It’s never too early to develop good habits in your kids, and there’s no better way to develop better fitness habits than with a fitness tracker. If you’re looking to help your kids get in the habit of tracking their exercise and leading a healthier life, we’re ready to help you find something that you’ll love.
We’ve picked out 10 of the top contenders for the best fitness tracker for kids in 2022. Designed to be durable, inexpensive, and easy to use, they’re a great way to help your kids adopt the best fitness habits. And once we’re done running through the best fitness trackers for kids, we’ll help guide you through the process of analyzing specs and learning what to look for in a fitness tracker for kids.
- The 10 Best Fitness Tracker for Kids
- Fitbit Ace 2 Activity Tracker for Kids
- Apple Watch Series 5
- LETSCOM Fitness Tracker HR
- Garmin vívofit jr. Kids Fitness/Activity Tracker
- Kurio Watch 2.0+Smartwatch Built for Kids
- Trendypro Kids Fitness Activity Tracker
- VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch
- LeapFrog LeapBand
- UNICEF Kid Power Bands
- nabi Compete
- Fitness Tracker for Kids Buyer’s Guide
- Bluetooth Syncing
- Durability
- Battery Life
- Activity Tracking
- Rewards and Engagement
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Which Fitbit is Best for a Child?
- What is the Best Smartwatch for a 10 Year Old?
- Are Activity Trackers Safe for Kids?
The 10 Best Fitness Tracker for Kids
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Fitbit Ace 2 Activity Tracker for Kids
Fitbit is a name that’s become synonymous with the fitness tracker market, and they’re bringing their top level design specifically to the kids market. The Fitbit Ace 2 costs well under a hundred bucks and provides a decent range of activity tracking features without making your kid deal with an overly complicated design. A virtual badge system provides rewards for your kids accomplishing their goals, and designated celebrations once they hit given benchmarks makes those goals tangible.
The Fitbit Ace 2 is highly durable too. A waterproof rating of 50 meters means it can be safely taken with your kids in the pool, and a specialized and limited kids mode allows you to further limit the information your children have access to. In addition to fitness tracking, the Fitbit Ace 2 comes with sleep tracking as well as silent alarms and bedtime reminders to help them get a better rest.
| Syncing Range | 6 meters |
| Water Resistance | to 50 meters |
| Colors | Grape, Watermelon, Night Sky |
| Battery | 5 days |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
Pros
- Exercise and sleep tracking
- In depth activity rewards system
- Available in three fun colors
- Battery that can last for days
Cons
- Screen is sensitive to scratches
Apple Watch Series 5
A lot of parents are going to blanch when they see the price tag for the Apple Watch Series 5. But despite the retail price of $600, it’s one of our favorite activity trackers on the market – and for children growing a little older, the Apple Watch Series 5 could be the best fitness tracker replacement for a more traditional cell phone. The design is one of the best tracker models in the business in terms of both the UI and the build itself.
And this is a fitness watch that will do one of the best jobs encouraging your children to exercise. Kids can compete with their friends to reach exercise goals, and the Apple Watch Series 5 will continue to provide them with congratulations for pushing themselves further. And this is more than just a fitness tracker. It offers all the ideal features you could hope for in a smartwatch.
| Syncing Range | 30 – 50 feet |
| Water Resistance | to 50 meters |
| Colors | Silver, gold, black, gray |
| Battery | 18 hours |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
Pros
- Exceptional user interface
- First FDA approved heart rate tracking
- Retina display is always on
- Streams music from your Apple library
Cons
- Incredibly high asking price
LETSCOM Fitness Tracker HR
Between its bargain basement pricing, its simple and stripped down interface, and its decent but not overwhelming range of features, the LETSGO is something of a prototype for what a children’s fitness tracker should be, but it’s also a good entry level choice for adults, so you can always find use for it if your children lose interest.
