The junior models of the Garmin Vivofit line have been great in inspiring young children to become more physically active. The ability to track your child’s physical activities is also a very convenient feature of this line for parents.
With this in mind, what exactly does the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 do?
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is a durable and multi-design and color smartwatch that features a reward system with gamified activity profiles for a child’s physical fitness. The watch features a comfortable wristband, as well as timed activities for kids that can be rewarded if the goals are met.
Are you currently looking into buying your child a Vivofit 3 junior edition? If so, this guide will explore in-depth all the important features and technical specifications of this watch.
This watch is a perfect choice for kids, and we will give you all the important reasons why you should buy it today.
At a glance: Garmin Vivofit jr 3 review
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is one of the newest smartwatch offerings for kids from Garmin.
First and foremost, the Vivofit Jr 3 is a kids fitness tracker, so adults should be aware of this, and also aware that there is no GPS mode on the watch.
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is perhaps best known for its wide array of Disney features available for the watch. Disney Princesses, Black Panther, The Little Mermaid, the Marvel MCU, and many other available design patterns which appeal to kids.
This watch features a rewards system that can be unlocked once your kid reaches their suggested daily fitness goals that you program and set for them. This is a proactive and beneficial feature for making physical fitness fun for kids.
The watch is also highly interactive, and lets your kid take a virtual trip around the world with various characters and avatars of their choosing.
Battery performance is also a standout feature of this model. You can get a full year of battery life out of this watch, and all you need to do after that time is replace the coin cell battery.
The Vivofit Jr. 3 is perfect for children between the ages of 2-12, and as a parent, you will likely also appreciate its varied features.
Pros of Vivofit Junior 3
- Designed to keep kids moving and aspire to a little healthy competition
- Comes in perfect wrist size measurements that help kids stay active thanks to maximum wrist comfort
- Works as a perfect complement to adult Garmin watches
- Allows parents to set helpful reminders for kids, such as the ability to assign chores, assign tasks, provide virtual coins as a reward, and keep track of timed activity assignments
- Battery life of up to one year with the convenient coin cell battery life implementation
- Looks like a real, classic watch in addition to coming with convenient and fun features
- Comes in a full range of Disney designs, including Marvel, Black Panther, The Little Mermaid, and Disney princess profiles
- There are interchangeable bands if you want to allow your kid to experience different themed bands; one band for each Disney princess is a great option for girls
- The gamifying of exercise truly works to keep kids active and moving
- You can program the kid’s emergency contact information profile to add a much-needed level of security to the watch when your child is outdoors playing
Cons of Vivofit jr 3
- The screen is a bit dark, which is negligible if your kid is in a dark room since the backlight is not strong enough for optimal viewing
- The price of the Garmin Vivofit 3. Jr is quite high when compared to other similar fitness trackers
- Lacks GPS sync mode and heart rate measurement
- No touchscreen functionality, which sets it apart from other leading digital publisher models
What can the Garmin Vivofit jr 3 do?
Now that we have a full profile and overview of the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3, let’s take a closer look at its features and specs.
Key Features
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 runs on a replaceable coin cell battery. This is quite beneficial since you can get roughly a year of battery life.
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 tracks steps, a range of kid’s activity profiles, and even sleep tracking. The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is rated up to 5 ATM, which makes it water friendly since kids can get the watch wet without any problems.
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 has an active minutes timer to help keep kids moving. This also allows you to assign chores, which also helps to keep kids active.
There is a fun adventure feature mode on the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3, which allows you to reward your kid with virtual coins through the Garmin Connect app, which is really a big deal in terms of getting and keeping your kid excited about chores and staying active.
Perhaps the most interesting and fun feature of the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is how this model gamifies exercise.
For example, once your kid has logged 1 hour of daily activity, they can now access the adventures feature within the companion app on a parent’s phone.
This allows you to provide rewards for your child for meeting goals, which is a brilliant feature for any fitness tracker for kids. You can also alternatively install the companion app on your kid’s phone if you want to allow them more independence.
Rewarding your children is important to show your love and support towards them, read this Review and Reward your Kids with Garmin Vivofit Junior.
The ability to track steps and active time through the rewards system is a particular standout since the whole family can take part in this feature.
