LeapFrog’s LeapBand activity tracker rewards active children with a digital unicorn pet

CHILDREN can now use the power of every squirm, jump and tantrum to create their own virual pets, thanks to the first activity tracker for preschoolers.

IT could be every hyperactive four-year-old’s dream come true: the first wearable activity tracker aimed at kids that rewards them for jumping and squirming around.

LeapFrog, which makes devices such as tablets aimed at children, has announced the LeapBand which is like a Fitbit merged with a Tamagotchi.

The device is aimed at children aged four to seven and has a built-in accelerometer that detects a child’s movement and rewards them by giving them a virtual pet.

The child starts with a virtual pet, with the choice including a digital dog, dragon, monkey or even a unicorn.

The LeapBand, which will be released on the market in August, is worn on the wrist like a watch with a 1.44-inch screen, and comes in pink, green or blue.

The watch will need recharging every four to six days, and comes with a rest mode so parents won’t face rebellion from any child who might insist that taking part in nap time is an infringement to the rights of their virtual unicorn.

The children unlock virtual toys for their virtual pets by doing real-world activities, such a “walk like a crab”, “spin like a helicopter” and “pop like a popcorn”.

Child power ... LeapFrog is set to release the LeapBand, the first wearable activity tracker aimed at preschoolers.

The device will detect movement, so it won’t give a judgment of how successfully a child popped like a popcorn.

One thing to note for parents is that, in the eyes of an accelerometer, popping like a popcorn could be just as active as having a tantrum in the aisle of a supermarket.

So perhaps this could be a device that will help parents turn those negative moments of parenting into a positive.

Sure, everyone in the frozen food aisle thinks your child is a brat but at least the children’s unicorn is winning with every minute your child is kicking and screaming.

With activity trackers a booming market, the development of the LeapBand was probably only a matter of time.

But one feature that the LeapBand doesn’t have that other activity trackers aimed at adults do is the ability to track the quality of sleep for the wearer.

A device that rewards a child for getting off the couch is probably a good move.

But a device that rewards young children for getting to bed early and sleeping in as long as they can is still as elusive as a unicorn that exists outside of the virtual world of digital animal avatars.