Everyone wants their children to be healthy. It’s better to start those habits early and an easy way to do that is with a pedometer for kids. With the internet, iPhones, video games, and streaming TV available to most kids and teens, it’s hard to convince them to get up and go outside. With activity trackers and pedometers for kids, you can make a game of it.
By settings goals and competitions to get more steps, you can encourage healthy habits early and help kids burn energy and stay fit. There are also pedometers and fitness trackers made specifically for kids that have games and other motivations to encourage children’s activity and exercise.
If you’re looking to give your kids more technology, there are also smartwatches for kids that include pedometers and activity tracking features. This article focuses specifically on more basic pedometers and fitness trackers for kids.
Check out our comparison chart and then the reviews.
Activity Trackers for Kids Comparison Chart
Check out our comparison chart for children’s fitness trackers. If you want to read our in-depth review of each tracker, scroll down to the next section.
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Want to compare all of the fitness trackers we’ve reviewed? Check out our Fitness Tracker Comparison Chart.
Activity Trackers and Pedometers for Kids Reviews
Garmin Vivofit JR Activity Tracker for Kids
The Vivofit JR is a bit fancier than most pedometers for kids, but it has a lot of features that are great for active and outdoorsy kids. The first thing that sets this apart from other kid’s fitness trackers is this fitness band is meant to be worn 24/7 and it’s waterproof. That means your kid can wear it in the pool or the bath and it will be just fine. In addition, it has sleep tracking, so you’ll know if your kid is actually going to sleep when you turn off the lights at bedtime.
This Garmin tracker is designed specifically for kids: the slip on one-piece band is comfortable to wear and sturdy to stand up to any kid adventure. The real value comes with the mobile app designed for parents. Their stats sync with your phone so you can track their activity and steps taken and then you can set goals and assign chores for your child. They earn “coins” every time they complete a chore, which can be spent on rewards managed by the parents. If your child is a procrastinator, the task timer automatically counts down to when they need to finish their chores. The app also comes with mobile games that are unlocked whenever they meet their activity goals for the day. If the rest of your kids (and the parents too!) have Garmin fitness trackers, you can compete to meet daily step challenges as a family.
The Vivofit JR is a great option if you’re looking for a fitness tracker for your kids that will motivate them to be active, do their chores, and stand up to years of wear.
Available colors: broken lava (red), digi camo (green), real flower
Age Range: 4 – 9 years old
Tracks: steps, sleep, 1 hour of daily recomended activity, chores completed
Notable features: waterproof 5 ATM, 1 year battery life, parental app for Android or Apple smartphones, assign chores and award coins, unlockable mobile games, set task timers, additional bands available for larger wrists, personalized watch face
iBitz Kids Activity Tracker
The iBitz Kids Activity Tracker may look like a simple clip-on tracker at first glance, but it packs a lot of features developed specifically to motivate children. iBitz tracks their activity but also uses the love of video games to encourage their activity.
When you sync the pedometer with a smartphone, their steps are converted into rewards to unlock games and other digital rewards. Or parents can set specific rewards like screentime or a trip to the zoo that are unlocked after specific step goals are reached. Parents can also track their kids’ activity on their own Unity app.
There’s also an adult version if you want the whole family to use the same activity tracker brand and sync their data to the Unity app to compare and compete as a family.
Available colors: red, blue, pink, green, purple, orange, black
Age Range: 5+ years old
Tracks: steps, activity
Notable features: water-resistant (rain and splash-proof), durable, clip to attach to clothes or shoes, sync to parent’s Unity App, Bluetooth syncing, reward system apps
Striiv Smart Pedometer
The Striiv Smart Pedometer is not specifically made for kids, but it’s ease of use and affordable price point make it a great option for kids. The Striiv features an easy to use touchscreen that displays your progress throughout the day. It’s billed as a smart pedometer because it not only monitors your steps but analyzes it to help motivate you and give feedback.
It’s perfect for kids because it doesn’t need to be synced with a smartphone. It also features motivating goals in the apps to compete with friends and family or play games powered by walking. This is an easy to use and cheap pedometer for kids or teens. Since it’s designed for all ages, it’s perfect for getting the whole family in shape. Use it on a keychain, wear it on an armband, or just put it in your pocket (you can buy an optional accesory pack with a belt clip, armband, and carabiner).
Available colors: white
Tracks: steps, stairs climbed, distance, calories burned, minutes of activity
Notable features: full color 2″ touchscreen, challenges and trophies, Myland fitness game, friends race game, walk to donate to charity, 1 week rechargeable battery
Fitbit Ace 3 Activity Tracker for Kids
Finally the whole family can get in on the fitness fun thanks to Fitbit’s Ace tracker for kids. If you’ve already added more activity and fitness to your life with a Fitbit, your kids can get in on the fun with this tracker designed especially for children over the age of 6. With videos games, TV, and the internet stealing our kid’s attention, sometimes they need a little extra nudge to get active and stay healthy. Fitbit has designed Ace to motivate kids to reach the 60 minutes of daily activity recommended by the CDC, using 24 hour activity tracking to push them to earn daily goals and virtual badges. They can monitor their progress on the easy to read display and also get move reminders to get up and go.
The Fitbit Ace is great to inspire competition between siblings or friends. They can compete with each other on step challenges and win virtual trophies. They can also send messages and cheers to other family members to motivate each other. For parents, the new Fitbit Family accounts allow you to check in with your kid’s progress at any time. And your child can also use the app to check their stats and the badges they’ve earned. This band can be synced with the parent’s smartphone or the child’s, allowing call notifications. The Fitbit Ace packs in all the features older kids need to stay active and fit.
One thing to note: many parents have found the included band is a bit small for kids older than 6 years old. Luckily, the Fitbit Ace is compatible with third-party bands, so you can easily get a larger band with your child outgrows the included one.
Available colors: night sky/neon yellow clasp, watermelon/teal clasp
Tracks: Steps, activity minutes, sleep
Notable features: 8 day battery life, adjustable band, swim-proof, motivational messages, step challenges, goal celebrations and badges, move reminders, competitions, family messaging, silent vibrating alarm, bedtime reminders, swappable bands, 10 clock faces, iOS & Android smartphone apps with parent and child views
OZO Fitness Digital Pedometer
If you want a really cheap and basic pedometer for your kids, the OZO Fitness Pedometer is a great choice. It’s a basic step counter without any extra fluff. This tracker easily clips onto your clothes (recommended to be worn on your waistband) and counts your steps all day. It also features a 7-day recall so you can look back at your daily walking time for the past week to help motivate you. The built-in clock is convenient, especially for kids who are just learning to tell time.
The ease of use makes this a perfect pedometer for seniors, kids, or adults who just want a no-frills step counter. Since it’s not a “smart pedometer” there aren’t any fancy games or apps to help motivate your kids so there is a risk they may lose interest in it. It does make a good introductory pedometer, especially for older kids.
Available colors: blue, black, pink, purple, yellow
Tracks: steps, miles, calories burned
Notable features: Auto-shut off function to preserve battery life, low battery warning, 7 day memory log
Check out more pedometers and step counters.
These are some great basic pedometer and step counter options for kids. If you’re looking for something a little fancier or your kid can’t stop playing with your Apple Watch, consider getting an activity tracker smartwatch for your child. If you’re worried about keeping track of your kid when they’re out playing, check out watches with GPS locators for kids.
If your kid is an outdoorsy type who is already active and loves to take pictures or videos, check out these rugged and affordable action cameras for kids.
Help your kids exercise more with these Yoga DVDs for kids.