Fitness trackers have become a ubiquitous tool for monitoring health metrics, such as blood pressure, steps, and heart rate. Many health-conscious individuals use them to achieve their fitness goals, and some health insurance providers offer discounts to users. However, if you’ve been thinking about trying to instill some healthy and fun habits into your children, there are fitness trackers focused on kids that could help.
Aside from the aesthetics, one of the differences you’ll find with fitness trackers for kids is their durability and kid-friendly controls. With features like exercise apps, animated clock faces, and award badges, a fitness tracker might be just the motivation your child needs to maintain an active lifestyle. It’s not wrong to give your kids an after-school snack and tablet time, but why not give them a piece of tech to encourage more physical activity?
Fitbit has been a trusty fitness tracker for years, and it’s nice to know that they put the same care and attention into the Ace 3 as they have with their adult counterparts. You won’t find a calorie counter or anything weight-loss specific, but it measures your child’s activity. So whether they’re playing tag, jumping on the backyard trampoline, or shooting hoops, the Fitbit Ace 3 tracks it.
Keep in mind that there’s no GPS tracking; however, you can monitor your child’s progress with your smartphone. But the Ace 3 doesn’t only track your child’s daily activities; it’s a solid sleep tracker, too.
It has a user-friendly interface, controlled by pinching the sides or swiping the screen to toggle easily through modes. Its bright monochrome OLED uses simple touchscreen controls, perfect for little fingers. The display is only 1.4 inches, though that should be plenty big for a child’s wrist.
Kids will love all the custom clock faces and animations designed to motivate, like a rocket ship that propels once they meet their goals. Battery life is also impressive and a significant upgrade from the Ace 2. The Ace 3 should last up to 8 days, three days longer than the previous generation.
What catapults the Ace 3 to the top of this list, however, are all the little touches made specifically for younger users, like its silicone band. The band is soft to the touch and comfortable enough for long-term wear. Don’t let the softness fool you. Your little tree climber will have a tough time snapping this strap. Plus, the silicone wraps around the screen for extra protection.
This tracker is also water-resistant up to 50 meters, so long afternoons at the pool won’t be an issue. That said, don’t forget to select Water Lock mode before going for a swim — this will prevent the buttons from activating.
Like Fitbit, Garmin is a household name for fitness tracker enthusiasts. Their Vivofit Jr. has been around for a few generations, and the latest iteration is probably its best so far. Its premium price tag might be hard to swallow, but this little guy has a lot to offer.
First off, this thing is durable. Its rugged, silicone strap provides that notable Garmin durability without adding bulk to tiny wrists. This tracker is also built with water in mind, so extended submersion shouldn’t be an issue. Also, the Vivofit Jr. 3 has a battery life of up to a year, so no worries about it running out. However, users eventually have to replace the battery.
The brightly colored display is nice, albeit underwhelming. Depending on which model you choose, your kiddo will be greeted by Jasmine, Baby Yoda, a Marvel character, or one of the several non-Disney-related avatars. It’s not a high-resolution display, nor is it a touchscreen, but you can customize the clock face and select different wallpapers. Still, it gets the job, and most importantly, it’s easy to read in direct sunlight.
Since this is a Garmin fitness tracker, the Vivofit Jr. has plenty of useful apps and widgets. Aside from the standard fitness-tracking apps and sleep monitoring, it also provides motivational apps, like the chore tracker. Kids can check off chores, and parents can pay them with digital coins via the Smartphone app. Your kids can then “cash” them in with you for a more palpable prize.
Plus, kids can unlock games they can play on their (or your) smartphones after reaching their exercise goal. It’s a handy incentive and makes the drudge of exercise more fun. And on a more serious note, the Vivofit Jr. comes with practical widgets, like ICE (In Case of Emergency), so you can provide contact information like a phone number or address.
The Vigor 2 L looks much like a Fitbit, except it’s significantly less expensive. We don’t all want to spend an arm and a leg on something our kids may lose on the playground or at the neighborhood pool. As long as you temper your expectations, this is a solid value pick.
The fitness tracker may be a budget buy, but the Vigor 2 L’s soft silicone strap and IP68 rating don’t feel cheap. Dust, water, and general grime won’t be a problem. In fact, your kids can wear the tracker while they go for a swim. However, we’d stay clear of oceans and hot baths, as the Vigor 2 L isn’t durable enough for saltwater or extreme temperatures.
Since this is a fitness tracker, it should come as no surprise that the Vigor 2 L has plenty of activity modes, including running, basketball, cycling, and more — there’s even a dancing mode. The activity tracker keeps up with your kids’ activities for a 24-hour cycle, monitoring things like steps, distance, and calories.
And if you have a teen who likes to sleep in, the Vigor 2 L acts as a silent alarm clock, using gentle vibrations to wake them without disturbing others. You can also monitor heart rates and sleep cycles, all of which you can read on the Vigor app. The app works with Android 6.0+ and iOS 9.0+, so chances are you own a compatible phone.
We wish the battery lasted longer than seven days, though, at $30, it’s hard to complain. The Vigor 2 L still offers generous features and a durable build for the price.
The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 lacks the kiddish vibe of some of our other picks, but we think the older teen in your life will prefer it. It’s slim and lightweight and provides a near-limitless selection of watch faces for its 1.62 AMOLED display. In short, the Smart Band 8 is pretty stylish. But it’s abundantly practical, too.
As our review notes, this fitness tracker offers over 150 workout modes, paying special attention to things like stride and cadence calculation. If your teen is a runner, these types of tracking features are especially useful.
