’s in his drawer or in the wash.
- Feeding Freddie (our dog) dinner.
As a result of receiving these coins, there are rewards that come with them. For example:
50 coins = getting a double dessert
100 coins = choosing the movie for a movie night.
175 coins = choosing dinner when we go out to a restaurant.
225 coins = $5 cash.
250= stay up 30 minutes later.
300 coins = $10 cash.
This format teaches budgeting and allows for the kids to save their coins for bigger prizes or use them now but then you have to save up again for the next prize.
Another perk of these watches is the fun that goes along with them. Once you receive a certain amount of coins, you can go on a journey through the parents’ cell phone and answer trivia questions while exploring the world. The app asks multiple choice questions and allows children to learn through play. This is done once a week as a reinforcement for all of the work that the watch has been calculating.
We have been using these watches since Christmas and there have been many benefits:
Clean rooms in the mornings, help around meal times, help around the house with chores and trash.
When we are all working together to create a functioning home it runs much more smoothly! The best part is that the boys are eager to help and ask to do chores that are not on the list like mopping the floor, so it allows parents to see what other chores their kids are capable of and you can add them to the list. Most days the mopping is done when they are at school for convenience so that is why that is not added to the chart just yet. The next steps that I would like to add in are washing pots after meals and putting away folded laundry into their drawers.
These Garmin watches have helped with movement, chores, accountability and responsibility. If you are using a chore chart and it doesn’t seem to be working these watches may be your answer! At less than $100 each, these will benefit your children in ways that will facilitate learning, movement, curiosity for the work that they do with their body and help with responsibility around the house! I was skeptical at first because I didn’t think children needed a fitness watch, and while they do not need it, the benefits of it are exciting for all participating! Here is the link of the watches that we bought.
We decided to wait to buy the watch for our four year old son and think that at his fifth birthday, that would be a good opportunity to “gift” him one. He is interested in it as his brother’s have one but he is not yet as into it like the other two are.
The reality of my kids growing up and being so capable is so rewarding because you can see how your efforts have paid off but it is also incredibly depressing knowing that they do not need as much help from you. I am very aware that my older two boys did not have as much responsibility at five years old and that is why my little guy’s chores will be on target for a five year old in an effort to not have him grow up too fast or have too much pressure on him. I want my kids to be kids, however, in this day and age, technology has shown us so many benefits that they will utilize as they mature and who knows where technology will go next.