Top 4 compared
The best kids' smartwatches
A child’s first watch, with games, a step counter and an alarm, and no phone or SIM card needed.
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The top 4 at a glance
Most kids’ smartwatches are toys with a clock in them: a camera, a few games, a step counter and an alarm, all working on their own with no phone, no SIM card and nothing to set up. Makers sell them for ages 4 to about 12, and most let a child pick from a set of clock faces. The other kind, for older kids, is a fitness tracker, with heart rate, sleep tracking and sports modes.
None of these makes calls or shows where a child is. A 4G phone-watch with GPS is a different kind of purchase, with a SIM card and usually a monthly plan, and none we looked at was good enough to recommend yet.
What matters
- Splash-proof is fine for hand washing; the pool needs IP68.
- A strap that adjusts as the wrist grows.
- Parental controls that limit or lock the games.
#1VTech KidiZoom Smartwatch DX4 (Blue)
$10–$20
Two cameras for selfies and videos, movement and reaction games that get them off the couch, a way to compose music and more than 50 clock faces that help with telling the time, all on a watch made for 4- to 12-year-olds. VTech has been making electronic learning toys since 1980.
What owners say: Owners say it keeps preschoolers and young kids busy for hours and that it helped theirs learn to tell the time, though for a few it stopped working within months, or the battery faded.
Heads up: Charge it with the micro-USB cable in the box from an ordinary USB plug: VTech says not to use a third-party adapter.
A closer look: Set it to English, Spanish or French the first time it’s switched on, then let them choose a clock face. The AR monster game sends them hunting around the house with the camera, and the step-based challenges work best outdoors. It’s splash-proof for hand washing and rain, not for the bathtub or the pool.
- Shake to hear the time
- 50-plus clock faces
- Music composer
- English, Spanish or French menus
Best for: Clock practice with selfies on the side
- Camera
- Two
- Heart rate and sleep
- No
- Water resistance
- Splash-proof
- Games
- Movement, reaction and AR games, more to download
- Maker's age range
- 4 to 12
#2Cosjoype Kids Smart Watch with 39 Games and Camera (D07)
$20–$30
The games watch: 39 of them, from puzzles to reaction games, plus a selfie camera, a music player, a flashlight and a step counter, on a 1.54 in touchscreen in an aluminum frame. A habit tracker lets you set little goals, and a parental-control setting limits play.
What owners say: Children love it and ask for it every morning, owners say, and it’s simple enough for a 5-year-old to work on their own, though some report one that stopped working after a short while.
A closer look: Load a few songs onto it over the USB cable and it doubles as a music player for car trips. The habit tracker is a nice touch for a first watch: check off brushing teeth or feeding the dog each day. The pink listing is linked here; it comes in other colors too.
- Habit tracker for daily goals
- MP3 player and voice recorder
- Parental control limits play
- About 7 days a charge
- Flashlight and step counter
Best for: Games on long car rides
- Camera
- Yes
- Heart rate and sleep
- No
- Water resistance
- Not water resistant
- Games
- 39 games
- Maker's age range
- 4 to 12
#3Minecraft Kids Smart Watch by Accutime (MIN4045AZ)
$30–$50
Ten Minecraft faces (Creeper, Enderman, TNT) on a green, pixel-patterned watch for a child who talks about nothing else, with a camera for selfies, a video and voice recorder, a pedometer and some mini-games. No internet, no Bluetooth and no app, so there’s nothing to worry about, and Accutime backs it with a one-year warranty.
What owners say: A hit with Minecraft fans, owners say, and the first thing their kids show their friends, though some had one that wouldn’t turn on after charging and others felt it was a lot to pay for a toy.
A closer look: Charge it for at least two hours before the first use, as Accutime advises. The strap buckles like an ordinary watch and fits wrists from 5.5 to 8 in, so it will last a few years of growing. The games are simple time-fillers; the camera and the Minecraft faces are what they actually use.
- Creeper, Enderman and TNT faces
- No internet, Bluetooth or app
- Fits wrists 5.5–8 in
- Video and voice recorder
- 1-year warranty
Best for: Minecraft fans
- Camera
- Yes
- Heart rate and sleep
- No
- Water resistance
- –
- Games
- Mini-games (count not stated)
- Maker's age range
- 6 and up
#4BIGGERFIVE Brave 2 Kids Smart Watch (BW02)
$30–$50
A grown-up-looking smartwatch for tweens and younger teens, with a 1.8 in touchscreen, 80 sports modes and heart-rate and sleep tracking. It works on its own, and the free app adds a hundred-plus watch faces (or one of their own photos) and lets you lock the five puzzle games during school hours.
What owners say: Owners say it looks like an Apple Watch to their kids and is simple to figure out, with step, sleep and heart-rate tracking they didn’t expect. Not every unit lasts: some needed charging daily or quit working.
A closer look: It pairs with the BIGGERFIVE app on Android 6.0 or iOS 9.0 and later, and that’s where you lock the games for school or all the time. The games have no sound, so it won’t go off in class. The vibrating alarm wakes them without waking the house.
- 80 sports modes
- Own photo as watch face
- Games make no sound
- Vibrating alarm
- 1.8 in touchscreen
Best for: Tweens who want a real smartwatch
- Camera
- No
- Heart rate and sleep
- Yes
- Water resistance
- IP68
- Games
- 5 puzzle games (lockable)
- Maker's age range
- 5 to 16
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 4.
| Feature | #1VTech DX4 | #2Cosjoype D07 | #3Minecraft watch | #4BIGGERFIVE Brave 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best fitness tracker | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.5 |
| Price | $10–$20 | $20–$30 | $30–$50 | $30–$50 |
| Camera | Two | Yes | Yes | No |
| Heart rate and sleep | No | No | No | Yes |
| Water resistance | Splash-proof | Not water resistant | – | IP68 |
| Games | Movement, reaction and AR games, more to download | 39 games | Mini-games (count not stated) | 5 puzzle games (lockable) |
| Maker's age range | 4 to 12 | 4 to 12 | 6 and up | 5 to 16 |
| Best for | Clock practice with selfies on the side | Games on long car rides | Minecraft fans | Tweens who want a real smartwatch |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
