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Best Fitness Tracker for Kids [UK Buyers Guide]

Katie Mills

December 8, 2020

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Fitness trackers have long been popular with adults, especially desk-based workers, but in the early days, they were on the expensive side.  Now, however, they have become affordable enough to be given to children, which is handy, since they’re often leading more sedentary lives too.

If you know you’re in the market for a fitness tracker for kids and you just want to know which one to buy, then head straight to the review section.  If you’d like to know a bit more about fitness trackers for kids and what to look for in one, then please keep reading.

Buying a Children's Fitness Tracker

The number one feature of a children’s fitness tracker is that it actually fits a child’s wrist, by which we mean fits comfortably.  Some children’s fitness trackers are also sold to adults and that’s fine as long as the strap can be adapted so the children’s fitness tracker sits snugly, but not tightly, on their wrist.  It’s also a good idea for there to be some level of waterproofing.

For very young children, you definitely want any children’s fitness tracker to be simple for them to use.  In fact, ideally, the children shouldn’t have to do anything, their parents should be able to set everything up for them and then just leave the child’s fitness tracker to run without any input from them.  After this it depends on the child.  In some cases, simpler is better, but many children are just fine with technology which would leave adults scratching their heads.

The other major point to look for in a children’s fitness tracker is that it’s at an affordable price point.  Quite bluntly, children, even older children and teens, are not always the best at taking care of their possessions (although we’ll admit there are some exceptions here).  Basically, you probably want your children’s fitness tracker to be affordable enough that it won’t hurt too much if it gets lost, broken or, frankly, stolen.

Children’s Fitness Watch Versus Children’s Tracker Watch

A children’s fitness watch is a watch which contains a pedometer and sometimes a heart-rate monitor as well.  It is used mainly for tracking fitness, although it may have added functionality, similar to a smart watch.  It may be linked to a phone (in fact these days most of them are in some way) but it does not need a SIM card to function.

A children’s tracker watch is a basic smart watch with a GPS function which allows parents to track where their children are.  There may be some which can also function as children’s fitness watches, we don’t know of any, but then we’ve never really looked, but that is not their main purpose.  Their main purpose is to keep track of a child’s location.  In addition to being linked to a phone, some children’s tracker watches can also act as cut-down phones and as such can take a SIM card, although they may not need it for basic functions.

Standard Features on an Activity Tracker for Kids

Most of the features on an activity tracker for kids are actually pretty self-explanatory.  We have, however, picked out some of the main ones we think could use a bit of further explanation.

Activity monitoring

This is the main reason why you’re buying an activity tracker for kids so it probably helps to know how it works.

As far as we’ve been able to tell, all activity trackers for kids are basically wrist-worn pedometers.  This means that they actually track arm movements rather than steps and as such they’re highly unlikely to be totally accurate (this goes for the adult versions as well).  We can live with this because a kid that’s moving their arms about enough to register on the tracker is probably being pretty active anyway.

Some activity trackers for kids also have heart-rate monitors which are more accurate and can offer more functionality.  This, however, is only a benefit if it’s actually used, which again will depend on your child.

Sleep monitoring

This is usually fairly accurate, but, please remember to take it as guidance rather than hard facts.  In other words, if you see a potential issue, do some further investigating before deciding whether or not to worry about it.

Phone-linked functions

All the activity trackers for kids we found had to be linked to a phone, if only to pick up the time and date.  One of the activity trackers for kids we found is intended to be linked to a parent’s phone, all the rest are intended to be linked to the user’s phone i.e. the child’s one phone.  If this is an issue, you can link it to another phone, but if you do, there are a couple of points to remember.

Activity trackers for kids are not actually watches, they pick up the time and date from the phone link and any alarms and timers depend on the linked phone having the correct date and time.  If you cross a time zone e.g. on business travel and your phone updates automatically, then so will your kid’s activity tracker.

All bar one of the activity trackers for kids we found provide notifications for calls, SMS and SNS.  If you’re planning on linking a kid’s activity tracker to a parent’s phone, then it’s probably a good idea to turn off this feature.  Otherwise your kid will get an alert every time you get a phone call, text message or social-media notification.  Not only could this be inconvenient for both of you, it might not go down too well with their school (or indeed at after-school activities).

