The Best Fitness Tracker For Kids


Everywhere you go, you can probably spot someone wearing a fitness tracker on their wrist or may be attached to the waistband of their shorts. They can keep track of their activity level, blood pressure, heart rate, and check the time. Along with adult fitness trackers, there are children’s versions too. This review can help parents find the best fitness trackers for kids.

a set of the best fitness tracker for kids in different colors

Fitness Tracker FAQs

  1. What is a fitness tracker for kids?  

A fitness tracker is a wearable electronic device that helps people keep track of their activity levels. It can help them keep track of the steps they walk every day, miles that they run, provide data on sleep quality, and some of their vitals. 

The best fitness trackers for kids will count their steps or the amount of time they are active. Parents can set activity goals, and some trackers will unlock games when they accomplish those goals. Parents can set reminders to do chores on trackers as well. For teens, a fitness tracker is closer to what an adult might wear, but parents can set goals and reminders on them as well. 

  1. How does a kids’ fitness tracker work? 

Kids can wear a fitness tracker around the wrist to measure when they are in motion, whether it is walking, jogging, or not moving at all. Most of them come with three-axis accelerometers, which is a device that measures movement.

Some trackers also have gyroscopes that can measure rotation and orientation as well. The data these devices collect then converts into steps or activity, and then into calories or sleep quality, whichever data your fitness tracker offers and that you want to check.

Children’s trackers have most of the same sensors and devices inside of them that adult trackers do. But they may supply different types of information. Instead of monitoring blood pressure, a kid’s tracker often monitors steps and activity levels throughout the day. They can also track goals that parents have set on the device. 

Usually, the data is a little different in each fitness tracker depending on the child’s age. A tracker for a four-year-old may count activities and teach him or her how to eat healthy by making a game of it. For a teenager, they may be more concerned with getting in shape for their sport and can use their tracker to do so. 

  1. Where can you buy a kids’ fitness tracker? 

If you cannot find a children’s fitness tracker in retail stores that sell adult versions, such as Kohl’s, Best Buy, or Academy Sports and Outdoors, then go online. They are available on websites like Amazon, Etsy, or the sites of the retail stores previously mentioned.

How We Reviewed

For this review, we researched fitness trackers for kids to learn about how to use them, what information they offer, and how they work. We then read testimonials and reviews to find out what parents are saying about them. After gathering this information, we chose a list of fitness trackers for children for readers to review so that they can find the best tracker for their child. 

Overall Price Range

Fitness trackers for kids are available in many styles with various data available on them. They range in price from around $10 to $70.

Kids Fitness Tracker Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Fitness Tracker for Children

If you think your child spends too much time playing video games and not playing outside, then a fitness tracker can help you find out how much they walk, run, and play each day. However, since fitness trackers look delicate, and some of them are not cheap, you’ll want to consider trackers that are durable, water-resistant, and find out how it’s powered.

When shopping for a child’s fitness tracker, consider its durability. Kids can get rough when they play and don’t always consider what they’re wearing when playing or exploring. As a result, the fitness tracker may receive bumps, scratches, and accidentally go underwater when they’re cleaning up or splashing in puddles.

Look for a tracker with a rubber or plastic band that won’t get wet, won’t mildew, and on which dirt or water quickly wipes off. Pick one with a scratch-resistant crystal too, so it’s still legible after your kid has been playing while wearing it. 

Finally, consider the power source of the device. Most adult trackers need recharging frequently, but kids are not always responsible with their devices, and the battery may run out of power. Look for one with a long-lasting battery that is easy to recharge by plugging it into a USB port on a computer.

Best Fitness Trackers for Kids

If your child wants a fitness tracker like yours, here are our picks for some of the best ones. With this information, you should be able to choose one for your child’s needs.

Garmin Vivofit Jr.  Kids Fitness/Activity Tracker

The Garmin company makes high-quality wearables like fitness trackers and smartwatches for personal use. This Garman fitness/activity tracker is the Vivofit, Jr. for Kids

Key Features

The Vivofit Jr. is like the adult fitness tracker, the Vivofit. It keeps track of how many steps kids take, how long they sleep, and the amount of time they are active. The device is kid-friendly because it has a durable design. 

It has a battery that lasts for one year that never needs charging, its band material is silicone, and it is compatible with the Vivofit bands if it needs replacing. Also, this wearable tracker is one size fits most. It’s suitable for kids from the ages of four to nine years old. 

Garmin gives this tracker a rating of five ATM, which mean it can withstand water pressure that is equal to about 50 meters. So, if your child wears one and forgets he has it on and jumps into the pool, the water won’t ruin it. Also, this tracker has a one-year limited warranty

It comes with an app for the parents’ phone, so they can examine the data and manage the reward system. When kids achieve a goal, such as 60 minutes of activity, they unlock coins for rewards, and the parents can control the type of reward their child gets. The tracker has three designs, Broken Lava (red), Digi Camo (green), and Real Flower, which is white with pink and blue roses.

Pros and Cons

This list describes some of the best and worse aspects of the tracker.

