If you wear a smartwatch, it’s likely that your youngster will want to do the same. And the good news is that there are many age-appropriate selections.
The fitness-tracker-style smartwatch is next—some are stripped-down, budget-friendly versions of “grown-up” fitness bands, while others are expressly created for kids and include a variety of activities and prizes to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle and these kids smartwatches are well-made and simple to use.
Finally, the most complete kids smartwatches for children, such as the Xplora and the Spacetalk, enable GPS tracking and encrypted messaging when coupled with an app on a parent or carer’s smartphone, and require a SIM card to work.
So, deciding on the best kids smartwatch is mostly determined by what you want them to use it for and keeping the age of the wearer in mind.
10 best kids smartwatch for 2022
1. Garmin vivofit jr.3
Specification
- 14.11 mm2 is the size of the screen.
- Battery life is non-rechargeable and lasts up to a year (CR2025).
- Weight: 25g
- 5-ATM water resistance
- Bluetooth connection to the parent’s smartphone
- No, there is no GPS.
- No camera
- iOS and Android compatible
- Suitable for ages four and up,
We love the upbeat vibes of Garmin’s vivofit junior 3 smartwatch—it’s all about encouraging kids to be more active, with games and challenges based on Marvel superheroes or Disney princesses to motivate them to take more steps, do more tasks around the home, or spend more time moving. For setup, the Garmin junior app is required for this kids smartwatch, which takes less than 10 minutes. After that, kids smartwatch connects and is managed through the app. Challenges and chores may then be added, as well as prizes, and kids can earn a particular number of coins to unlock other games.
The kids smartwatch is well-made and simple to use; it can be worn while swimming, and our young tester enjoyed the Marvel design touches. The data displayed on the screen is controlled by one button on the side, which also serves as a timer, stopwatch, and challenge starter. It’s a fantastic piece of equipment.
Paw Patrol is featured on an interactive kids smartwatch.
2. Paw Patrol
Specification
- 27mm2 screen size
- Rechargeable, with regular use, for 24 hours.
- Weight: 39g
- Water-resistance that is splash proof
- Micro USB connectivity
- No, there is no GPS.
- Selfie camera that captures images and videos
- N/A is a company that works with.
- Suitable for: children aged six and up
Think of this fun Paw Patrol kids smartwatch as more of a toy than a kids smartwatch, and its young wearer won’t be disappointed. It’s not the most sophisticated here, but that’s not the point – Paw Patrol fans will love this smartwatch, and it’s a great starter kids smartwatch (with a timer, stopwatch, and alarm), plus a camera for selfies and videos (a micro SD card can be installed) and six simple games.
The starting age of six is spot on, except the touchscreen controls are a little fiddly. It’s a straightforward smartwatch: it doesn’t need to be connected to another device to work, it’s splash proof, and it takes an hour to charge.
3. DX2 VTech kidizoom
- Best for: Younger children
- Screen size: 1.4 in. Battery life: rechargeable, two to three days.
- Weight: 410g
- Water resistance: splashproof
- Connectivity: Micro USB
- No GPS
- Camera: dual camera for photos and videos
- Works with: iOS, Android
- Suitable for: children aged four and up
Brilliant fun for younger kids, the VTech Kidizoom smartwatch has a great selection of games and features to encourage children to move more (the “crazy dance action challenge” is particularly fun), to teach them to tell the time, and to improve their logic skills with puzzles and challenges.
It doesn’t need a smartphone to work (simply save media to a laptop via USB) and is easy to set up, but is well worth exploring fully as there’s more to it than meets the eye. Pictures and video can be taken from either the side camera or the front-facing one, and silly special effects can be added. Our young tester’s favourite bit? Using the camera to search for monsters in the real world with the monster detector app
4. Ace 2 Fitbit
- The best: a light watch
- Screen size: 33 x 12mm
- Battery life: rechargeable, up to five days on standby.
- Weight: 18g
- 50m water resistance
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- No GPS
- Camera: No
- Works with: iOS, Android
- Suitable for: children aged six and up
If you’re a Fitbit fan and your child is also keen to start tracking their movement, it makes sense to buy the latest Fitbit Ace 2, aimed at children aged six and above, as you’ll just need one app to control all the family Fitbits, and you can easily create family challenges and targets.
The Ace 2 is simple to use; most of the settings are controlled from the app on a parent or carer’s iOS or Android device, and the Fitbit mainly shows daily steps and active minutes, so it is easy to navigate. We love that it can be worn in the shower or while swimming, and our young tester liked being woken up by the silent alarm (a quiet buzzing on their wrist). Available in coral pink or dark blue.
5.Little Tikes tobi robot
- Best: Interactive viewing experience
- Screen size: 1.54in. Battery life: rechargeable, up to two days.
- Weight: 60g
- Water resistance: splashproof
- Connectivity: Wireless connectivity with other Tobi smartwatches (to share photos and messages)
- No GPS
- Camera: dual camera for photos and videos
- Compatible with: N/A
- Suitable for: children aged four to six and up
The Tobi Robot smartwatch is first and foremost an interactive, wearable robot – poke it, shake it or swipe it to prompt one of its more than 100 facial expressions. Our young tester was utterly absorbed, and it reminded us of a Tamagotchi – the more you interact with it, the more you get from it.