As a final point, we’ve seen various manufacturers advise that their activity trackers for kids can only be used with smartphones rather than tablets.  Given that iOS and Android tablets are literally smartphones without the phone part (and with bigger screens), we’re assuming this is to do with the data connection.  We’re also guessing that if the phone and kid’s activity tracker get too far apart, the connection will be broken and the activity tracker will only have limited functionality.

Best fitness tracker for kids - top five list

Here is our pick of the five best fitness trackers for kids and a brief explanation of what they can do and why we like them.  We’ve included one option for very young children (four to nine) and the rest are for pre-teens and teens.  The reason for this is that from what we’ve seen, most young children are still fairly active.  These days we get the feeling children usually start to slow down when they hit the pre-teen stage and discover the internet and computer games.

BingoFit Kids Fitness Tracker

Overall - even though the name suggests this is for really young children, we’d actually say it was best for pre-teens and actual teens and could see them through to adulthood.  It has a decent level of functionality at a decent price.

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BingoFit Kids Fitness Tracker, Slim Sports Activity Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor...

• 【All-day Activity Tracking 】Accurately record 24 hours activities. Tracks your steps, calories burned, miles covered and active minutes in the daytime. Help you better understand specific activity data, make your exercise more effective. Connected GPS use your smartphone GPS to see real-time pace and distance.

Last update was on: January 24, 2025 8:07 am

Product Page

• 【All-day Activity Tracking 】Accurately record 24 hours activities. Tracks your steps, calories burned, miles covered and active minutes in the daytime. Help you better understand specific activity data, make your exercise more effective. Connected GPS use your smartphone GPS to see real-time pace and distance.
• 【Heart Rate Monitor& Sleep Monitor】Continuous, automatic heart rate tracking without an uncomfortable chest strap, it can help you better understand your health and fitness. Automatically tracks your sleep duration and sleep stages. Set a silent alarm and your tracker will wake you with a quiet vibration.
• 【Calls/ SMS/ SNS/ Sedentary Alert】 Remind call, SMS and SNS notifications, anti-lost functions, sedentary alert, alarm clock, stopwatch, etc.It will vibrate when your phone receives calls, text messages and text messages to alert you. You will never miss a call or a message. If you work too long, sedentary reminders will remind you to relax.
• 【Compatible with IOS and Android Phones】Download and install the free App by scanning the QR code or searching in Google Play or Apple App Store. It is compatible with IOS 9.0&Android 4.4 or above smartphone ( Not compatible with SAMSUNG J3, HUAWEI P8, WINDOWS, IPAD);
• 【Built-in USB Plug】 Built-in USB plug makes it easy to charge in any USB port, no cable needed. One full charge gives about 5-7 days of working time; if any quality problems, welcome to contact amazon customer service or us.

Garmin Vivofit Jr. Daily Activity Tracker for Kids

Overall - this one is pitched straight at kids aged four to nine and as such it’s the best option for that age group.  In particular, the strap is stretchy, so it’s easy to get on and off (there’s no buckles or fastenings), but when it’s on it stays on securely, while still being comfortable.

There’s only a basic level of functionality, but that’s understandable.  Frankly the task/reward system is just the digital version of keeping a paper chart on the wall, but it’s still quite nice to have.  Garmin suggests that parents use the task timers to make sure kids don’t take too long with tasks, we actually think it would be more useful as a way to make sure that kids actually spend a decent amount of time brushing their teeth!

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Garmin Vivofit Jr. Daily Activity Tracker for Kids - Digi Camo (Green)

• Children’s chore and activity tracker to encourage a lifetime of healthy habits
• Robust, comfortable, stain resistant, secure, swim and bath safe plus 1 year battery life.No recharging needed. Display resolution 64 x 64 pixels

Last update was on: January 24, 2025 8:07 am

Product Page

• Children’s chore and activity tracker to encourage a lifetime of healthy habits
• Robust, comfortable, stain resistant, secure, swim and bath safe plus 1 year battery life.No recharging needed. Display resolution 64 x 64 pixels
• Regular accommodates wrists up to 145 mm ; Case material: polymer ; Strap material : silicone. Auto goal: 60 minute daily play goal
• Parent-controlled app motivates the child with rewards and mobile adventures
• Fitness tracker for children aged 4 to 9 years: records steps, sleep and Summary of child’s 60-minute daily get active goal
• X-large fits wrists 146-170 mm, vívofit 3, vivofit jr. and vivofit jr. 2 bands are compatible

LETSCOM Fitness Tracker

Overall - this is another one for the pre-teens and teenagers, with some nice added functionality.  The remote shutter function and phone finder may go down particularly well!

