• by Tanya Gazdik , August 21, 2014

LeapFrog is enlisting soccer star Mia Hamm to launch LeapBand, a wearable activity tracker designed just for kids.

In her role as spokesperson for LeapBand, Hamm, a mother of three, will help bring awareness to the benefits of getting children up and active every day.

LeapBand encourages kids to engage in active play and healthy habits while nurturing their very own personalized virtual pet.

Hamm calls LeapBand “the perfect combination of health, wellness and physical activity all done in a very kid friendly, engaging way that makes getting up and active more fun than ever.”

She says despite her own very active lifestyle, “now just like any other parent, I face the same challenge of finding fun ways to get my kids get up and active on a daily basis."

Hamm says her kids have embraced the LeapBand.

“My children love the cool virtual pets they can play with and unlock through all of the great activity challenges the LeapBand has, but as a mom, I appreciate that the LeapBand provides my children hours of active play while giving them tips on healthy habits to help them build a strong foundation," she says in a release.

LeapFrog says Hamm status as an international sports icon and positive role model makes her a perfect fit for the product.

“We are excited to have her help us further the goal of getting children up and moving every day through active play," said Greg Ahearn, chief marketing officer at LeapFrog, in a release. “Mia knows the benefits a child gets from a healthy, active lifestyle, and that there are lots of parents just like her, looking for fun ways to get their kids up and moving."

LeapFrog will launch the product with events on Sept. 6, which the company has declared “Fit Made Fun Day.” Families are encouraged to get up and active while having fun together.

The company and Hamm will host the premiere Fit Made Fun Day event in Santa Monica, Calif. More than 300 children will be engaged in fun activities, attempting to become the Guinness World Records holder for multiple active play records. LeapFrog also will challenge followers on Facebook and other social media sites to get up and active and share their “Fit Made Fun Day” experiences with other families through social posts throughout the day.

The LeapBand activity tracker gets kids moving and having fun with 50 different challenges, tracking a child's physical moves so the more active a child is, the more points they earn with their virtual pet. As the child earns points through active play, they can unlock additional levels of play and virtual rewards for their on-screen pet.