What motivates your kids? Mine? The promise of earning something; it could be anything from new shoes, a game, a later bedtime, a new ball, and just about anything that can be found at Big 5 Sporting Goods.
I am not good at keeping up with sticker charts or reward registers. It generally starts when the kids’ behavior starts to unravel and I need to reel things back in. I come up with this grand plan, create a chart by hand, scour the house for stickers and pep talk everyone on the behavior I expect. Two, maybe three, days will pass and I can’t seem to remember to put stickers on the chart. A few more days will pass and the chart ends up being completely forgotten. A vicious cycle…
This past summer we hung out with my husband’s cousin and her family. I noticed her son, who is a month older than the boys was wearing this great watch. It was a digital clock with a rubber band. I asked her for details. Her son was wearing the Vivofit Jr by Garmin. It is a watch, pedometer, activity monitor, and chore manager all rolled into one! The boys needed these watches and asap. I didn’t much care about the watch function, but the chore manager application had me very intrigued!
Everything can be monitored from the app on my phone. I can see how many active minutes they have and compare it with different days, I can even see how deeply or restlessly they have slept on any given night. I can create chores that I want them to do on a daily basis (covering their mouths when they sneeze, getting dressed on their own, putting their clothes in the hamper, etc). And I can mark a chore as completed which updates directly to their watches so they con monitor how many chore coins they have. They pick something to earn and I tell them how many chore coins they need to earn. Plain and simple, this watch is brilliant and a must have for any kid!
I didn’t end up having to buy them myself though. My cousin wanted a picture of Grant and Brooks with her son. The boys wouldn’t cooperate, to no one’s surprise. She ended up succumbing to bribery: if the boys smiled for a picture, one picture which seems to be utterly painful and impossible for them, she would get them each one of these watches. They smiled, OF COURSE. And the watches arrived via Amazon two days later.
I love this watch almost as much as my boys do. It motivates the boys to stay active – they are always checking to see how many active minutes they have and whether or not they have reached their daily step goal. The chore manager is just lovely, it helps keep behavior in check, toilets flushed, toilet seat covers down, plates cleared, manners in order, and so many other things! I am not saying this watch makes my children perfect, not in the least, but it helps.
The boys are a walking advertisement for these watches. They have officially sold all of their friends on them and in true fashion it has become a competition between all of them; who has the most active minutes, steps or chore coins?
You moms need these in your life, ASAP!
XO,
Ashley
CAMELLIA AVE 