Best fitness tracker for kids 2023: our ultimate guide

Updated with the latest available kids fitness trackers – 2023!

Fitness trackers have been so helpful for getting people active, getting their steps in and meeting their goals. So it’s logical to think about getting a kids fitness tracker to help get your child or teen active too right?

Getting kids active can be either something that is increasingly hard or something that you don’t need to worry about at all. If you have a child that’s bouncing around day after day then you might not feel the need to help encourage them to be more active – although if they are asking for a fitness tracker this might be how you’ve ended up here.

On the other hand, if you have kids that prefer watching the tv and playing computer games to going out for a walk then you might be tearing your hair out trying to get them active.

I know that for me it was often on my mind, especially on a particularly screen heavy day, so I’d definitely be looking to get them moving more. And if it helps them sleep better at night I was all for it!

You might be wondering if maybe a fitness tracker might be a good idea and something to consider for a bit of gentle encouragement to get them more active

Whether you’re concerned about your child’s potential for becoming overweight or just simply wanting to instil some good habits around being active a Fitbit watch or fitness tracker is a good tool and it’s worth checking out specific child friendly versions.

The best kids fitness tracker – my top picks

Young kids > FitBit Ace 3 or Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 – they both keep kids well away from any adult topics such as calories burnt and are fun too!

Older kids & young teens > Fitbit Ace – looks just like a grown up tracker

Budget > BiggerFive – it’s a cheap kids fitness tracker that many of my readers decide to use for their kids and love.

What to look for in a kids activity tracker

Fitness trackers for kids should always be something that is fun and that doesn’t penalise kids.  We want them to be encouraged to move around rather than feel like it’s a chore and that’s a tough thing to get right.

When looking for the best fitness tracker for children you probably also want to have something that is inexpensive, simple to use and comfortable on your child’s wrist if it’s a watch design.  You also need to think about what you want it to track – tracking calories might not be appropriate but a step tracker watch could be just what you’re after.

When I’ve been looking at the best kids fitness trackers that are for sale right now in 2022 I’ve found it tricky to get some that aren’t too expensive and that actually work!  There are plenty for adults but getting something that is good for kids?  A bit harder!

Note about buying kids fitness trackers:

Many sellers, especially on Amazon and eBay, state that their trackers are for kids when in reality they are generic trackers with ‘kid’ or ‘child’s’ in the title. They are simply trying to get their product to turn up when searching.

This can mean that the tracker will be too big but mainly they might have emphasis on calories and heart rate that kids simply don’t need at their age.

Take your time and think about what you do and don’t want in a tracker for your children – my guide will help with genuinely child orientated trackers

I’m super pleased that over the years, as I’ve updated this article (I started it probably back in 2017!) , that more companies are coming out with kid orientated watches.  It’s important to me that we encourage activity but stay away from talking about burning calories while tracking – there’s much more time for that when we’re adults!

So, what is the best fitness tracker for kids?

Your kids age will dictate what the best product is – younger kids won’t have the wrist size for some of the more adult-orientated watch fitness trackers that are available so they’ll need something designed just for them.

Older kids will probably not feel the need to have the game orientated watches that dominate the young kids fitness trackers.

If you’re looking for fitness trackers for older kids and teens scroll down for my top picks there.

Best fitness tracker for young kids

The following activity trackers are good for kids up to about the age of 9 and young tweens.  Scroll down if you’re looking for more ones suitable for 10 years old and up

Fitbit Ace 3

New in 2021 is this kids Fitbit.  I’m a big fan of this company having used them lots over the years and I’m thrilled to see they are opening up the doors to more Fitbits for kids.

The Fitbit Ace 3 is their third iteration of a fitness tracker for a younger child and it’s a really good product.  It’s aimed at age 6 and upwards but I think it’s could last a long time – the design of it isn’t too childish or too chunky on your child’s wrist and so definitely feels like kids will want to wear it for a few years at least.

The one in the image above is a Minions Special Edition – always a winner to have a branded character in there, but they do have some plain ones like this one which is perfect if you’re worried about it looking too childish in future.

One concern that always comes up about child versions of Fitbits is whether kids can have an account.  Fitbit have addressed this in recent years and you can set up a family account with a child view of this tracker so they can see how they are doing.

Pros

• 5 day battery life
• waterproof
• can earn virtual badges
• tracks steps, active minutes and sleep
• different colours and replacement bands available
• good quality

Cons

• at the higher price point due to the brand name

This is definitely my choice for the best fitbit for kids if you want to stick with that brand.

Check out the latest price on Amazon here

Garmin Vivofit Jr 3

This is a good option if you want a smartwatch from a good brand name that deals with these kinds of children’s fitness trackers.  The Garmin Vivofit Jr is marketed for ages 4-9 but it’s definitely not one that looks too babyish and so I think could last for a long time.  It has some great designs available and a tonne of different colours that are suitable for a wide range of boys and girls tastes.

What is unique about this fitness band is that it has a parent controlled app – they can motivate the kids to do more activity through this!

Pros

• lots of features that are controlled by the parent app
• doesn’t need to be charged – it’s battery powered
• can incorporate chores and other tasks as well as active time
• tracks steps, sleep and active time
• 2 year warranty

Cons

• On the more expensive side compared to some

Alongside the Fitbit, the Garmin is one of my favourite child pedometers for this age range especially with the fun yet not too childish designs.

Check out the latest price on Amazon here

Garmin Vivofit Jr 2

Garmin has also got the slightly older range still available (which means it’s a little cheaper too) and what’s fun is that they brought out some themed activity trackers from Star Wars, Marvel (including Spiderman above) and also Minnie Mouse – definitely worth looking at especially if you have kids who are crazy about these characters!  

As well as being quite unique and having some fun straps, they have new games that are attached to the app too.