In addition to the standard pedometer, this fitness tracker comes with heart rate tracking and monitoring for distance, calories burned, and sleep status. In depth analysis is supported for all the data gathered. And since there are 14 different exercise modes available, your kid can find something that suits them regardless of their favorite sports and activities. For the older children, there’s some solid – if basic – integration with their phones. The Bluetooth connection provides text and call notifications in addition to coordinating with some of the more popular social media apps.
| Syncing Range | 10 meters |
| Water Resistance | IP67 |
| Colors | Black, blue, green, pink, purple, red |
| Battery | 7 days |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
Pros
- All day sleep and fitness tracking
- GPS tracking with cell phone
- Available in eight colors
- In depth heart rate monitoring
Cons
- Alarm is clumsily designed
Garmin vívofit jr. Kids Fitness/Activity Tracker
The vivofit jr. is everything you could want in a fitness tracker for kids. The battery can last an entire year, so you don’t need to worry about your kids running around with a broken watch. And since it’s waterproof at a depth of up to 50 meters, so they can even take their fitness tracker on them with swimming lessons or in the bath.
And just because this fitness tracker is on the wrist of your kid doesn’t mean that you don’t have control over it. The vivofit jr. includes a free compatible app for parents to track and oversee the activities of their children, tethering activity between devices over a Bluetooth 4.0 connection. This version of the vivofit jr. comes with three different patterned bands; but since this fitness tracker is compatible with the vivofit jr. 2, you can choose from a large selection of exchangeable bands.
| Syncing Range | 10 meters |
| Water Resistance | 50 meters |
| Colors | Flower, camo, lava |
| Battery | 1 year |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
Pros
- Dedicated parental monitoring app
- One of the best battery lives around
- Solid chores and rewards system
- Tons of bands to choose from
Cons
- Requires daily syncing
Kurio Watch 2.0+Smartwatch Built for Kids
The KurioWatch 2.0+ has a bold mission: to deliver a fully featured smartwatch that’s highly affordable and yet built with the physical demands of children in mind. And for the most part, it succeeds. This isn’t exactly the kiddie version of an Apple Watch, but it’s a nice gateway towards a proper cell phone or smart watch.The screen is scratch resistant, and the whole watch is waterproofed: a choice that makes this appropriate for even younger kids.
In addition to exercise tracking features, the KurioWatch offers most of the standard smartwatch features in a more secure and private format. Frames and filters can be applied to pictures, and there’s even the ability to record video. And children with the same fitness tracker model can even message each other without worrying about the dangers that come with a more traditional phone or smartwatch. There are even games included.
| Syncing Range | 10 meters |
| Water Resistance | Splash proof |
| Colors | Blue |
| Battery | Not disclosed |
| Sleep Tracking | No |
Pros
- Speaker, microphone, and camera
- Watch to watch messaging system
- 1.54 inch touch screen display
- Comes with a bonus color change band
Cons
- Bluetooth connection is somewhat unstable
Trendypro Kids Fitness Activity Tracker
The Trendy Pro recognizes that goals are easier to achieve when you’re doing them together – whether that be competitively or cooperatively. That’s why their fitness tracker lets kids create activity goals and compare their successes with one another. And in addition to exercises and sleeping, you can also track overall health metrics. This fitness tracker even comes with a physical chart that parents and children can use to plot out their fitness successes.
But all of the activities are ultimately under the control of parents. The smartphone app allows you to establish goals and help your kids stay on track. In addition to the gamification of sleep and activities is the in depth alarm keeping system. Whether you’re looking to schedule a recurring alarm, a sedentary reminder, or a silent alarm, you can get the results you need. The band is designed for small wrists and is well waterproofed.
| Syncing Range | 10 meters |
| Water Resistance | Splash proof |
| Colors | Pink, blue, aqua, purple |
| Battery | Not disclosed |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
Pros
- Tons of trendy strap colors
- Tracking through TrendyFit app
- Smart notifications from a phone
- Backed by lifetime technical support
Cons
- Sleep tracking can be a bit finicky
VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch
Another attempt at making a proper smartwatch for kids is the VTech KidiZoom. And while the fundamental ideas here are similar to the Kurio Watch 2.0, it still manages to carve out a unique identity for itself. Dual cameras are great for capturing selfies, pictures, or videos and even add filters and effects without having to worry about your children’s information to get leaked to strangers. They can even transform their own pictures into watch faces or choose from dozens in the closed marketplace.