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LETSCOM Fitness Tracker, Fitness Tracker Pedometer Watch with Slim Touch Screen and...

• Activity Tracker: NO Heart Rate Monitor Tracks your all-day steps, calories burned, miles walked, active minutes with detail data report in app
• Pedometer Watch: This fitness tracker uses a built-in 3D motion sensor and powerful algorithms to passively track and quantify your steps when you swing your arm

Last update was on: January 24, 2025 8:07 am

Product Page

• Activity Tracker: NO Heart Rate Monitor Tracks your all-day steps, calories burned, miles walked, active minutes with detail data report in app
• Pedometer Watch: This fitness tracker uses a built-in 3D motion sensor and powerful algorithms to passively track and quantify your steps when you swing your arm
• Sleep Monitor: Monitors your sleep quality with deep sleep, light sleep, wake sleep data and data report in app
• Call and Message Reminder: Vibrates to remind you of calls, texts, social media messages, helping you keep up with your busy lifestyle
• Cordless Charging: Insert the built-in USB plug into a USB charger for charging; no charging cable required. 1-2 hours charging enables 5-7 days playing

Letsfit Fitness Tracker

Overall - we’re not sure why, but there’s something about the styling of this fitness tracker which seems to give it a more “grown up” look than the rest.  If you’re trying to get a teenage fashionista up of his/her favourite chair then this might be the one to go for.

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Letsfit Fitness Tracker, Activity Tracker Fitness Smartwatch Wristband Touch Screen IP67 Water...

• [No Built-in Heart Rate Monitor] Automatic All-Day Activity Tracking: Accurately records your all-day activities in detail, including steps, distance, calories burned, durations of different activities, etc.

Last update was on: January 24, 2025 8:07 am

Product Page

• [No Built-in Heart Rate Monitor] Automatic All-Day Activity Tracking: Accurately records your all-day activities in detail, including steps, distance, calories burned, durations of different activities, etc.
• Sleep Monitor Tracker: Activity tracker records your sleep duration and consistency with analysis of sleep quality data. Wakes you up with a silent vibrating alarm, also you can set different alarms to remind you to do exercise etc
• Calls/Message/Sedentary Reminder: Connected with call, message, calendar and notifications from Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram ect on your activity tracker. Letsfit fitness tracker will remind you to move if you stay at seat for too long
• Easy Cordless Charging: Insert the built-in USB plug into a USB charger for charging, no charging cable required. 1-2 hours charging enables 5 to 7 days working time
• IP67 Waterproof: IP67 waterproof fitness tracker suits for everyday use, splash or rain resistant. Please note: The fitness tracker is NOT suitable for showering, bathing, swimming, diving, snorkeling, or water related activities

moreFit Kids Fitness Tracker

Overall - when we first looked at all the features in this fitness tracker, we thought most of them had just been shoved in to make it look cool.  The more we thought about it however the more we realized that they could actually be genuinely useful to some people.  Also, when you’re looking at pre-teens and teens (who are clearly the intended market for this fitness tracker), there’s probably a lot to be said for being able to give them something with “cool-gadget” value.

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moreFit Kids Fitness Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor, Waterproof Activity Tracker Watch...

Last update was on: January 24, 2025 8:07 am

Product Page

Best Fitness Tracker for Kids - Summary

• The best fitness tracker for young kids is the Garmin.  Otherwise, the best fitness tracker for your kid - depends on your kid.
• The BingoFit is a lot more sensible than its name suggests and offers a decent amount of functionality at a reasonable price.
• The LetsCom covers all the basics and has some nice added functionality.
• The LetsFit is, in our opinion, the most stylish option, but still does the job.
• The moreFit has a lot of functionality at a very reasonable price.  Some people may genuinely need it, others may feel reassured having it, others may just think it’s cool and fun.

Katie Mills

Katie is our resident Editor and extremely is a well-respected voice in the world of fitness. Katie has a first-class Hons degree in Journalism and is proud to say that she has written leading entries featured in the biggest media outlets including Vogue, Women Health Magazine and CoachMag. Great outdoors and animal lover and always on the go