The Best Smart Watches for Kids: A Parent’s Guide

So they’ve got the games consoles - set top and mobile. They’ve got a tablet, they’ve even got a smartphone. And yet your kids’ insatiable desire for fancy new gadgets shows no signs of letting up.

Or, perhaps you’ve decided enough is enough - you want to try to wean them off screens (big ones, at least) while still giving them something that will satisfy their love of all things tech, a cool new toy they can show off to all their friends.

It might be time to consider a smart watch. Smart watches, and their close relations fitness trackers, are best described as pieces of wearable tech that provide many of the functions we’re used to from smartphones - messaging, social media, games, apps - but in a convenient small format you can wear on your wrist.

From a parent’s perspective, smart watches have a couple of advantages over other common types of gadget. One, in fitness tracker mode, they encourage kids to get active, ‘gamifying’ exercise so they see play as more than being sat on a console all day. Two, they can provide safety and security benefits, with GPS tracking allowing parents to keep tabs on where their children are even if they can’t physically see them.

But what are the best smart watch options around for kids? Here are some favourite products aimed at under 12s.

Garmin VivoFit Jr2

What better way to get kids active than by helping them to imagine they are part of an adventure featuring one of their favourite movie heroes? Garmin produces Disney and Marvel-themed fitness trackers that do just that. Choose your favourite Marvel superhero or Disney princess, and the VivoFit Jr will set your child challenges to complete daily adventures. It is fun, affordable and, as an added incentive to parents, it can also be used to set your kids chores with a reward system included.

VTech KidiZoom DX2

VTech are specialists in kid-friendly technology, and they really hit their straps with the KidiZoom - a smart watch and camera in one! Not only does it allow children to play an impressive range of games, including some great AR-powered monster catching games along the lines of Pokemon Go, they can also take ‘action shots’, selfies and videos from the two in-built cameras.

Kurio Watch 2.0

For slightly older kids who will appreciate the full smartphone-on-your-wrist experience, you can’t go wrong with the Kurio 2.0. The range of features packed into this little gadget are impressive - not just games and fitness tracking apps, but a camera, a media player and, perhaps best of all for kids who are old enough for social media, messaging apps for staying in touch with their friends.

Leapfrog Leapband

Leapfrog has made a name for itself developing tech that focuses on child development and education, so it is no surprise that the brand’s Leapband activity tracker is a stand-out example in this area. First of all, the central Leapband concept is really cool - the watch contains a virtual pet for every owner, which has to be fed and cared for by completing activities and tasks. These are not just physical, but also link to key skills objectives for each developmental stage.

Tencent Kids Smart Watch

Giving a child greater independence is one of the most worrying things any parent goes through. On the one hand, you don’t want to be that parent that says they can’t go off to the park with their friends. On the other hand, you naturally worry about them staying safe and feel anxious if you don’t know exactly where they are. The Tencent Smart Watch is a great compromise for loosening the reins just a little. With GPS tracking built in, parents can monitor their child’s movements without literally keeping an eye on them at all times, for example by setting boundaries for where a child can and cannot go.

Another worry you might have, of course, is that after you invest in a smart watch for your child, kids being kids, it could end up being smashed to pieces in a couple of weeks. Do yourself a favour and get extra peace of mind by taking out Row.co.uk’s fabulous value gadget insurance, starting at just £1.49 a month.

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

Tablets are a godsend for parents all over the world. Like digital soothers, a whole generation of parents ask themselves - how did people cope before these things were invented?

On long journeys, when the kids start getting fidgety on shopping trips, just to give you a break and them some much needed downtime - tablets are a winner. Portable, convenient and multi-functional, tablets are great because kids can do so many different things on them. Some of it is even educational!

So if you’re planning on investing in a new model this year, what are the best tablets available for kids in 2020? Let’s take a look. Don't forget to check out our brilliant value tablet cover options as well!

Best Budget Buys

You know what kids are like - most things you give them are going to end up dropped on the floor, trampled on and drinks spilled over them. So do you really want to spend the big bucks on a tablet? Luckily, there are some great budget tablets available built with kids in mind. The Kurio Tab Connect is a great example, a big bright chunky model perfect for little hands with a 7-inch screen and user friendly parental controls. Similar in design is the Amazon Fire 7 for Kids, which gives you access to Amazon’s enormous range of content on the FIre OS. Neither of these tablets will win any prizes for processing speed or picture quality for watching films, but if cheap and cheerful is what you’re after with a seemingly endless supply of games, audiobooks and other apps, you can’t go wrong.

Best for Movies

One of the staple activities most kids want to use a tablet for is streaming their favourite TV programmes and movies. If you want your children to be able to enjoy the experience without any problems with lag or buffering, you need a tablet with a better CPU than most of the budget options. Something like the Amazon Fire HD 10 for Kids is perfect - with a 10.1 inch screen, 1920 x 1200 resolution and blistering octa-core processor, your children will be as happy watching movies on this nifty device as they are on your main flatscreen TV.

Best for Education

LeapFrog knows a thing or two about tech for children - they have been global leaders in the category for the past couple of decades. Their products also have a distinct educational bent to them, and the LeapFrog Epic is no different. An otherwise pretty standard 7-inch screen tablet with the typical kiddie-friendly chunky design, where the LeapFrog Epic comes into its own is the child-friendly interface and content. Although built on Android, LeapFrog has customised the UI so kids will pick up using it independently easily and quickly. Even more impressively, the whole software platform is designed to ‘grow’ with your child, with a goals-based system of daily rewards underpinning a developmental approach which unlocks new content and features as and when your child is ready.

Best Premium

If there is one downside to the LeapFrog Epic, it is that it is pretty expensive for a kid’s tablet. And if you are looking at forking out several hundred pounds for one, you might as well consider the daddy of all tablets - the original, still quite possibly the best around, the iPad. Apple’s game-changing piece of tech is as impressive today as it was a decade ago when it was first launched, and as it does for pretty much all uses, it makes a great kid’s tablet too. The iPad Mini is particularly well suited to small hands, although the slimline design (and your bank balance!) might make it necessary to invest in a nice thick bouncy protective case. But with great screen quality, performance and Apple’s legendary app range, it’s hard to go wrong.

Want to protect your investment in a new kid’s tablet? You might not be able to make tech child-proof, but you can insure it! Get a quote with us - our superb value policies start at as little as £1.49 a month.

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