But the centerpiece of the KidiZoom’s interface is easily Monster Catcher. This full and exclusive augmented reality game is clearly built off of the popular Pokemon Go format, but it adds additional elements of health tracking within its interface. The waterproofing isn’t the best we’ve seen, but the body of this fitness tracker is fully resistant against splashes and sweat.
| Syncing Range | Micro USB only |
| Water Resistance | Splash proof |
| Colors | Pink |
| Battery | 2 – 3 days |
| Sleep Tracking | No |
Pros
- Expansive augmented reality game
- Exclusive watch faces available online
- Simple micro USB cable charging
- Dual cameras with filters and frames
Cons
- No Bluetooth and little parental monitoring
LeapFrog LeapBand
While the LeapBand by LeapFrog is mostly going to appeal to kids in the narrow range of 4 to 7 years old, it’s specially created to meet the needs of their growing, active minds and bodies. The LeapBand comes ready to go with dozens of different activities to choose from, and most of them make use of bright and colorful cartoon animals to help keep younger kids engaged and ready to discover what comes next.
And despite the small price tag and the relatively limited scope, the Leapfrog LeapBand offers some pretty in depth parental controls. You can establish play times, put challenges in place, and monitor activity right through the watch’s interface. And there’s a great rewards system in play here too. Kids can unlock one of eight different pets, and they can unlock new pets and toys for them to play with by succeeding at various challenges.
| Syncing Range | Micro USB only |
| Water Resistance | Splash proof |
| Colors | Blue |
| Battery | 3 – 4 days |
| Sleep Tracking | No |
Pros
- 50 different activities for kids
- Eight virtual pets to choose from
- Broad and varied rewards system
- Compatible with the Petathlon Games app
Cons
- Mostly just suited for younger kids
UNICEF Kid Power Bands
A rewards system is one of the most common features to look for in a fitness tracker made for kids, but UNICEF takes it a step further. Their fitness tracker rewards your kids for good behavior by helping others. That’s because UNICEF makes additional donations to malnourished children in need depending on the activity process of every kid who wears a band. And if you download the compatible phone app, your kid can engage in special missions and learn about cultures from around the world.
Parents who are concerned about the data of their kids don’t need to stress out. UNICEF doesn’t use these bands to collect data, but there is monitoring available for adults. There’s no GPS or location tracking, although you can share your progress with other competitors and work together to make the world a better place. With a $5 price tag, that’s an easy decision.
| Syncing Range | 10 meters |
| Water Resistance | IP67 |
| Colors | Blue |
| Battery | 2 weeks |
| Sleep Tracking | No |
Pros
- Teaches kids about new cultures
- Doesn’t track GPS or location
- Available for only five dollars
- Helps children in need
Cons
- Very light on features
nabi Compete
Apart from the charitable model produced by UNICEF, you won’t find a fitness tracker for kids that’s cheaper than the Nabi Compete. Fortunately, it performs far better than its $7 asking price would suggest. They manage this by using the fitness tracker itself as merely a means to calculate distance. But once you download the app, you’ll see a whole depth of challenges underneath the surface. That means that it might be better for parents who are comfortable sharing phones or tablets with their kids.
The challenge system here is impressive: combining the best aspects of social media platforms with solid exercise tracking. Kids can join teams to work towards common goals and receive the ability to unlock new pets and dress them up with various costumes and accessories. This fitness tracker teaches kids as they exercise. Distances are measured in comparison to real world landmarks for a sense of scale.
| Syncing Range | 10 meters |
| Water Resistance | No |
| Colors | Red |
| Battery | Not disclosed |
| Sleep Tracking | No |
Pros
- Available for well under $10
- Easy tethering to mobile devices
- Join teams to achieve common goals
- Tons of character customization options
Cons
- Very basic in design
Fitness Tracker for Kids Buyer’s Guide
If you just glance at our list of the best fitness trackers for kids, you’ll see how many different types of activity trackers there are built with the needs of kids in mind. But more options means more things to consider. Each of these activity watches has a use, but picking the one you want your kid to use means figuring out what your kid needs. We’ll help you understand the more important specs and features below.
Bluetooth Syncing
Most fitness trackers use a Bluetooth connection for their more advanced features. By connecting to your phone, fitness trackers can stream music directly, allow you to receive text and app notifications, and provide you with more detailed analysis of your fitness metrics.
But if you’re looking for fitness trackers for kids, you’ll probably want to look at things differently. If your kids aren’t enough years old to justify getting them a phone or a tablet, then you’ll want to look for trackers that provide them with the essential tools they need without being tethered. Many trackers built specifically with the needs of kids use Bluetooth or a micro USB connection to connect to parents’ phones so they can track their children’s activities and progress, assign tasks or challenges, and perform other functions.
