The best smartwatches for kids

Which kid doesn’t want to be a high-tech spy? And what real technology embodies this dream better than a smartwatch? The best smartwatches for kids should be fun and encourage a healthy interest in technology at a young age (because yes, technology can and should be healthy). Better yet, they can also give the parents peace and quiet while keeping the children active at the same time. What is not to like?

The best smartwatches for kids

The best smartwatch for kids should be fun and exciting for the child who wears it. At the same time, they should also check boxes for parents. For one, smartwatches can provide an incentive to exercise and generally stay active. They also remove any excuses your child or teen might have for not replying to your messages.

Below we take a look at the best kids smartwatches to buy in 2021. Many of them have other useful features that both parents and children will appreciate.

Verizon GizmoWatch 2: The Best Smartwatch for Kids (and Parents)

As the name suggests, the GizmoWatch 2 is more of a smartwatch than a fitness tracker.

With its rounded, square design, the GizmoWatch 2 looks a bit like an Apple Watch, but is slightly larger and has a blue or pink strap. Like the Apple Watch, it also has a bright, colorful 1.4-inch screen. It’s waterproof and the battery lasts 2-4 days depending on usage.

The GizmoHub app can be installed on a parent’s phone. From there, you can set up location notifications, task lists, step goals, “quiet times” and more.

Parents are also likely to appreciate the ability to track their child’s location. The child can call and message a total of ten contacts (including parents), and other users can be designated as guardians. This is useful when both parents want to track their children.

The device is easy to use and useful for parents. It may be the best smartwatch for kids who have security and communication first. Note, however, that the health monitoring features are a bit basic and that many features are more of a parenting benefit.

VTech KidiZoom DX2: The best cheap smartwatch for kids

The VTech KidiZoom DX2 is a smart and colorful smartwatch for users between 4 and 12 years of age. It comes with activity challenges, customizable watch faces, augmented reality games, not one but two cameras and a voice recorder. This has the potential to be the best smartwatch for kids who want a fun toy. It also has some health tracking features and logic games, which makes it a teaching tool.

That said, parents looking for a means of communication and a way to track their children should look elsewhere: this is primarily a toy.

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Little Tikes Robot Smartwatch: A robot friend for kids

The Little Tikes Robot Smartwatch wins major points for being a watch that looks like a robot. What can you not like?

Again, this can be the best smartwatch for kids just looking for a fun toy. In addition to the fun design, there is a stopwatch, timer, reminders, calendar, built-in pedometer, two cameras and educational games. The robot itself is called “Tobi” and has lots of funny expressions, complete with arms popping out. It even has Tamagotchi-style features that you can use to feed and care for the robot.

The rugged design and water resistance make this smartwatch a fantastic entry-level smartwatch for kids.

Fitbit Ace 3: the best fitness tracker for kids

Fitbit is known for making smartwatches that count steps and encourage activity. While the Ace 3 is more of a fitness tracker, it also offers some good smartwatch features.

The Fitbit Ace 3 builds on the success of the Ace 2. It has a bright screen, easy integration with the Fitbit app, and a durable design. The screen is bright, but also black and white and not particularly noticeable. This makes it a better choice for slightly older children. However, the three different colors and fun strap options (including a Minions design) help soften the otherwise basic aesthetic.

The ace 3 does a lot right. It has impressive battery life (up to eight days), a solid heart rate sensor, 50 meters of water resistance, robust activity tracking, sleep tracking, and some useful features like a bedtime reminder. The best part is the encouragement from the various goals that help build healthy habits. However, it lacks some of the features found on adult models. For example, there is no GPS and no number of stairs. Still, we think this is the best fitness tracker for kids trying to get more active.

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Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3: The Best Customizable Fitness Tracker for Kids

The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is another fitness tracker that you should consider for your kids. It has an ace up its sleeve compared to, um, ace: a color screen. This makes a big difference for children and encourages active engagement with the goals and “missions”.

Even better are the fun carriers that again show characters from TV and movies (the Black Panther theme is one of our favorites).

The Vivofit Jr. 3 also has its own mobile app, which is a bonus (but this can be a limitation if your child doesn’t have a phone). It’s also a shame not to see a heart rate monitor here.

Honorable Mention: Apple Watch SE

Apple Watches now have a family mode called Family Setup that allows users to set up and manage a device for another user. This is great for those who don’t have an iPhone but live with someone who does. It’s also useful for kids hoping to get their hands on the watch.

In our test, we called the Apple Watch SE “the smartwatch that most people should buy”.

However, the Apple Watch SE is still only suitable for older children. This is thanks to a somewhat cluttered user interface. However, the beautiful display and wide range of third-party apps make any child happy enough to make one extremely happy. Parents can also find apps that mimic the functions of the other devices in this list. This certainly makes the Apple Watch the best smartwatch for kids, although the price is still comparatively high and the user interface is far less kid-oriented.

Learn more about the Apple Watch SE in our full review.