5 things my kids and I love about the Fitbit Ace LTE
As a parent, I was excited to have my kids, Lila (8) and Lucas (9), give the new Fitbit Ace LTE a try. Fitbit Ace LTE, available now on the Google Store and Amazon’s online store, is the first connected smartwatch designed for kids 7+ with features that keep them moving, connected and safe. As part of the team that helped build the product, I've been able to test the device for the last few months with my kids, and here are five things I’m loving (and they're loving too!).
1. New ways to communicate
The Fitbit Ace Pass1 and the Fitbit Ace app2 make communicating with my kids easier than ever. After a quick setup, you can add contacts you trust to call your kids directly on their smartwatch, plus send and receive text and voice messages.3
The voice memos feature has to be my favorite, thanks to my daughter Lila. The songbird of the family, she constantly uses her Ace LTE to send me recordings of her favorite songs. Hearing her sing and say “Te Amo” at the end of every message melts my heart every time.
2. It gives kids independence and parents ease of mind
The ability to check in on your kids is a lifesaver for parents and helps foster independent children. For example, take my son, Lucas, our family’s new resident dog walker! Thanks to Fitbit Ace LTE, I can check his location from the moment he leaves the house to when he arrives at the park.4 When he called me during his first solo walk with our dog, Kokito, I could practically hear him beaming with pride. Since then, we’ve slowly given him more autonomy, letting him stay longer at the park alone knowing he’s only a call away.
3. The Fitbit Ace LTE is the perfect combination of exercise and play
We’re moving and closing Noodles over here! Whether your kids are having dance parties or playing hide-and-seek, Ace LTE logs it all in the activity ring — a.k.a the ‘Noodle.’ It lives on the watch’s clock face and rewards kids with exciting animations once they reach their daily move goal. I’ve already seen its effect on my daughter, who often spends extra time on the swings or out in the garden just to see the fun animation happen.
4. School Time helps keep your kids’ focus where it should be
With School Time, I can control when my kids have access to their favorite Fitbit Arcade games. So, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., School Mode is on and they won’t get distracted with games during class. Of course, my kids always remind me to turn it off during the holidays, which (thankfully) is super easy in the app. Surprisingly, my son has even texted me to remind me to turn it ON when I forget so he doesn’t get in trouble with his teacher!
5. The device will survive when your kids accidentally wash it in the laundry machine
I was fortunate enough to test Ace LTE’s functionalities and features before it launched. When I tell you it was made for kids…it was made for kids. My son, Lucas, has even proven it! After he misplaced his device, little did we know it would turn up in our laundry basket. Still tucked away in his pants, his Ace LTE survived the washing machine. While I won’t recommend that your kids test it themselves, you can take my word that these things are fully kid-proof.
Fitbit Ace LTE is available now at the Google Store and Amazon’s online store.