It’s worth reading the detailed user guide and fiddling with the settings before handing it over to your child – there’s a lot going on with Tobi, including fitness games (it has a pedometer), messaging (to other Tobi smartwatches), taking pictures and videos, as well as learning to tell the time. For versatility, tobi can be popped out of the silicone strap and comes with a clothing clip that doubles as a display stand. It’s also available in pink or blue.
6. Honor band 5
- For older children and teenagers.
- Screen size: 20mm x 10mm
- Battery life: rechargeable, up to 14 days on standby.
- Weight: 28g
- 50m water resistance
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- No GPS
- Camera: No
- Works with: iOS, Android
- Appropriate for: older children and teenagers
First and foremost, a fitness tracker is a great option for older kids keen to measure their performance on the track or in the pool. It’s able to monitor movement across multiple fitness modes and record heart rate, making it a neat piece of kit for young athletes. You can also use it to set targets (e.g. calories burnt, distance covered) while training, plus it’ll keep track of your sleep pattern and receive phone notifications.
Easily paired with a smartphone, you’ll need to download the Huawei health app and set up a profile – but it only takes a few minutes. The watch is sleek and streamlined, but as a result, there is only one button in addition to the touchscreen, so it’s worth spending a bit of time getting used to the menu and function layout. It comes in black, navy, or pink.
7. Xplora X5 play
- Screen size: 1.4 in.
- Battery life: rechargeable, up to three days on standby.
- Weight: 34g
- Waterproof: waterproof
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Yes, GPS
- Camera: 2MP Works with: iOS, Android
- Suitable for: children aged four and up
Billed as your child’s first smartwatch, the X5 Play comes with lots of features to protect your child’s safety, such as being able to monitor their location from your smartphone app and the fact that only up to 50 registered contacts can message your child. With a built-in step counter, a two-megapixel selfie camera and video, and GPS, the watch itself is straightforward and intuitive to use. The action really starts when you choose to join various “campaigns” through the Xplora app. Current campaigns include tie-ins with Peter Rabbit 2 and Spy Racers – children earn rewards, places on a leaderboard, and the chance to win prizes for every 1,000 steps they take.
Setting up the watch requires creating an account with Giffgaff (it comes with a free Giffgaff SIM and £5 credit) and downloading the Xplora app – it’s not complicated, but is worth doing before giving the watch to its recipient. It’s available with a blue, pink, or black frame.
8. Spacetalk
- Best in terms of security features
- Screen size: 1.2 in.
- Battery life: rechargeable, up to 24 hours on standby.
- Weight: 58g
- Water resistance
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Yes, GPS
- Camera: No
- Works with: iOS, Android
- Suitable for: children aged five and up
A mobile phone, GPS tracker, and watch, the Spacetalk is designed with your child’s safety in mind. Pair it with the Allmytribe app on your smartphone and only approved contacts can message or call the watch. You can also activate alerts that indicate if your child has (or hasn’t) arrived at school, and SOS contacts can be called by the press of a button.
There’s no social media or open internet available on the watch, and you can enable school mode, so during certain hours it is only a wristwatch. There’s a pedometer to help reach fitness goals and an interactive reward star chart — both are controlled through the app. We particularly liked being able to edit and add preset messages for our children to use in the chat function, so they can just select and send. It’s available in teal, grey, and pink.
9. Vodafone NEO
- Best: Cellular kids’ smartwatch
- Screen size: 1.7 in.
- Up to 24 hours of battery life
- Weight: 40.6g
- Waterproof: 10m for up to 30 minutes
- Connectivity: built-in Vodafone Smart SIM
- Yes, GPS
- Camera: Yes
- Works with: iOS, Android
- Suitable for: children aged six to nine
A secure, intelligent smartwatch for kids, the new Vodafone Neo puts some of the favorite Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel characters straight onto our young ones’ wrists. The characters affectionately called sidekicks in the Neo World, bring the activity tracking challenges to live, making their catchphrase sound effects when the watch moves and leaping into life throughout the day to encourage movement.
Not just an activity tracker, the Neo encourages your child to stay in touch with you (and a close group of controlled contacts) via calls and chats. Everything is set up through the Vodafone Smart App installed on the parent’s phone, which connects via the watch’s built-in SIM card, so distance isn’t an issue. Via the app, you can check their location, set their permitted contacts, add events to their calendar and send instant messages. On the watch, the child can take photos, check the weather, and see their daily activities, as well as easily switch between the different characters. We love the independence this watch encourages, as did our young tester.
The watch comes with a second strap, which sets the watch face at a more ergonomic angle; it’s a nice touch. Available in mint or ocean.
10. The Goji
Best for promoting movement
- Screen size: 1.4 in.
- Battery life: rechargeable, up to five days.
- Weight: 148g
- Waterproof: waterproof
- Connectivity: Bluetooth to your parent’s smartphone
- No GPS
- Camera: No
- Works with: iOS, Android
- Appropriate for: older children and teenagers
The feature we like best about this watch? You can set a “sedentary alert” to go off after a certain amount of inactivity. Very much aimed at teens rather than younger kids, it tracks your steps (running or walking), cycling, and sleep, plus it has a heart rate monitor and connects via Bluetooth for smartphone notifications and music control. It’s stylish and very much modelled on Apple’s far pricier version, so it’s a great-value first smartwatch that’s available in rose gold or black.
