Children with special needs often require frequent prompting to complete tasks.  I often discuss different smartwatches and other wearables on our blog, but the Octopus by Joy is an all new watch providing many benefits to children with special needs.  Octopus is noted to be training wheels for good habits and is the first “icon-based watch that teaches kids good habits and the concept of time.”

The Octopus is a wearable, visual learning tool for children.  It looks and acts just as a watch, providing the time visually (e.g. icon) so young children can actually read and understand it.

Studies have shown that children under 8 years old don’t understand the concept of time, let alone remember what to do when a certain time rolls around.  We have designed the first watch that helps them understand how parents expect them to use their time.  We believe this will help children form good habits and help them to take responsibility for their actions.

Features of Octopus:

• Easy setup via smartphone
• Syncs with Bluetooth
• Stores up to 600 icons
• Water resistant
• Octopus works in 3 modes adapted to different stages of childhood development, so it grows with your child!
  • The first mode helps children associate time with a task to accomplish
    • Example: 7:00 p.m.: Icon of fishbowl (time to feed the fish.)
  • The second and third modes are designed to teach children to read and understand digital and analog clocks.
• Level of distractions is low: no video games or messaging systems.  However, there’s an optional gamification feature built into the device.
  • When it’s enabled, your child will be able to unlock virtual rewards such as special badges based on their progress.
• Parents program visual reminders on their smartphone via app that will show up on the watch at specified times (with discreet vibration)

Octopus is currently available to pre-order on Kickstarter.  To learn more, check it out on Kickstarter or visit the Octopus Watch by Joy website!