The 9 Best Kids Smartwatches

Kids smartwatches have evolved well beyond simple novelty gadgets. Today’s options span from dedicated fitness trackers designed to build healthy habits early, to full 4G-connected watches that let parents stay in touch without handing a child a smartphone.

Whether you’re buying for a five-year-old who wants something fun on their wrist or a twelve-year-old who needs GPS check-ins and two-way calling, the category now covers an impressive range of needs and price points.

Picking the right one comes down to understanding what features genuinely matter for your child’s age, lifestyle, and your family’s privacy preferences.

This guide covers nine carefully evaluated options, from budget-friendly activity trackers to GPS-connected smartwatches with SIM card support.

Our team at REMOVU researched each model by analyzing published specifications, synthesizing expert review consensus, and weighing verified buyer feedback to score every pick on a consistent basis.

We’ve organized the list to help parents quickly identify the right fit, whether they prioritize safety features, fitness tracking, entertainment, or overall value.

Read on for our top picks, and keep reading for a detailed buying guide to help you decide.

Kids Smartwatches Buying Guide

Shopping for a smartwatch for a child involves trade-offs you rarely face when buying one for yourself.

Durability, content controls, battery life, and whether the watch needs a phone or its own cellular plan all factor into the decision differently depending on your child’s age and how you want to use it.

The sections below break down the criteria that matter most, so you can match the right watch to your family’s needs without overpaying for features you won’t use.

Age Appropriateness and Intended Use

The single most important starting point is matching the watch’s feature set to your child’s age and maturity. A five-year-old benefits most from a simple, durable device with games, a basic step counter, and perhaps a camera for fun.

Something like the VTech KidiZoom DX4 sits squarely in the educational toy camp, prioritizing engaging content and safety over connectivity.

Trying to set up a GPS-enabled cellular watch for a young child often creates frustration for parents managing app permissions and data plans.

For children aged eight and up, fitness tracking features like step counting, heart rate monitoring, and sleep tracking become genuinely useful, especially if you want to encourage healthy routines.

Older kids approaching their teens may want more independence, where a 4G watch with a dedicated SIM card and video calling capability bridges the gap before a full smartphone enters the picture.

The Berilona 4G model, for example, targets exactly this age range with parental app controls alongside two-way video calls. Think about where your child spends time and how much independence you’re comfortable extending before committing to a feature tier.

Connectivity: Standalone vs. Phone-Dependent

One of the most consequential splits in the kids smartwatch market is whether the device operates independently or needs to pair with a parent’s smartphone.

Standalone watches like the BIGGERFIVE fitness tracker and the Monowul model are designed to work entirely on their own, tracking activity, monitoring heart rate, and running games without any phone or data plan required.

This simplicity is a real advantage for younger children and for parents who don’t want to manage an additional connected device or monthly fee.

GPS and cellular models require either a companion app on a parent’s phone or an active SIM card in the watch itself.

The Transformers 4G watch and the Berilona model both include SIM card support, meaning the watch can make calls, send messages, and share location data entirely on its own cellular connection.

That’s powerful for safety and peace of mind, but it adds ongoing cost and requires parents to stay engaged with the companion app.

If you’re exploring other smartwatches in the wearables category, note that kids’ cellular watches use different carrier compatibility requirements than adult models, so confirm coverage in your area before buying.

Durability and Water Resistance

Children are hard on wearables. A watch that can’t survive a splash at the sink, a tumble on the playground, or a sweaty afternoon at soccer practice won’t last the school year.

IP68 water resistance is the gold standard in this category and means the watch can withstand submersion in water up to a defined depth and duration.

Several picks in this guide carry IP68 ratings, including the BIGGERFIVE, Monowul, and kkloffv models, making them suitable for swimming, rain, and general rough handling.

IPX6 or IPX7 ratings offer solid splash and rain protection without full submersion capability, which is adequate for most everyday kids’ use. Avoid any watch rated only IPX4 or lower if the child is active outdoors.

Beyond water resistance, look for raised bezels around the screen, silicone band construction, and reinforced corners as indicators of build quality.

Verified buyer reviews are particularly revealing here: recurring complaints about cracked screens or broken band attachments after a few weeks signal build quality issues that spec sheets alone won’t show.

Health and Fitness Tracking Features

For parents focused on building healthy habits, a watch with accurate step counting, heart rate monitoring, and sleep tracking is more valuable than one loaded with games and camera features.

The Fitbit Ace 2 remains a strong choice in this regard, carrying the credibility of Fitbit’s fitness tracking pedigree in a form factor built specifically for kids.

