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The Best Kids Smartwatch

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5 Must-Have Features Parents Will Love in the Best Kids Smartwatch

Why this mom loves the TickTalk Smartwatch

ticktalk best kids smartwatch

While kids want ALL the latest and greatest in tech and gadgets these days, but as parents, we know that the #1 priority is to keep them safe. Yes, all of my kids have phones, even the 8-year-old. But they only have wifi access for games I approve and limited device time. However, because my youngest kiddos have to get themselves to school in the morning, I’d love to have a way to make sure they are on time and going where they should. Enter the best kids smartwatch from TickTalk. Find out why it is a great compromise for young kids and parents alike.

5 Must-Have Features:

ticktalk best kids smartwatch

While I say this TickTalk 5 smartwatch happens to have 5 “must-have” features, that doesn’t mean that it has only 5 great features. This thing is jam-packed with things that I love as a parent. It also is a lot of fun for my kiddo too! This is why we think it is the best kids smartwatch. However, I will list the top 5 features I think are the most important.

Safety First:

This watch acts as a true smartwatch with real-time GPS tracking, so long as it has Wi-Fi or an active sim card, obviously. In my app I can see exactly where my child is and it updates every 10 seconds or so. It also has an SOS feature and can quickly and easily make 911 calls.

The SOS feature works like this: If my kiddo presses and hold the button for 5 seconds, TickTalk will automatically dial the saved emergency number, in this case, my number. I also love that these features can be shut off if you perhaps have a younger child who thinks being made to eat their vegetables is true 911-worthy emergency. With full control over who can send messages or make calls to the watch, I know exactly who she is talking to. I approve each and every contact in my app, and I block any unknown numbers that come through.  This leads directly into another feature…

Full Parental Control:
Names blurred for safety.

The app for these watches is jam-packed. It is easy to link up a watch to the app through a QR code, and once it is connected, I can do just about anything! Even if her watch is acting glitchy (which it never has, but for instance) I can reboot the watch from my app. I can manage all of her contacts, and like I said, block any contact that is unknown.

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I can add, and approve app users like her big brother so she can message and call him, or the grandparents! I can also set focus modes. Focus modes are great, so I can be sure that she isn’t playing with her watch when she should be focusing on school. I can call her or message her right through the app, which is great when she is on Wifi. The main map shows me her location and just like Google Maps, I can see a street map view or a satellite map view. 

Stay Connected:
Names hidden for safety.

This comes in tandem with the previous two features. Because it allows me to stay in touch with my kid and for her to stay in touch with me. That can be through voice calls, with great audio. It is clear on both ends. We can also video call so that we can see each other! My kid loves to video call her grandparents. Plus, we can send text messages. We are able to stay in touch anytime, anywhere. We also have fun with the greeting card feature, where we can send fun animated greeting cards to each other for birthdays or major holidays!

Kid-Friendly Apps:

ticktalk best kids smartwatch

I know this post is about all of the features that a parent will love, but I have to include this. Because we have had smartwatches in the past and my child got bored of them after a few days because they weren’t fun. She just wouldn’t wear it, which pretty much defeated the purpose of keeping her safe or within contact.

I think it is absolutely imperative that the best kids smartwatch be a watch that the kid loves too! The graphics and animations are bright, cute, and very fun. She can set her own home screen on the TickTalk 5 with the animal of her choice and organize her apps how she likes. I must say, the graphics on this thing are INSANE. I swear it looks better than my Apple watch!  I, or she, can set reminders, so we both know she and her brother will be awake and out the door in time to get to the school bus every day. She loves, as a very athletic child, that it has an activity tracker. She can set a step goal for the day and keep track of meeting that goal! It also features a free music streaming to keep her engaged. And all of the music is 100% kid-friendly!