In either case, some ability to sync a watch to another device is crucial. Watches themselves typically don’t offer a whole lot of means to dig into the analytics, and by collating it all in one place, you can more readily track your child’s progress in the long and short term.
Durability
Kids can get into some messes, and that means that you need to look for fitness trackers that can really take a beating. Most models focused specifically for kids are designed to be tough above all else, but you may want to pay special attention to the water resistance of the fitness trackers you’re looking at. If your kid loves swimming or wants to wear their watch in a pool, you may need something fully waterproof. Otherwise, a splash proof tracker should work just fine.
Battery Life
Kids have a habit of not thinking ahead and not sticking to routines, and it can be easy to lose track of what they’re doing and end up with a kid wearing a drained watch on their wrist. Fortunately, battery life on the models built for children tend to sport a longer battery life. Part of that comes down to the fact that there are less features to drain the battery, but you should definitely see how many hours a watch can go on a single charge. Just keep in mind that you might not get the exact results because how often your kid uses it can cause the battery life to vary.
Activity Tracking
Any tracker you’ll find is going to come with the ability to see how many steps your kids have taken. A pedometer is the most basic function for activity tracking, and it’s usually used as the core value used to determine other metrics like calories burned, workout intensity, and daily fitness goals. But more complex trackers come with a much deeper bench of activities. A pedometer typically won’t put much drain on your battery, and it will offer 24 hour tracking automatically.
For particularly active children, you should pay attention to watches that come with different activity modes. These modes take into account the various stresses and engagement of activities like swimming, cycling, or running and uses them to provide greater insight into the wearer’s activity levels. Some can even automatically determine what activities you’re engaging in and adjust the metrics accordingly.
Another important feature is sleep tracking. While it’s a bit imprecise, sleep tracking can see how long your child is asleep and automatically assign reminders and alarms to suit them. These reminders can often be used for keeping children on track with chores too. More advanced models tend to offer more sophisticated sleep tracking – with the ability to more readily analyze sleep cycles and restfulness.
Rewards and Engagement
Children are most likely to pick up a positive habit when they get something in return, just like all of us. And fitness watches for children do a particularly great job of providing motivation without you having to spend any extra money. Many come with virtual pets that can be picked, evolved, and dressed up in clothes. The treadmill of acquiring new items makes them an especially enticing choice for kids. Some, like the Vivofit Jr. or Jr. 2, provide a particular focus on chores and rewards.
How those rewards can be accessed vary from device to device. More complex watches allow a kid to interact directly with the reward system through their watch, while simpler ones avoid the problem of cost by tying the rewards system to a mobile app that can be accessed through a Bluetooth synced device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Fitbit is Best for a Child?
If you want the best Fitbit for kids, the Fitbit Ace 2 is going to be one of your best choices. With this Fitbit, kids get access to a dedicated rewards system that can keep them on the right path to success. It’s also built to sustain the reckless behavior of kids. Fitbit has created a fitness tracker with a battery that lasts for days and a water resistance appropriate for swimming.
What is the Best Smartwatch for a 10 Year Old?
We’d recommend the Garmin Vivofit Jr. or the Vivofit Jr. 2. Both the Garmin Vivofit Jr. and the Garmin Vivofit Jr. 2 come with a very robust rewards system that will appeal to younger and older kids, and the battery promises a truly extensive lifespan. Garmin has included stellar parental monitoring, so parents can easily stay up to date with what their children are getting up to.
Are Activity Trackers Safe for Kids?
Most activity trackers should be safe for kids. The sort of information gathered by these devices isn’t vulnerable, but some fitness trackers are going to be a little complicated for younger children. For that reason, we suggest you check the suggested age for whichever tracker you decide to get. Something easy to use and with activities that will appeal to your kid is crucial when trying to get the best fitness tracker for kids.
Wrapping Up
If you want to get your a kids activity tracker, you don’t have to look too far. While it’s not as big as the general smartwatch model, some of the biggest names are making gear for children. The Fitbit Ace 2 and Garmin Vivofit Jr. 2 are both and evolution of some of the smartest smartwatch tech on the market. We’re confident in the quality of the products we’ve listed, but we encourage you to share your voice. You can share a review of any of these products using the form below.
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