Its integration with the Fitbit Family account also gives parents a way to celebrate activity goals with their children, which several verified buyers highlight as a meaningful motivational tool.

When evaluating fitness features on budget-oriented models, pay attention to whether heart rate and sleep monitoring use optical sensors (more reliable) or are estimated via motion algorithms alone.

Watches marketing “100+ sport modes” at very low price points often use simplified algorithms that approximate rather than precisely measure.

For a child who genuinely wants to track fitness data, the sensor quality behind the feature matters more than the number of modes listed.

If fitness tracking for older kids or teens is the primary goal, it’s also worth comparing options across our fitness trackers category to see whether a dedicated tracker might suit them better than a full smartwatch.

Parental Controls and Safety Features

For connected watches, the quality of the companion parental app is as important as the hardware itself.

Strong parental control suites allow parents to manage approved contacts, set do-not-disturb schedules (sometimes called “class mode”), monitor location in real time, and restrict content.

The Berilona 4G and Transformers 4G watches both ship with companion apps offering these controls, and expert consensus consistently identifies robust class mode scheduling and SOS emergency calling as must-have features for school-age children.

SOS functionality, where a child can trigger an emergency call to a preset parent number by holding a button, is a key safety feature worth verifying before purchase.

Not all budget watches that advertise “SOS” implement it reliably; look for buyer feedback that specifically confirms the SOS button works as described.

Also consider how the app handles data privacy: check whether the manufacturer’s privacy policy covers children’s data under applicable regulations, particularly if the watch connects to the internet or a cloud service.

For families already exploring broader wearable options, the phones, tablets and wearables hub provides a useful starting point for comparing categories.

Battery Life and Charging

Battery life on kids smartwatches varies enormously depending on whether the watch uses cellular, GPS, or a display that stays on continuously.

Standalone fitness trackers and activity bands typically deliver several days of battery life per charge, while 4G GPS watches with always-on screens may need daily charging.

The Fitbit Ace 2 is well regarded for lasting multiple days between charges, which reduces the chance of a forgotten charge leaving the watch dead mid-school-day.

For younger children especially, daily charging can become a chore that leads to the watch sitting unused. Proprietary magnetic charging cables are common across budget models, which means losing the cable renders the watch unusable until a replacement arrives.

Checking whether a watch uses a widely available cable type (such as standard USB charging) adds practical value over the device’s lifetime.

Manufacturer-claimed battery figures typically reflect ideal conditions; verified buyer reports often paint a more realistic picture of real-world endurance with features like heart rate monitoring and notifications enabled.

Why You Should Trust Us

REMOVU is an independent review publication. We do not manufacture, sell, or take direction from any brand or retailer.

Every product in this guide was assessed using our structured research process: we analyze published specifications, synthesize expert review consensus drawn from credible sources across the industry, incorporate verified buyer feedback from confirmed purchasers, and reference publicly available data to evaluate each model against a consistent set of criteria.

We do not conduct our own product trials; our evaluations are grounded in research, published data, expert review consensus, and verified buyer feedback.

Each product in this guide receives a REMOVU Score on a scale of 0 to 10.

The score reflects our holistic assessment across the criteria most relevant to the category, including durability, feature completeness for the intended age group, safety and parental control quality, value relative to price, and the consistency of positive sentiment in verified buyer feedback.

Scores are assigned independently and are not influenced by brand relationships or advertising.

Transparency on affiliate relationships: REMOVU may earn a commission if you purchase through links in this article. That relationship has no bearing on which products appear here, how they are ranked, or what scores they receive.

Our recommendations are driven solely by research merit. We are not a retailer and have no involvement in order fulfillment, returns, or warranty support.

Final Thoughts

The right kids smartwatch depends almost entirely on what problem you’re trying to solve.

If you want a school-age child to stay reachable without giving them a phone, a cellular GPS watch delivers features nothing else in this category can match.

If the goal is building fitness habits in a durable, approachable form, a standalone tracker keeps things simple and long-lasting.

Budget-oriented fun watches with games and cameras are a legitimate gift category on their own, as long as expectations are calibrated to their feature depth.

Here are our standout picks from the full lineup, each recognized for excelling in a specific area.

