Garmin has teamed up with Disney on its latest wearable for kids. The Vivofit Jr 2 - for children aged four and older - comes with Disney, Star Wars and Marvel-themed bands as well as an app-based mini-game based on the franchises.

As suggested by its name, the Vivofit Jr 2 is not Garmin's first activity tracker for kids. The new model comes with a couple of improvements over its predecessor, such as reminder alerts and an extra alarm.

Both new and old versions can be used in the swimming pool, though they track only steps and sleep activity, not swim laps.

The most obvious change is the switch to an always-on colour display that is visible under sunlight and looks nicer than its black-and-white predecessor.

However, the display is not backlit, likely because the tracker uses a coin-sized, user-replaceable battery. This battery is estimated to last up to a year so there is no need to charge the Vivofit like standard fitness trackers.

To unlock all its features, one will need to pair the Vivofit Jr 2 with an Apple or Android smartphone via Bluetooth using its companion app.

The app lets the user access one of the three mini-games corresponding to the band design. Since my review set is the Star Wars Resistance model, it comes with a quest involving the Resistance's struggle against the Galactic Empire.

To progress in this adventure, one needs to clock at least 60 minutes of activity a day.

My six-year-old daughter has made little headway during a week of use because the recent rainy weather restricted her outdoor activities. But from what I see, the adventure seems rather bland.

Should the child finish the adventure, the band can be swopped to a different one ($45 each) to unlock a new adventure.

What I like most about the Vivofit Jr 2 is that I can incentivise the completion of chores. For instance, I can assign daily chores to my daughter, such as brushing her teeth, and set a corresponding reminder alert. The Vivofit will then beep at a specific time. The child gets virtual coins for completing the chore.

Parents have to manually tick off the chore in the app to prevent kids from rewarding themselves. And of course, there must be some form of agreed-upon reward at the end for earning sufficient coins, which could be anything from a treat to a toy.

Kids can also use built-in countdown timers on the Vivofit to help them keep track of the amount of time spent on certain activities. For instance, there is a 30-minute preset timer for screen time, after which the child should stop using the iPad or watching television.

Younger kids may find it difficult to use this feature as it requires holding down the Vivofit's single button and scrolling through other options. Older kids should have no issues using it.

I find the Vivofit to be rather fussy when syncing with my Android smartphone. It often fails to sync at the first try and succeeds only later - after I restart its mobile app. This app, too, has crashed a couple of times during my testing.

•Verdict: It is far from being a necessity, but the Vivofit Jr 2 has its uses, such as to remind kids to do chores and to track their activities. The mini-game, however, feels underwhelming.