Get Their Butts Off The Couch With The Best Kids Fitbit Watches And Fitness Trackers

The best Fitbit for kids will motivate the whole family to get up and move — without you nagging them. (Finally, some kids tech you can get behind.) Today’s kids Fitbit watches and activity trackers are chock-full of inspiring interactive features that encourage an active lifestyle. Parents will appreciate the sleep data and sedentary reminders, while the fun avatars and challenges will motivate even the laziest kiddos to do something active. Help your family build a lifetime of good-for-you habits as they step, snooze, and splash their way to a healthier lifestyle. (FYI — many kids' activity trackers double as waterproof watches — perfect for a rousing play sesh in the inflatable pool.)

RELATED: The Best Smartwatches For Kids: An Ultimate Guide

Sick of telling your kids to brush their teeth, finish their school work, and do their chores? The best activity trackers for kids also have built-in chore reminders that you control through a parent console app. For tech-savvy teens and tweens, there are totally souped-up Fitbit watches available with integrated GPS, Bluetooth connectivity, and voice-activated Alexa — yep, you may want to get one for yourself, too. So whether you’re searching for something that’s high-tech or for a simpler, more affordable unit, we’ve done the legwork (that’s a pedometer joke) for you.

And finally, to clarify: Fitbit is a popular brand of wearable activity trackers (now owned by Google, in case you were wondering), but other brands, such as Garmin and VTech, have their own versions, as well. So now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, have fun checking out the best Fitbit watches and trackers to get your family off the couch and out living life together. (Cue the cheesy family sayings about spending quality time together.)

Best Kids Fitbits

The Fitbit Ace and Fitbit Ace 2 are activity trackers in the Fitbit line created specifically for school-aged children under 13. Not only is the band specifically created for smaller wrists, but there are enhanced data collection security measures within the Fitbit child account (only accessible with a Fitbit Ace and Ace 2). One happy reviewer comments on the safety features, including the “guardian’s” approval of all their kids’ friend requests and the fact that young users can only be identified with avatars rather than real photos. Additionally, the Ace will keep your kiddo motivated to run, jump, and even cannonball (the Ace 2 is totally swim-proof up to 50 meters deep) with virtual badges and avatars that celebrate achievements.

One Reviewer Said: “I purchased the Fitbit Ace 2 for my rising kindergartner on a whim. She commented one day about not knowing her steps (mom, dad, and big brother all have fitness trackers). She needed a new watch anyhow and the sale price was enough to push me to make the purchase. I'm so glad I did! Not only is it helping keep her active during our time still at home, but it's also very helpful for remote learning! I'm working full time from home and trying to keep up with school schedules for 2 kids. I've used the app to set alarms on her watch 10 minutes before she has a live class.”

One of the more affordable fitness trackers in the line, the Fitbit Inspire is designed to replace the Zip, Flex, and Alta. The updated Fitbit Inspire 2 offers a paired-down assortment of the most popular features in the Fitbit line. These include 24/7 heart rate tracking, sleep monitoring tools for better rest, and Active Zone Minutes (which tells you the time spent in those peak heart rate zones). The waterproof Inspire 2 is fully swim-proof for those kids who don’t think to take off their watch before diving in.

One Reviewer Said: “My 14-yr-old daughter runs cross-country & needed a watch to track her runs and something with a timer. I know she wanted an Apple Watch but I wasn’t willing to shell out the big bucks. She loves the FitBit. It does everything she needs for running and has lots of other features, too. She likes that she can see text notifications, as well as if she’s got an incoming call. I’ve been so impressed with the device myself that I’m buying a couple more as Christmas gifts for my spouse and other kids.”

Searching for a smartwatch with fitness tracker capabilities for your teens and tweens? Look no further than the Fitbit Versa 3. Available in three sleek colors with elevating metal accents, the Versa 3’s fitness-tracking smartphone features include built-in voice assist (hello, Alexa) and on-the-go access to texts, emails, and app alerts. (Because what teen doesn’t have their nose in social media 24/7?) Plus, the Bluetooth capabilities paired with a powerful integrated microphone allow for hands-free phone calls. (Not that a teenager will actually call anyone, but as parents, it’s comforting to know it’s there for emergencies.)