• Best Overall: Berilona 4G Kids Smart Watch Phone with GPS earns the top spot for combining 4G calling, GPS tracking, a robust parental app, class mode, SOS capability, and a bundled SIM card into one cohesive package, earning the highest REMOVU Score in this group.
• Best Standalone Fitness Tracker for Kids: BIGGERFIVE Kids Smart Watch stands out for delivering IP68 waterproofing, optical heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and a large display without requiring any phone or data plan, making it the most capable no-phone-needed option here.
• Best for Fitness-Focused Families: Fitbit Ace 2 Activity Tracker for Kids leverages Fitbit’s established fitness platform to deliver multi-day battery life, family goal-sharing, and reliable step and sleep tracking in a purpose-built kids’ design.
• Best Budget Pick with Connectivity: Monowul Smart Watch for Kids offers heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, video and music playback, and IP68 protection at a wallet-friendly price point, making it an accessible entry point for families who want more than a basic activity band without committing to cellular costs.
• Best Licensed Design for Brand-Loving Kids: Transformers 4G Kids Smart Watch with GPS Tracker pairs the appeal of a recognized brand with real 4G connectivity, two-way video calling, GPS, and IP68 water resistance, a strong option for children who want a watch that feels exciting to wear every day.

For families still weighing the broader wearable landscape, it’s worth exploring whether a kids tablet might complement or substitute a smartwatch depending on how and where your child primarily uses technology.

And if a teen in the household is ready to graduate to a full adult wearable, our coverage of smartwatches and fitness trackers covers the next tier up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is appropriate for a kids smartwatch?

Most kids smartwatches are designed for children aged four to twelve, but the right type varies significantly within that range.

Children under seven typically benefit most from simple, durable watches focused on games, activity tracking, and limited educational features, like the VTech KidiZoom line. Children aged eight and older can engage meaningfully with fitness tracking and parental communication features.

Kids approaching their teen years are often good candidates for 4G-capable watches that allow calls and GPS check-ins without requiring a full smartphone.

Do kids smartwatches require a monthly subscription or data plan?

It depends on the model. Standalone fitness and activity watches like the BIGGERFIVE and Monowul require no subscription or data plan whatsoever.

GPS and 4G calling models, such as the Berilona and Transformers watches, require an active SIM card with a cellular plan to enable their connectivity features.

Some GPS models offer Wi-Fi-only tracking as a free alternative, though coverage is limited compared to cellular. Always check whether a SIM card is included or whether you need to source your own compatible plan before purchasing a connected model.

How waterproof should a kids smartwatch be?

For active children, IP68 is the most useful water resistance rating you can find in this category. It means the watch can handle submersion in water, making it safe for swimming lessons, pool play, and outdoor activities in wet conditions.

IPX7 is also solid for most situations. Watches rated only IPX4 or IPX5 offer splash resistance suitable for handwashing or light rain, but are not appropriate for swimming.

Given how rough children can be with wearables, opting for the highest water resistance rating your budget allows is generally the right call.

Can parents track their child’s location with a kids smartwatch?

Only on models with built-in GPS and cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity. Watches like the Berilona 4G and Transformers 4G support real-time GPS location sharing through a companion parent app. Standalone fitness watches without cellular radios cannot provide location tracking.

If GPS monitoring is a priority, confirm that the companion app works on your smartphone’s operating system and that the watch’s GPS reliability is backed by positive verified buyer feedback, since GPS accuracy varies meaningfully between budget and mid-range models in this category.

Are the health tracking features on budget kids smartwatches accurate?

Accuracy varies considerably. Established brands with dedicated fitness hardware, like Fitbit’s Ace 2, bring sensor calibration and algorithm refinement from their broader product lines.

Budget models marketing step counting, heart rate, and sleep monitoring at low price points often use simplified sensors and estimation algorithms that provide useful trend data rather than clinical precision.

For general motivation and habit-building in children, the data from budget models is typically sufficient. For children with specific health monitoring needs, consulting a healthcare provider about appropriate wearable options is advisable rather than relying on consumer-grade devices.

What’s the difference between a kids smartwatch and a kids fitness tracker?

The terms overlap, but smartwatches generally offer a broader feature set including games, cameras, music playback, communication tools, and customizable watch faces alongside health tracking.

Fitness trackers for kids, including the Fitbit Ace 2, focus primarily on activity data: steps, active minutes, sleep, and heart rate, usually with a simpler display and longer battery life.

If your child’s primary need is staying active and forming healthy habits, a dedicated fitness tracker often delivers more reliable health data and better battery endurance.

If they want a versatile wrist computer with entertainment and connectivity, a full smartwatch is the better fit. You can explore both directions further in our fitness trackers and smartwatches sections.

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• The Best Kids Smartwatches with GPS for Every Family
• The Best Kids Smartwatches for Every Age and Budget
• Kids Smartwatches for Toddlers Worth Buying

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