Best smartwatch for kids 2024: small wearables for tiny wrists

The best smartwatch for kids, from Fitbit, Garmin, VTech and more

Best smartwatch for kids: Kids holding hands wearing Garmin's Vivovit Jr fitness tracker
(Image credit: Garmin)

What makes a wearable the best smartwatch for kids? Do kids need smartwatches in the first place? The answer is similar to whether or not kids need smartphones; no, they don't, but some parents will give them one anyway. If you're looking for a wrist wearable for your little one, we tested and reviewed the ones we think are most suitable for the job below.

Similar to the best smartwatches and best fitness trackers, the best kids' smartwatches can monitor basic health and fitness stats while providing a fun way to keep your children active throughout the day through gamification (e.g. activity and sleep scores). Some have robust parental controls, while others let your kids be more independent.

For more info on how we test kids' smartwatches, scroll to the bottom of this guide, or use the jump links.

Best smartwatches for kids to buy right now

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Best overall

Fitbit Ace 3 reviewT3 Awards 2021 winner badge

(Image credit: Fitbit)
Best smartwatch for kids overall

Specifications

Best for: Fitness tracking and style
GPS: No
Water resistant: Yes
Battery life: 8 days

Reasons to buy

+
Great battery life
+
Soft, super durable strap
+
Responsive touchscreen
+
Makes exercise and healthy habits fun

Reasons to avoid

-
Not many games
-
Black and white screen

We loved Fitbit’s Ace 2 fitness tracker for kids, but the new version – the Fitbit Ace 3 - builds upon an already near-perfect tracker by adding lots more battery life. Yes, it’s slightly chunkier and pricier, but the Ace 3 boasts fresh looks and more features thanks to a heart monitor under the hood. 

The biggest boost is battery life. While the Fitbit Ace 2 had five days of battery life, the new version has eight, which seems pretty conservative since the watch we’re testing is still going strong on day nine. While it packs a punch feature-wise, the watch also looks great, and because there are no specific character or movie tie-ins, it offers longevity. It may even be acceptable to teenagers (maybe).

Read our full Fitbit Ace 3 review.

Best Garmin

Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 reviewT3 Award

(Image credit: Garmin)
Best Garmin smartwatch for kids

Specifications

Best for: Disney and Marvel branding
GPS: No
Water resistant: Yes
Battery life: 1-year

Reasons to buy

+
Character options from Marvel and Disney
+
1-year battery life
+
Swim proof
+
Parents can manage goals

Reasons to avoid

-
Child could grow out of character
-
Screen could be brighter

The Garmin Vivo Jr 3 isn’t just a fitness tracker for kids. It’s a handy wearable that unlocks games and adventures when paired with a phone app, which should get every miniature couch potato moving and delight constantly on-the-go kids too. As well as being fun for kids, the device allows parents to keep an eye on their kids’ activity levels, counting their steps and sleep, and of course, children can use it as a watch too.

The gadget is packed with features to help parents out too. When it’s connected to an app, they can view their kid’s activity and sleep, as well as see if a child has completed their goals, including ‘chores’. The watch lets parents assign tasks and chores and designate a reward virtual coin value, which can be redeemed by a child for agreed-upon rewards. They can also program the watch with their kid’s emergency contact information, which could be useful, although hopefully never needed!

Read our full Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 review.

Best with camera

Vodafone Neo reviewT3 Award

(Image credit: Vodafone)
Best camera smartwatch for kids

Specifications

Best for: Staying in touch
GPS: Yes
Water resistant: Yes
Battery life: Up to 24 hours

Reasons to buy

+
Interactive Disney characters
+
Built-in camera
+
Safety features
+
Ability to make calls

Reasons to avoid

-
Monthly subscription
-
Large size
-
Short battery life

The Neo manages to do just about everything you could want from a smartwatch while putting Disney characters and safety features at its core. If you want to stay in touch with your child 24/7, then this is the one for you, with voice and messaging functions. 

However, the smartwatch is considerably more expensive than its less feature-packed rivals, with a large upfront cost as well as a monthly subscription. The Neo may also lose some of its magic for those that like their gadgets slim and sleek, as well as efficient when it comes to battery life. Children are almost guaranteed to be wowed by the incredible clarity of the screen and fun features such as the animated Disney characters, however. 

Read our full Vodafone Neo Smart Kids Watch review.

Best for teenagers

Apple Watch SE on beige backgroundT3 Award

(Image credit: Future)
Best smartwatch for older kids and teenagers

Specifications

Best for: Older children and teens
GPS: Yes
Water resistant: Yes
Battery life: 1 day

Reasons to buy

+
Great performance
+
Comfortable
+
Clear and bright screen
+
Advanced health features

Reasons to avoid

-
Pricey if lost or broken
-
No Android phone support

The Apple Watch SE is a truly excellent smartwatch for adults and children. It looks great, and it's comfortable, making it perfect if you have a style-conscious teen. Where Apple has cut back for the more budget price, your child won't notice (unless they're really into taking ECG readings). It feels like the full-fat Apple Watch experience, with all the advantages that it brings in communication, fitness tracking, and health and safety features.

You'll also want to use Family Setup, which is particularly well suited to younger children, as it gives you more control over what they can do with their Apple Watch. Family Setup turns the device into a GPS tracker that also allows you to talk to them through the smartwatch. That's ideal if you want to communicate with them while they're out, such as by giving them a heads-up that they need to come home soon from visiting a friend. 