Color
The color display of the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is highly variable. You can choose from 21 different color display and floral versions based on your kid’s favorite color or preference.
The color selection is far more varied than the similar Fitbit Ace, so if your kid(s) loves the ability to choose from different colors or floral versions, the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is a clear standout.
Design and Functionality
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 has a very comfortable wristband and the screen size is 0.7 inches.
The functionality of the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 works by a single button on the right side of the bezel. Continuously pressing the button allows your kid to rotate through all of the functions of the watch.
Various screens are simple in their display and include a time page, a date page, and the step count goal for the day. Other screens include activity minutes for the days, a page that details how many assigned tasks have been completed for the day for meeting goals, as well as helpful screens that allow your kid to contact your phone immediately if needed.
Your kid can also configure the images and characters they want to appear on all the screen pages or on certain screen pages. A wide array of avatars and characters are available.
Price
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 currently retails for $79.99 in the United States. So roughly $80+ when you factor in shipping.
If your kid loves tech, and you want to try to keep kids moving effectively through a timed activity or family challenges, the price is quite reasonable for what is included.
What age is Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 for?
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is designed to appeal to a kid’s activity interests in the 2-12 age range. That said, whilst it still entertains our 8 year old, our 11 year old has definitely outgrown the functionality of this watch, and has a Venu 2 instead so that she can benefit from the smartwatch feature.
So although early teens may get some use out of the Vivofit Jr. 3, we would say that this is certainly a watch for kids.
The watch allows kids to contact and keep track of nearby friends, and receive rewards for completing chores and fulfilling all of their goals for the day, and the design and character features on the watch are aimed at children.
It is also a watch that is designed for parental oversight. You can keep track of your kid’s active time suggestions and much more.
Should I buy my kid this fitness tracker?
If you or other family members are also on the Garmin ecosystem of watches and fitness trackers, the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is certainly a fun edition to bring into the Garmin family fold.
The ability to take part in step challenges as a family is truly fun, and is a for a good cause since it instills the importance of physical fitness on the entire family level.
In terms of the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 and its appeal to kids, I personally think that children between the ages of 2-10 years will likely find a great deal of enjoyment in this watch. For children above 10 years of age, perhaps not, even though it is recommended for kids up to the age of 12.
If you are looking for a watch with long battery life for your kids, the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is certainly a stellar option.
It’s not an outstanding watch, but the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 will likely be a hit with kids and goes a long way in instilling the importance of physical activity.
FAQs
What does the Vivofit jr 3 do?
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is a highly durable, swim-friendly fitness tracking watch that features a large color display with numerous watch face options to choose from and 1-year of battery performance.
The essential standout of the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is its reward system through a popular feature known as “adventures.” This feature allows you as a parent to set tasks and fitness goals for your kid, and if they accomplish the tasks, special rewards can be given to kids virtually.
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 also includes an interactive app experience that allows kids to go on special virtual tours with popular Disney characters.
For parents, the chore management feature is perhaps one of the most significant highlights of the Vivofit Jr. 3. You can assign various tasks, schedule alerts, and even schedule important alarms for your kid.
Which Garmin Vivofit Jr is best?
Of all the models in the junior versions of the Vivofit series, I do find that the Vivofit 3 junior version is the best of the line.
There are so many important features on this watch for kids, and in many ways, this watch represents highly-condensed versions of some of the most popular features on regular Garmin smartwatches.
You can track your kid’s sleep quality, and their daily steps, and best-of-all, you can assign daily tasks of your best choice to suggest to your kids with exciting rewards being available if the tasks are completed.
There are also many Disney and MCU design patterns to choose from, which is always fun.
We’ve also reviewed the Vivofit Jr. 2– check this out if you want to compare the two activity trackers.
Conclusion
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is an exciting and feature-packed smartwatch for children. It is very similar to the Fitbit Ace model, but with much more innovation and engaging features for kids.
This watch is not really beneficial for children over the age of 12, perhaps as young as 10, but it is also highly aware of parental security and features safety contact measures that can give you peace of mind when your kid is out playing and exploring the natural world.
You can also choose from over 20 different colors, and many different character designs are also available based on your kid’s preference.
If you would like to know about the best activity trackers for kids check out our previous blog!