Superior Performance:

I cannot say that I had an opportunity to test the previous versions of this TickTalk 5 smartwatch. However, I can say that we’ve had no issues with signal, nor the battery! She wears this all day and comes home with it still around 60% charged. I can also say, that as a very active kid, I worry about the durability. My kids do have phones after all and I have seen those screens…ouch. And after a couple of weeks, I can safely say this watch doesn’t have a scratch on it. This does mean that the watch itself is rather bulky, especially when you compare it to, say, my apple watch. But she says the size does not bother her. I love that it seems to be able to hold up under all times of abuse. 

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Ease and Reliability: 

I’m including the next three features under this one all-encompassing “must have” feature. Because all are important in their own way, but kind of go together. 

Flexible Monthly Plans: 

ticktalk best kids smartwatch

In the USA, this smartwatch comes with a SIM card for the AT&T or TMobile network. And just like any other smartwatch, you can assign it a number by activating the sim card and have the watch active on the cellular network when it isn’t on WiFi. I love that plans start at just $9.99 per month. And that plan includes 1Gb of data, 1000 minutes of talk, and unlimited in-app texting. For a bit more monthly, you can upgrade all of these to unlimited. It guarantees 4G coverage, which is just about everywhere now. Two of their plans even include an extended warranty, which is awesome! The most expensive plan is $19.99 per month and is unlimited everything plus the extended warranty.  And there are never any contracts, fees, or penalties for canceling. 

3-minute setup:

ticktalk best kids smartwatch

Literally. Download the app on your phone, set up an account, power on the watch, scan the QR code and you are set to go. You can then directly activate the SIM card, or connect to WiFi. It is quick and easy to set up and activate. It takes no time at all. Which was great because my kiddo wanted to run right off with the best kids smartwatch and check it out the second it turned on.

Satisfaction Guarantee:

ticktalk best kids smartwatch

TickTalk also has free shipping within the USA. This includes overseas territories and US Military addresses! Right now, they are also offering an extended return window for the holidays! All the way until the end of January 2025. That way, if it just doesn’t work for you, you still have plenty of time to return or exchange it. The TickTalk 5 smartwatch also includes a 1-year extended warranty within the US that covers any malfunction or defect. The extended warranty that comes with some plans can last up to 2 years!

Room for Improvement:

That is not to say the watch is absolutely perfect, but what piece of tech is? The device itself is wonderful, but we ran into 1 or 2 issues within the software. One was that sometimes the radio music app wouldn’t always load. It would say that there was no network connection, even though it was on Wifi. The other I noticed in the reminders.

What I love is that I can set recurring reminders, like for weekly chores. She has a reminder to take the trash out every Monday evening before it goes to the curb. However, I wanted to set a custom reminder that alerted her when it was time to leave the house for the school bus. But the only reoccurring options for a custom reminder it gave were “every day”, “every week”, etc. I don’t want the reminder to go off on the weekends. But there is no option to just have it on the weekdays. It is not something we absolutely need to use though, so it is not that big of a deal. I do think this would be a great feature to add or adjust! 

Is this the Best Kids Smartwatch?

ticktalk best kids smartwatch

I sure think so and so far, my kiddo agrees. It has been reliable, and the safety and communication features are spot on. It allows her some freedom to go visit friends on the block with me worrying they are wandering or going where they shouldn’t. Should something come up it is super simple to send her a message or give her a call to let her know. Plus it helps her stay in touch with family that are not necessarily close geographically. And it’s all in a safe and controlled way. Plus, she loves the watch! She has asked for a smartwatch for years, and we’ve been through a few, but we finally found one that she has worn every single day for weeks now. This TickTalk 5 smartwatch is, in our books, the best kids smartwatch, hands down. 

By on November 20th, 2024

About Emily

Emily is a single mom to 3 young kids currently living in Kansas. A "Jill-of-all-trades", she really loves learning about anything, writing in all genres, hot and iced tea, and anything artsy. Her kids are her world and she is doing all she can to not only get by but support them in all their endeavors in life.

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