#CodingLabParenting: 5 Best Smartwatches for Kids in Singapore
Today, smartwatches are becoming increasingly popular among children in Singapore, and for good reason! They give us the unparalleled ease and convenience of ensuring our children’s safety. A smartwatch becomes an even more optimal choice since some schools do not allow younger students to have phones.
As we often see such smartwatches on our students’ wrists and witness firsthand the benefits that they provide, we decided to do some research and compiled a list of 5 Best Smartwatches for Kids in Singapore!
1. Fitbit Ace 3
For Kids Aged 6+
Image of Fitbit Ace 3 (Image Credit: Digital Trends)
The Fitbit Ace 3 is a stylish and kid-friendly activity tracker that helps to make fitness and exercise fun for the entire family! With virtual badges and an animated clock-face, it will help to inculcate healthy habits by encouraging your child to participate in fun-filled activities! Children can even bring their Fitbit along to the beach or even into the swimming pool, as the Ace 3 is water resistant to 50m!
At night, you can schedule bedtime reminders using your Fitbit App, and the Ace 3 can also function as a sleep tracking device to let you know if your child is getting adequate sleep. Most importantly, it is designed with children in mind and has an adjustable clasp, providing for a comfortable and secure fit. Your child will have no problems navigating its beautiful touchscreen and clock face displays!
Pros:
All-Day Activity Tracking
Swimproof
Up to 8 Days of Battery
Customisable with Bands and Accessories
Cons:
Touchscreen has a reduced number of features compared to adult’s fitness band
Only has monochrome display
Price: S$118.00
2. Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3
For Kids Aged 4+
Image of Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 (Image Credit: Garmin)
The Garmin Vivofit Jr. 3 is a smart watch designed especially for your children. With its swim-friendly and durable design, the Vivofit Jr. 3 is built to withstand the rough and tumble of both daily activities and adventurous holiday trips. We also love its colourful display and themed designs, with options like Star Wars, Iron Man and Marvel Super Heroes!
Furthermore, it comes with a colourful parent-controlled app that can help inspire your child to stay active through educational discovery and travel! The wide range of features and capabilities are sure to be incredibly useful for parents, from GPS tracking, activity tracking, and chore data tracker to help you manage your little ones!
Pros:
Up to 1 Year Battery Life
Swim Friendly
Tracks Fitness and Sleep
Variety of themed designs.
Cons:
Takes some time to learn how to use the watch
Smaller Screen Size due to the size of the watch
Price: S$129.00
3. My First Fone R1S
For Kids Aged 4-12
Image of My First Fone R1S (Image Credit: Kiddy Palace)
Created by a Singapore-based and homegrown technology brand for children, “My First Fone R1S” is a creative blend between a smart watch and a phone! Not only does it include the features of a smartwatch like advanced GPS tracking capabilities, it also incorporates features of a smartphone! For instance, it enables young children to connect seamlessly with their family and friends through voice calls and video calls, all under the safe supervision of their parents!
As parents ourselves, we especially appreciate that myFirst has taken the safety and wellbeing of children into consideration. The R1S Watch can be paired with the myFirstFone App on a parent’s phone, and allows parents to set a designated safety zone for their child through the Geo-Fencing Area Alert technology, which will alert the parent’s phone if the designated area is breached! The smart watch also comes with a one-touch SOS button for children to alert their parents in the event of an emergency. Whether your child might be off playing at the playground in your neighbourhood, or embarking on their very first field trip, the myFirst Fone R1S Smart Watch can give you peace of mind knowing that you can stay in touch with your child at all times.
Pros:
Heart Rate Monitoring
Chat with Parents and Friends using Emojis or Preset Texts
Interchangeable Straps in 8 Different Colours
Comes with pre-installed SIM Card during purchase
Cons:
More Expensive
Ringtone may not be loud enough
Price: S$269.00
4. Little Tikes Tobi Robot Smart Watch
For Kids Aged 4+
Image of Little Tikes Tobi Robot Smart Watch (Image Credit: What Katy Said)
Do you have a child that loves Coding Lab’s educational robotics classes, like our Young Computer Scientists Robotics Class, or our Junior Coders Programme with Photon the robot? Then this watch might just be the perfect one for your child! Gift them a thrilling educational toy for robotics with the Little Tikes Tobi Robot Smart Watch, and watch them revel in excitement over its moving robot arms and legs, fun sound effects and over 100 different expressions!
This watch also features a kid-friendly touchscreen, augmented reality games, and 2 built-in cameras for your little techie to film videos, take selfies and edit photographs! What’s more, this watch can be used anytime, anywhere, as it can be easily attached to their clothes using its clip, or even set on a table top with its extra snazzy display stand!
Pros:
Comes to Life before Your Eyes
Educational and fun games to keep your child entertained
Memory storage of 512MB for photos and videos
Splashproof and durable
Cons:
Relatively low battery life
Difficult to strap and unstrap
5. Apple Watch SE (With Family Set Up)
For Kids Aged 10+
Image of Apple Watch SE (With Family Set Up) (Image Credit: EFTM)
With features like FaceTime audio calls, a calendar app for your child to customise their schedule, and Apple music that they can use to play their favourite song, the Apple Watch SE brings you and your child a personalised experience unlike any other smart watch! It even features “Schooltime” and “Downtime” modes that can be automatically set to ensure that your child is not disturbed in school!
It is the perfect wearable technology to introduce to older children that might not yet be ready for a smartphone, or are looking for an accessory to complement their smartphone! With the Family Setup, parents have the freedom to control access to personal data, and for your child to contact you as an emergency contact.
Pros:
Available in 3 colours — Midnight, Starlight and Silver
Stay active and motivated with its workout app
Mindfulness app to help you reduce everyday stress
Discover tens of thousands of apps from the App Store
Cons:
Does not have always-on screen
Only compatible with an iPhone
Some Singapore MOE schools may not allow Apple Watches
Price: S$379.00
Ultimately, the decision on which smartwatch is the best for your child may depend on a variety of factors, like their age, maturity and level of responsibility. Smart watches can be very impactful educational and parenting tools to help get your child acquainted with technology in this digital age. They can be especially beneficial for families that enjoy the convenience of being able to check in with their children easily and regularly.
The Coding Lab Team has chosen these 5 smart watches as they have features that are specifically tailored for parents and children in mind. As a coding school, we care for our students and are always striving to provide them with the best – both inside and outside of our classrooms!
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(Written by Gracia)