Read our full Apple Watch SE review (see also: Apple Watch for kids – how to set up an Apple Watch for your child)

Best Disney-themed

Garmin Vivofit Jr 2T3 Award

5. Garmin Vivofit Jr 2

Durable, Disney-themed watch and activity trackers

Specifications

Best for: Durability
GPS: No
Water resistant: Yes
Battery life: Up to 1 year

Reasons to buy

+
Parents can monitor via mobile
+
Lots of functions
+
Disney/Marvel designs
+
Very long battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Additional bands required to unlock more games

This Garmin kid’s smartwatch has a whole range of functions which can make every day a little bit of an adventure. It’s a durable watch that is fine to be bashed around, and you can award points for doing daily tasks and chores. The idea is these can then be traded for treats, so your children are incentivised to brush their teeth or play nicely with their brothers. The colour screen and strap are customisable, and the latter is soft and stretchy, designed to be comfortable to wear both day and night. The VivoFit Jr 2 won’t need charging because the battery lasts for 'up to' a year. It actually seems to be more like 6-7 months, but that's not bad and will vary depending on use.

Best for safety

Xplora XGO2 review

(Image credit: Xplora)
Best kids' smartwatch for safety

Specifications

Best for: Safety
GPS: Yes
Water resistant: Yes
Battery life: 2-3 days

Reasons to buy

+
Makes phone calls
+
Camera onboard
+
Tonnes of extra features

Reasons to avoid

-
Really bulky
-
Requires a SIM

If you measure this watch simply by its features, the XGO2 is one of the leaders of the pack. It offers more flexibility than the Vodafone Neo when it comes to sending messages and making calls, making it the leader of all the kids' smartwatches and trackers we’ve tried when it comes to this feature. It similarly offers more security features than its competitors.

But the watch overall is a little lacklustre and joyless. It does a lot of things adequately, but little with any pizzazz. Photos are grainy, there’s little animation on the watch face, and the extras are pretty boring, so it feels quite pricey, not forgetting you’ll need to pay for a SIM too. If calls and safety are a priority, this watch is a good bet, but otherwise, there are more fashionable and fun options out there.

Read our full Xplora XGO2 review.

Best for small kids

VTech Kidizoom Smart WatchT3 Award

7. VTech Kidizoom Smart Watch

A fun and functional kids' smartwatch

Specifications

Best for: Apps and games
GPS: No
Water resistant: No
Battery life: 2 weeks

Reasons to buy

+
Take photos and videos
+
50 choices of clock face

Reasons to avoid

-
More of a toy than a useful wearable

VTech have created the ultimate kid’s smartwatch, which has a lot of cool features but won’t burn too much of a hole in your wallet. This watch has a camera for taking photos and videos, a motion sensor for tracking activities, and a range of games and apps to use. There are over 50 different 3D-effect clock faces- both digital and analogue, depending on your preference and you can download all your favourite games and apps to customise this kid’s smartwatch.

Best parental controls

LeapFrog LeapBand Activity TrackerT3 Award

8. LeapFrog LeapBand Activity Tracker

Best kids' smartwatch for parental controls

Specifications

Best for: Development
GPS: No
Water resistant: Yes
Battery life: 3-4 days

Reasons to buy

+
The smartwatch answer to a Tamogotchi 
+
Parental controls allow you to limit screen time

Reasons to avoid

-
Large
-
More toy like

This smartwatch from LeapFrog provides you with a virtual pet, just like the good old Tamogotchis from the 90s. You can feed and power your pet by completing activities or exercises to gain points. This watch is designed to teach your child core skills with a full curriculum that will have them learn how to tell the time and the importance of nutrition. There’s a range of games to play, but parental controls will allow you to limit the time your children spend playing so that they can focus during school time and bedtime. 

How we test the best kids' smartwatches

We spend a lot of time reviewing the best smartwatches for children, so when it comes to recommending what kids' smartwatches to buy, you can be safe in the knowledge that we'll recommend the best options for you.

For a start, all of the smartwatches we review are reviewed by parents and used with their children. We'll usually spend a week or longer testing new smartwatches, and the review process is fairly straightforward – we strap them to the wrists of our children. This helps us see how reliable they are and whether all of the features work as advertised.

It also lets us test whether the smartwatches actually capture the attention and imagination of the children, as well as how comfortable the children find the devices.

If the smartwatches have any advanced features, such as GPS tracking or calling, we'll try these out to test if they work and if they're worth the extra money they no doubt command. Once the initial review period is complete, we'll publish a full review, give the kids' smartwatch a star rating, and add an abridged review to this guide.

How to choose the best smartwatch for kids for your children

There is a range of different features you can look for in a kid's smartwatch; some are purely for entertainment, whereas some have great learning development exercises, such as the LeapFrog LeapBand Activity Tracker or the VTech Kidizoom Smart Watch.

If you're an active family, then the Fitbit Ace 2 and Fitbit Ace are the latest kid's editions from Fitbit which can help motivate your children and track their activity. Finally, some kids' smartwatches are designed with safety in mind, including a GPS tracker which parents can monitor to ensure the whereabouts of their children at all times. 

Matt Kollat
Section Editor | Active

Matt Kollat is a journalist and content creator who works for T3.com and its magazine counterpart as an Active Editor. His areas of expertise include wearables, drones, fitness equipment, nutrition and outdoor gear. He joined T3 in 2019. His byline appears in several publications, including Techradar and Fit&Well, and more. Matt also collaborated with other content creators (e.g. Garage Gym Reviews) and judged many awards, such as the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance's ESSNawards. When he isn't working out, running or cycling, you'll find him roaming the countryside and trying out new podcasting and content creation equipment.

With contributions from