Octopus watch uses icons to help young kids with their routine

It's important for many parents to keep their kids on a schedule so the child knows what to expect during their daily routine. The problem is that reminders only help when the child understands them and parents who want to foster independence don't always want to tell the child when it's time to do things. This is where a new wearable for young kids called Octopus by Joy comes in.

The Octopus is an icon-based watch that teaches kids good habits that children who aren't yet readers can understand. The watch aims to link contextual icons to time for events. Essentially the watch is a way to schedule things for kids to keep them on a routine and the maker says that it can help foster responsibility, independence, and self-esteem.

The watch is programmed using a smartphone and offers kids visual reminders with icons and vibration reminders. Octopus is also an assistant that gives kids tips and personal notes and helps parents to remember to remind kids to do things. Octopus is aimed at kids from three to eight years old and supports over 600 icons for different tasks.

Octopus has multiple modes that change with the development of the child with the first mode helping the child understand time by association. It offers a large icon with a time above it. The second mode teaches the kid how to read both a digital and analog clock. Octopus is on Kickstarter seeking $50,000. So far, it has raised over $644,000 with 11 days to go. The Kickstarter price for the Octopus is $69 with shipping expected in March 2017. The price includes the watch, charge cable, and app for iOS or Android devices. For $99, the buyer gets the Watch and a companion charging station with nightlight.

SOURCE: Kickstarter