And if you’d like a more detailed reading, you can attach the Smart Band 8 to your shoes and activate the Pebble Mode. This mode gives runners an accurate summary of their running form, flight ratio, and ground contact time. Durability-wise, it can handle 50 meters of water, though it’s not built for intense water sports (like rafting), saunas, and steamy showers.
You’d be justified to assume that the battery life on the Smart Band 8 is average at best, but we discovered otherwise. Surprisingly, this fitness tracker will last you 16 days. Even better, it only takes an hour to fully charge. There aren’t many fitness trackers in the sub $50 price range that can boast numbers like that.
However, the Smart Band 8 is not without some minor flaws. For one, the strap comes undone pretty easily. Also, the magnetic battery charger means you’ll have yet another cord to keep track of — hasn’t Xiaomi heard of USB-C cables? Despite these demerits, Xiaomi’s Smart Band 8 is an affordable fitness tracker, perfect for teens looking for premium features at a lower cost.
The Amazfit Band 7 is a worthwhile choice for older kids and teens. Its 1.47-inch display is not too big or small and compliments the slim design. Plus, they’ll love the over 50 watch faces and customizable widgets.
From a practical angle, you’ll find 120 sports modes with the usual options, like running, tennis, cycling, and even more unique selections, like yoga. For the health-conscious, the Band 7 tracks heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep, and stress levels. With a simple button tap, results can be retrieved in as little as 45 seconds.
Another convenient perk is that Alexa comes with the Band 7. With Alexa, you can set alarms, respond to texts, and more. The response time might be a tad slower than if you were using a Fire tablet or an Echo Show device, but for $50, it’s too bad. However, we should note that there’s no speaker, so all of Alexa’s responses are text-based.
Now, to the battery life. This is where the Band 7 shines. Somehow, Amazfit managed to fit a 232 mAh battery in this slim tracker. With typical usage, the Band 7 will run without a charge for an astounding 18 days and 28 days when you switch on the battery-saver mode.
The Inspiratek, another great option for the budget-conscious, is also one of the easiest fitness trackers to use. Even younger kids should be able to learn its one-touch interface. It may not include all the fancy features of more expensive brands, but this affordable device covers all the essentials, like fit.
Inspiratek states that it’s for ages 5-16, and they mean it. The sturdy but adjustable strap will grow with your child. The display is also surprisingly vivid and bright enough for any time of day — but don’t expect a touch screen at this price.
You’ll also get all the standard features like exercise tracking, heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, a calorie counter, and more. It does advertise as IP67 “waterproof,” but don’t take this fitness tracker to the water park because it won’t last. Another con is that the battery life could be better, as it only lasts five days. But you have to remember that price tag. Despite these limitations, the Inspiratek offers excellent value for the money.
If you’re raising a gamer, one of the best ways to encourage them to venture out of the house is to gamify physical activity. Enter the Cubitt Jr. Smart Watch. Its attractive 1.4-inch IPS color touchscreen and extensive game library will get your kids burning calories. And the best part is that they’ll have fun doing it. The watch features games specifically built to help boost alertness and intelligence, one of the few trackers on the list to include mental stamina alongside the physical variety.
However, the Cubitt Jr. is more than just fun and games. In addition to all-day fitness tracking, this watch supports some more unique modes, like body temperature tracking. And for kids that already own a smartphone, the Cubitt Jr. plays well with other devices, allowing push notifications and calls to pipe directly to the watch. With an active battery life of up to a week, it’s also great for kids who might forget to plug in their devices.
You might think the Garmin Bounce is too expensive for a fitness tracker — and you’re right. However, the Bounce is so much more than a fitness tracker. It does everything a fitness tracker should, like monitoring activity levels and sleep cycles. The Bounce even rewards kids with engaging games and quizzes after an hour of activity. There’s also an adventure app where they can learn about exciting landmarks as you and your family travel the world.
But it’s not all fun and games; Garmin seems to understand this. For example, parents worried about unregulated classroom screen time can implement “School Mode” via the parental app, so their kids stay on task during the day. Moreover, the Bounce helps organize chores and to-do lists; when these tasks are complete, feel free to reward them with virtual coins.
The Bounce leaps ahead of the competition with its built-in GPS, which lets you track your kid wherever they are. You can also send text and voice messages for a low monthly (or annual) subscription. This is especially helpful for parents who want to hold off on giving their kids a smartphone. All of these apps and features expend a lot of energy. The battery life only lasts two days, and charging takes about two hours. Given all the Bounce’s merits, it might be a calculable compromise.
The best fitness trackers for kids kick-start healthy habits that hopefully last a lifetime. What your kid will care about, however, is a device that’s both easy and fun to use. All of these picks cover that quite well. The real MVPs also include lots of parent-friendly features so that you can keep a low-key eye on your kids’ fitness goals.
The Fitbit Ace 3 does all of the above admirably (and looks great doing it), but if you’re searching for something less expensive that ticks most of those boxes, you can’t go wrong with Biggerfive’s Vigor 2 L. Alternatively, if you don’t mind spending more, the Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 is one of the best premium kid fitness trackers money can buy.
Whatever you choose, a fitness tracker is a helpful tool for encouraging an active lifestyle in a world that seems focused on kids staying glued to their screens. Along with fun incentives and family participation, you and your family can keep fit together. Of course, it’s not a cure-all, but for parents worried about technology encouraging idle behavior, a fitness tracker is the perfect way to harness tech to improve health.
Maybe if we start telling people the brain is an app they will start using it!