Pros:

  • Durable design for active kids
  • Water-resistant to 50 meters
  • Doesn’t need recharging 
  • Battery is replaceable

Cons:

  • The display is small

Warranty

One-year limited warranty

LeapFrog Leapband Activity Tracker

This activity tracker from LeapFrog helps kids keep track of their activity levels, and it encourages them to play, make healthy food choices, and offers games to play.

Key Features

The activity tracker is suitable for children four to seven years old, and it has 50 fun challenges that encourage more activity. They can do things like worm wiggles or march like elephants and receive rewards for doing the challenges.

It also has games that kids can play on it, which teaches them about making healthy food choices and other good habits. Parents can download an app to their iPhone or Android phone to manage the challenges, set playtimes, and read the data the tracker gathers.

The band of the watch is plastic, and kids can get it wet while they’re playing because the device is water-resistant. It connects to a USB port to recharge the battery, and the tracker gives audio instructions regarding the challenges. It is compatible with LeapFrog Connect. This device is available in pink, blue, and green.

Pros and Cons

This list gives you a quick look at the pros and cons of the device.

Pros:

  • Audio instructions, so kids don’t need to read anything on the display
  • A rechargeable lithium-ion battery
  • Teaches kids about other healthy habits

Cons:

  • Bulky size for small wrists
  • The band on the device is stiff

Warranty

90-day warranty

TRENDY PRO Kids Fitness Activity Tracker

This fitness tracker can help make kids healthier by letting them and their parents find out how active they are during the day. The parents can help set goals for them to meet and create rewards for achieving them.

Key Features

The TRENDY PRO fitness tracker is not specific to kids because the soft band is capable of fitting adults too. It doesn’t offer the games or parental controls on the app that kid-specific devices do, so if your child wants a tracker like yours, this device would be the best one to choose.

This device tracks activity like steps and distance when walking or running, and the calories your activity burns. It also tracks sleep and provides statistics about how long and deep their sleeping, it gives alerts about phone calls, texts, and social media accounts too. 

If your child is sitting around too much, the tracker provides reminders to get up and be more active. The bands fit wrists from 5.9 to 8.27-inches, and they are available in colors blue, aqua, and purple. Replacement bands are also available in four-packs.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the features that we like and those we don’t.

Pros:

  • Fits adults and children
  • Tracks the amount of activity your child does
  • Provides reminders to be active

Cons:

  • Not kid-specific
  • No parental controls

Warranty

One-year limited warranty

FitBit Ace, Activity Tracker for Kids

FitBit is the company responsible for the fitness tracker craze, and along with their trackers for adults, they offer the Ace tracker for kids eight years old and up. 

Key Features

The Ace tracker provides kids with information about how many steps they’ve taken for the day, their sleep habits, and the number of minutes they’ve been active. The device has a bright, tap display on which their parents can change settings or scroll through for the data it collects.

Goals are on the tracker, and when met, the display sends messages congratulating the user on their achievement, along with achievement badges. This FitBit allows kids to message others with challenges, send them encouraging messages, and cheer for them. 

The band is one size fits most with a circumference of 4.6 to 6.1-inches. The tracker consists of molded plastic to fit around the wrist, and it is water-resistant, so it can go into the shower or survive a sudden rainstorm, but it shouldn’t go into a pool. This device can operate in temperatures from 14 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit

The battery can last for up to five days before it needs recharging, which involves plugging it into the USB charger that comes with the device. The Ace is suitable for kids 12 and younger, and the app is compatible with iPhone OS and Android. This FitBit is available in electric blue or purple.

Pros and Cons

These are the features we like and don’t like.

Pros:

  • Tracks steps, activity, and sleep habits
  • It has a five-day battery life
  • It is suitable for kids up to 12 years old

Cons:

  • Kids cannot wear it while swimming

Warranty

It has a one-year limited warranty and a 45-day satisfaction return policy

Comparison Table

BrandGarminLeapFrogTrendy ProFitBit
ModelVivofit Jr.LeapBandAce
Ages4 to 9 years4 to 7 years9 to adultUp to 12-years-old
FunctionsSteps, Sleep, 60 minutes activity, TimeTime, 50 activity challenges, digital rewardsTime, Steps, Distance, Calories, Sleep, Call and Text alertsSteps, Sleep habits, Time, Amount of daily activity, Messaging
MaterialsPolymer body and silicone bandWristband is plasticSoft plastic wristbandMolded plastic
BatteryOne-year battery life; ReplaceableRechargeableRechargeableRechargeable, 5-day life
WarrantyOne-year limited90-dayOne-year limitedOne-year limited warranty

Final Verdict

After researching these devices to find the best fitness trackers for kids, our choice for the best is the Garmin Vivofit, Jr. It is suitable for kids from four to nine years old, and the settings are more age-appropriate than some of the other brands.

If kids jump into a swimming pool with it on, it won’t hurt it as the tracker can go into water that’s up to 50 meters deep. Also, the battery doesn’t need recharging for a year, and it is replaceable. It has a one-year limited warranty. Even though it may cost more than other trackers, but it’s built to survive use by a child.

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