You can see more about this other range of trackers here

Biggerfive Fitness Tracker watch for kids

If budget is important to you and the big brand names are too expensive then this option might be worth looking at as it comes in at under £30.

I’ll be honest and say that I’m disappointed that this one shows calories burned, especially since it’s such a child friendly design – be aware that it is a feature – the reason I’ve included it here is that it’s a good budget option if you wanted something around the £20 mark and has lots of positive reviews from parents.

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• heart rate and sleep tracker
• lots of activity modes
• usb charged
• comes in 4 colours

Cons:

• tracks calories – ugh.

Check the latest price of the Biggerfive Fitness Tracker here

Little Tikes Tobi Robot Smartwatch

This one is a little bit different and new to the market in 2022. The Little Tikes brand is always a favourite and they’ve come up with this game inspired smartwatch for younger kids.

It can help telling the time and has a digital and analogue face you can use. Loads of fun with games to play, a camera function to take photos with and a built in pedometer to keep track of steps.

Pros

• Lots of functions
• Much more than just a fitness tracker
• really good for young kids or perhaps even older toddlers – they say for ages 4+

Cons

• It’s a bit on the chunky side
• It’s quite childish so might not have a long lifespan

Check out this one on Amazon here

Vtech Kidizoom DX2 Smart Watch

Now, this item isn’t specifically a fitness tracker, it’s a smartwatch, but it does include a child’s pedometer and motion sensor so you can certainly use it to encourage and keep track of your child’s fitness and activity levels.

It’s a child version of a smartwatch, but obviously at a lower price and with child-friendly games on as well.  It comes in  3 different colours – blue, green and pink and is suitable from the age of 4 upwards.

Pros:

• Multi-use toy with lots of smart apps and a camera
• the pedometer keeps track of steps and activity
• Action challenge activities
• good choice for 4-6 year olds

Cons:

• should be splashproof but some have had issues with this

Check the latest price of this kids smartwatch here

Best activity tracker for teenagers and older kids

Once your kids get a little older you’ll probably be looking for a tracker that’s a bit more grown-up looking and so it’s natural to be looking at what is available for adults.  Here are some good options for kids in the 8+ age range.

FitBit Ace

If you want a more adult looking tracker for your child, want to stay with the FitBit brand but feel the Ace 3 I mentioned above might be too childish then take a look at the FitBit Ace which was released just recently and is aimed at ages 8 and upwards.  

It seems like a nice go between of having a grown up looking tracker but without the focus on calories burned and it certainly looks just like some of the more adult trackers around at the moment.  

If staying away from calories burnt is an issue for you then do check it out.

Pros:

• Looks just like an adult tracker
• tracks steps, active minutes and sleep
• showerproof
• parents can set up an account to keep tabs on it
• FitBit is a great brand I have had personal experience with

Cons:

• Some may feel like it’s expensive for what you get
• getting a little out of date now – perhaps Fitbit will bring a new version out soon.

Check out the latest price of the Fitbit Ace here

Fitbit Inspire 2

My choice of the best Fitbit for teens is going to be the Fitbit Inspire 2.  This is for a couple of reasons:

• it’s not too expensive compared to others in the fitbit range
• it tracks more than just steps – calories and activity should you want that
• it displays the time just like a watch
• it’s not huge – so won’t feel out of place on a small wrist
• the app keeps track of everything – you could put it on your phone or your kids.
• teens do appreciate good brands!

There are a few cons to a real FitBit of course

• the cost might be too much for a child item – there is the worry that it will get lost or broken
• You may not like any emphasis on calories burnt for kids or even teens

Personally I do also really like Fitbit because they have an excellent customer service – one of our Fitbits stopped working and they replaced it with no questions asked (we just had to show we had a receipt for it), so although there are lots of cheaper versions out there I think getting a good brand is worth it.  If you want to invest in a good tracker that will grow with your teen this is the one.

Check out the Fitbit Inspire 2 here

Garmin Vivosmart 4

This is another adult fitness tracker, this time from Garmin. This would be suitable for older teens since it’s tracking more adult things. Some of the Garmin trackers are on the expensive side, this one is one of the cheaper one’s available.

I like their stress tracking options and for teens that are under a lot of pressure that might be something that will appeal to help out there. It has all the rest of the adult options around – step tracking, calories, heart rate etc.

Pros

• has activity timers as well as tracking steps
• stress tracking
• breathing and relaxation timer
• connects to smartphones and receives notifications

Cons

• Since it’s an adult one, might not be suitable for younger teens
• not much choice of colours

Check out the lates price of the Garmin Vivosmart 4 here

Biggerfive kids fitness tracker

Recently new is this tracker from Biggerfive which is really popular.  This is a much more sophisticated and less child like looking tracker than the one listed above from the same manufacturer.

This is a good option if you don’t want the expense of a Fitbit for your kids which still looks grown up and good quality.  They state it’s designed for kids but comes with lots of tracking options (some of which might not be suitable depending on what you want).

The sports wristband will track your steps, your walking distance, calories, sleep quality and will also do things like notify you of incoming messages if you attach it to your phone.  It’s a really good entry smartwatch and will connect to both android and iOS smartphones with its app so you can use it to see incoming calls and messages too.

I really like this one because it does all you’d want a more sophisticated tracker to do but at a much-reduced price – one of the cheapest of the trackers for the older kids.  It will help your kids feel all grown up yet will be cheap enough to have you not worry about getting it broken.

Pros

• inexpensive
• looks good quality
• tracks a variety of different things
• comes in 5 colours – green (above), blue, pink, purple or black

Cons

• although they say it’s designed for kids it’s likely just an adult tracker
• some find the strap too big
• tracks calories burned

Check out the Biggerfive fitness watch here