It’s common for kids to want to be like their parents. They look up to adults for how they walk, talk and what they wear. So if you’re lucky enough to own one of the best smartwatches for adults, it’s highly likely your child wants one of their own. While investing in an Apple Watch for your child might be a step too far, the best kids smartwatch alternatives can help you and your child stay connected without breaking the bank.
Kids smartwatches look similar to smartwatches for adults, but offer a stripped-down approach which puts safety at the forefront. Here is a list of features and applications which are often integrated into the best kids smartwatches:
- GPS Tracking
- Instant messaging
- Video calling
- Camera
- MP3 Player
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Games
- Contacts
Most smartwatches for kids have the ability to track your child’s every move using integrated GPS. They also feature parental controls to give you the ability to enable or block what they can and can’t do on their smartwatch, as well as checking out the photo and music files stored inside.
If you want to satisfy your child’s need for a smartwatch, we’ve got you covered below with the 11 best kids smartwatches. They vary in features but all put safety first, with some capable of sending your child a message when they step outside of a predefined area.
1. VTech KidiZoom Kids Smartwatch
This kids smartwatch from VTech is full of smart (no pun intended) features that allow kids to have fun while also giving parents plenty of privacy tools. The splash-proof watch is great for active kids and allows them to take videos or selfies. Additionally, there’s an included AR game where you can capture different monsters, a la Pokémon. Plus, parents can access photos and videos to ensure their child’s safety.
Buy: VTech KidiZoom Kids Smartwatch $28.46
2. Pewant Fitness Tracker Smart Watch
BEST FOR FITNESS
The Pewant Fitness Tracker Smart Watch is a great way to encourage a healthy lifestyle from a young age. It has integrated GPS-tracking for counting steps and distance in real time, as well as a heart rate monitor for counting the calories burnt each day. This feature also enables the watch to record the quality and level of sleep, breaking the cycles down into deep, light, awake, or REM.
Buy: Pewant Fitness Tracker Smart Watch $26.99
3. MertiSoar Kid Smart Watch
VALUE PICK
Although the MertiSoar Kids Smart Watch has a modest price tag of under $30, it’s by no means lacking in features. It has seven preprogrammed puzzle games to help develop logic and problem solving, an integrated camera for taking photos, and an MP3 player for listening to music. A one-gigabyte memory card is included, but if you want to enable it to make and receive calls, a SIM card must be purchased separately.
Buy: MertiSoar Kid Smart Watch $27.99
4. BAUISAN Kids Smart Watch
BEST GAMES
The BAUISAN Kids Smart Watch features a range of useful apps, including a calculator, a calendar, an alarm clock and an address book for up to 10 contacts. It also houses 14 different games including Picture and Remember, Bird Flying, and Bee War. So if your child loves sitting and playing games for hours and hours (whose doesn’t?), this could be the right choice for them.
Buy: BAUISAN Kids Smart Watch $32.99
5. WILLOWWIND Kids Smart Watch
MOST USER-FRIENDLY
The WILLOWWIND Kids Smart Watch has an appearance very close to the Apple Watch. It sports a similar shape and screen size and comes in three fun colors in the form of green, blue and pink. The watch also comes with a large range of integrated games, a calendar, a stopwatch and an alarm clock to help ensure they’re never late for school. Plus, the ‘do not disturb’ mode enables the phone to be switched to silent to avoid disturbance in the classroom or overnight.
Buy: WILLOWWIND Kids Smart Watch $32.99
6. INIUPO Smart Watch
BEST STRAP
The INIUPO Smart Watch features a wrist strap with a dual-pin buckle to provide greater security when on and offer the wearer a unique look. Function-wise, the smartwatch includes a range of handy features like two-way calling (with additional SIM), an MP3 player, a built-in camera, and an alarm clock. It also has a touchscreen for easier, kid-friendly navigation and has seven fun games to be enjoyed. This is a popular smartwatch option for kids between the ages of four and 12.
Buy: INIUPO Smart Watch $32.99
7. Marvel Avenger Touchscreen Smart Watch
BEST FOR MARVEL FANS
The Marvel Avenger Touchscreen Smart Watch is official Marvel merchandise. It showcases everyone’s favorite Avenger superheroes on the watch strap as well as the default home screen. Although this smartwatch doesn’t offer two-way calling, it does have a built-in camera, voice recorder, and multiple games for your child to enjoy. This smartwatch makes a fantastic gift for any comic-loving kid.
Buy: Marvel Avenger Touchscreen Smart Watch $34.99
8. Prograce Kids Smartwatch
BEST CAMERA
The Prograce Kids Smartwatch’s integrated camera sets it apart from other smartwatches. It’s located at the top of the digital display as is usually expected, but is mounted on a swivel axis, enabling 90-degree rotation to capture more angles without you having to move your wrist. Furthermore, this watch comes in blue or pink and has over 2,900 five-star ratings from Amazon users.
Buy: Prograce Kids Smartwatch $37.29
9. Garmin vivofit jr Kids Smartwatch
For those parents who want even greater control over their kid’s smartwatch experience, Garmin’s vivofit jr watch comes with a fully controlled mobile application that can help with chore management while also providing rewards. For example, you can set it so your child will get a reminder to feed the dog and then push it to the vivofit. Once completed, kids will have more fun and games to explore and complete in the included app. This particular version is Spider-Man branded and allows your child to have a blast with everyone’s favorite wall-crawler.
Buy: Garmin vivofit jr Kids Smartwatch $59.99
10. XPLORA X5 Play Watch Phone
WATER RESISTANT PICK
If your kid loves swimming, the XPLORA X5 Play Watch Phone is a great choice. It’s water-resistant up to 1.5 meters and sports a sturdy buckle which won’t come loose during high-energy activities. Plus, as well as having multiple features for tracking fitness, this smartwatch has 4G calling capabilities (although a SIM card is not included).
Buy: XPLORA X5 Play Watch Phone $149.99
11. TickTalk 4 Kids Smartwatch
BEST SPLURGE
The TickTalk 4 Kids Smartwatch includes a two-way video calling feature that allows parents to talk to their kids over WiFi. Preset text messages allow for even faster messaging when you need it. All communication functions between you and your child are handled through the corresponding mobile application. Additionally, you can set up custom alerts to remind your child to do chores or let them know about upcoming appointments.
Buy: TickTalk 4 Kids Smartwatch $199.99