The 6 Best Smartwatches For Kids To Help Keep Them Active, Connected, & Entertained
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Smartwatches have become practically ubiquitous. They help keep us active, connected, and up to date while we are on the go. You might be very attached to your smartwatch, so it would make sense for your kid to notice and request one of these tech gadgets for themselves. This is not necessarily a bad thing since smartwatches, like tablets, can have so many benefits. In fact, the best smartwatches for kids do all the above-mentioned things, including keeping track of your child’s whereabouts, providing entertainment in the way of photos and games, and more.
But with all the different features and specifications to sort through, how do you know which is the best smartwatch for kids? Let’s dig in.
Things to Consider When Shopping For The Best Smartwatches For Kids
- Cellular Connectivity: For older kids, cellular connectivity could be a great way to talk and text, or even video call. But there are plenty of smartwatches for kids that don’t even have Wi-Fi if you want to keep content securely offline.
- Budget: Many smartwatches for kids on this list are quite affordable, but some cost quite a pretty penny. Think about why you want to purchase the watch. Is it just so your kid can have a fun toy with interactive games, or is it more about safety? Do you need to be able to track them or set geo-boundaries? Knowing your top priorities will make it easier to decide how much to spend.
- Features: Smartwatches vary greatly in the number of features they have; you’ll find options with everything from games and cameras to step counting and GPS tracking — and more. Make sure to pay attention to the recommended age for the watch, so that you’re finding one that is likely to keep your kiddo engaged without being overly complicated.
Check out the list below of the best smartwatches for kids and get ready to see yours light up over their cool new gadget.
1. The Best Smartwatch For Younger Kids
The VTech KidiZoom Smartwatch DX2 has so many fun features in the way of video and photos. Kids can add filters to their selfies and even save their favorite as the watch face. Parents can then upload the photos to the computer. There are also games and time features, including a timer, alarm, and calendar. For fitness fun, there’s a motion sensor to track steps and active play. It comes in several different colors and is charged via micro USB.
Helpful Review: “My 5-year-old daughter received this for Christmas, and she absolutely loves it! She feels so big with her "apple watch" and plays on it often. She loves to record herself singing or take pictures of our family and then add funny faces. She also loves the exercise "app" and a few of the games. It holds a charge for a really long time. This is such a great value!”
Recommended Age: 4 and up | Call/Text Capability: No | Battery Life: 2 to 3 days (with typical usage) | WiFi Connectivity: No
2. The Best Smartwatch On A Budget
As the name suggests, the Kurio Glow Smartwatch for kids has a glowing feature that lights up during games and activities. It’s connected via Bluetooth so you’re able to pair two Kurio watches together for games. Other features include a front-facing camera for selfies (with filters and frames for added fun), more than 20 apps and games, an activity tracker that allows for motion-sensor activities. There’s also a music player, stopwatch, alarm, calendar, and calculator. Charge it up with the included micro USB cable.
Helpful Review: “I'm surprised at how good this watch works. Its picture quality is okay for something like this, the touch screen is easy to maneuver, it's very durable. Lots of cool apps for it. Battery life could be better but I didn't expect it to last as long as a phone or anything. Pretty nice gift!”
Recommended Age: 4 and up | Call/Text Capability: No | Battery Life: 1 day (according to reviews) | WiFi Connectivity: No, but it does have Bluetooth
3. Editor's Choice: A Watch That's Great For Tweens
In sturdy, water-resistant build that can keep up with the wear and tear of tween life, this smartwatch is definitely worthy of an “add to cart.” It has the connectivity features you’ll need as your kiddo gets increasingly independent, like video and voice calling, talk-to-text, and preset texts (thanks to the included SIM card). It also has the fun features that your tween will appreciate like a camera for selfies with gifs and emojis, and unlimited free music streaming with iHeartRadio Family. There’s also GPS tracking and parental controls for peace of mind.
Editor's Praise: “This watch has everything that parents need,” says Scary Mommy editor Karen Belz. “Calls are clear, and I can rest easy knowing that the only texts my daughter receives are from people that we’ve approved of. It also has a great location tracker in case of emergencies, and it’s been fun being able to see how many steps she takes per day with the pedometer. The TickTalk is fun for kids while being very parent-friendly, and I’m quite impressed.”
Recommended Age: 5 to 12 | Call/Text Capability: Yes | Battery Life: 62 Hours | WiFi Connectivity: Yes
4. The Best Smartwatch For Teens
If you feel your child can handle the responsibility of an Apple Watch, the Apple Watch SE is a great choice that will see them through years of wear. The best-selling watch features an activity tracker, heart-rate monitor, voice-control, GPS, and more. Of course, you can also make calls and texts, and listen to music. The list of features on this watch is long, hence the price.
Helpful Review: “If you have an iPhone, you’ll love this watch over any of the other brands. I’ve had both a Samsung watch and a Fitbit. While both work with the iPhone, neither work as seamlessly with it as the apple brand does. If you don’t need the fanciest watch that has the few extra features like me, this will be your best friend. The battery life is great, and it does everything I need it to do. One final tip, if you have tiny wrists like I do, the 40 mm is the way to go.”
Recommended Age: Adult | Call/Text Capability: Yes | Battery Life: 24 Hours | WiFi Connectivity: Yes
6. The Most Fun Smartwatch For Kids
Kids will get a kick out of the Little Tikes Tobi 2 Robot that has a friendly watch face that makes faces (over 100 expressions)and giggles. There are also loads of educational games (including ones that get kids moving), a selfie camera, and parental controls so you can set time limits each day. It also has other basic features like a pedometer, calculator, stopwatch, timer, alarm clock, calendar, and more. Power it up with the included micro-USB cable.
Review: “My child loves this. It has so many things to do on it while keeping them active! Battery lasts ages and charges really well using a USB port. Very cute robot watch. Ideal for children's first watch.”
Recommended Age: 6 and up | Call/Text Capability: No | Battery Life: Up to 5 days | WiFi Connectivity: Yes (50 feet unobstructed)
