Fit Bit for my 10 year old? Good or Bad?

2»

Replies

  • LazyBones_1985
    LazyBones_1985 Posts: 2 Member
    When I was a kid, I had a digital speedometer/odometer for my bicycle. I thought it was great fun to see how fast I was riding and how many miles I would ride in my neighborhood. I pretended I was a taxi cab driver and would drop make believe people off at different houses. It kept me quite active both physically and imaginitively. I don't see any difference in this if it's based on steps and active minutes and not calories and nutrition.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,100 Member
    Kids don't tend to think of dieting and exercising to keep a body image. However kids DO like to see if they progressed in something that might be measurable, like how high they can climb a tree, how fast they can run, etc. And if measuring steps keeps her wanting to progress or exceed what she previously did, that's not a detriment.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I think you're right to feel a bit cautious about potentially reinforcing poor body image/ weight obsession that is common among girls her age.

    But I think as long as you have model body positivity and a healthy attitude towards activity tracking, it could be a positive experience
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Davidsdottir wrote: »
    Zombie thread from almost four years ago

    I hate when the OP never comes back...
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    This is so old, but wanted to comment anyway. My 11-year old wanted his own tracker because he was interested in seeing the data, and knowing he wasn't getting nearly as many steps by doing remote learning as he would at in-person school. It was one for like $30, and it works pretty well. I tried to get my 9-year old to wear my old cheap one I had as well, but she wore it for a few days and stopped.

    I think teaching kids to be active is never a bad thing, especially when you frame it in the context of overall health. It's never to early to start establishing good habits, as long as you don't overdo it or cause them to become obsessive about it.

Categories