One Reviewer Said: “Battery has been great (4-6 days depending on how much I use the GPS) and it charges up quickly; I can recharge it while I do some work on my computer and then put it back on. It's also nice to get notifications from my phone and have the option to take quick calls from my wrist.”

The Fitbit Charge 4 is the most technically-advanced Fitbit available while still being appropriate for older kids and teens. Offering all the standard sleep, step, and calorie-tracking capabilities, the Charge 4 Fitbit watch also sports built-in GPS, Fitbit Pay, Active Zone Minutes, and swim lap counting. Plus, any music fan will love the updated Spotify functionality. A perfect fitness tracker for a teenage athlete, the SmartTracker feature can differentiate between activities and sports, taking the work out of tracking your workouts.

One Reviewer Said: “Simple and smart way to get the kids physically active and leverage technology and sibling competition to keep improve their levels of physical activity.”

Best Kids Fitness Trackers

Sick and tired of nagging your kids to do their chores and daily tasks? Us too! Good thing the Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 kids activity tracker has a state-of-the-art parent control app where chores and daily task reminders register directly to the watch. Voila, no more nagging. The best part is, this activity tracker will not only remind, but motivate with rewards and games once goals are met and chores are accomplished.

One Reviewer Says: “My wife and I got these for our kids and the battery life, ease of use, and steps tracking is great. We wanted our kids to get active and receive rewards for it. We pay them for their choirs using the coins in the game and the reward is instant to our young ones. They also challenge each other on how many steps they got for the day. The account was easy to set up and quick for the kids to learn to use.”

Perfect for kids as young as kindergartener-age up through the high schooler years (and even adulthood), the lightweight Biggerfive Fitness Tracker has a fully-adjustable strap to accommodate growing wrists. Plus, the comfortable slim profile allows for enjoyable 24-hour wearing so your kiddo can take advantage of the sleep tracking and silent alarm features with ease. Kids of all ages will love tracking all their activities while parents will appreciate the easy-to-sync app for both android and iOS.

One Reviewer Said: “We challenged our kids to walk 100 miles during summer and needed a way to track their distance. This watch has worked so well. Plus it has really helped them stay more active throughout the day. I do wish I could connect multiple watches to the same phone but oh well. The biggest pro so far? It accidentally went through the washer and dryer and survived!”

The first company to launch a fitness tracker specifically for kids back in 2018 has released the highly-anticipated Trendy Pro 2020 edition. A fitness watch for the whole family, the updated model sports a soft adjustable wristband that comfortably fits wrists as small as 5.1” ( that of a typical 4 or 5-year-old) and up to an adult-sized 7.3” wrist. Don’t worry about a splash in a puddle or a dig in the dirt with certified IP67 waterproofing protection. And the updated multi-platform app includes Stava integration (a fitness social network), app-controlled picture taking, sedentary reminders to move, and custom notifications for incoming calls, texts and social media alerts.

One Reviewer Said: “This is a great watch that allows you to set multiple alarms for your child. We got it to set a quiet, vibrating alarm to remind my son to get up to use the bathroom. You can set all sorts of alarms. It also tracks steps and sleep, so my son enjoys keeping track of various goals. Sometimes the sleep seems a bit off (for example it will say he didn't fall asleep until after midnight but I had checked at 10 and he was fast asleep) but it's really a non issue.”

Perhaps the kid-friendliest activity tracker for younger couch potatoes, the VTech KidiZoom Smartwatch offers plenty of entertainment for mini techies. In addition to letting your kiddo play games, take videos, and snap selfies (complete with funny filters, of course), this watch has lots of games. Most notably, it’s equipped with the Monster Detector game in which players “capture monsters in the real world” through augmented reality, meaning they have to get up and go in order to play (there are motion sensor and pedometer features on it, too). It’s complete with a “splash-proof wristband” that comes in five bold colors.

One Reviewer Said: “Super cute [and] easy to work for my 5-year-old. He loves that he can match mom now! Has games already installed, can take pictures, exercise & lots more. Entertainment for HOURS!”

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