The best smartwatch you can buy for your kids is on sale at $50 off

Technology

The Google Fitbit Ace LTE, a kids’ smartwatch that gamifies physical activity to encourage movement in exchange for playtime on the device. The coolest thing about it is that Google doesn’t skimp on the features; it’s a great smartwatch on its own, so you can presumably trust it to only get better in time, as evidenced by some recent updates.

Also: This kids’ smartwatch made me think twice about giving my child a phone

Using the Fitbit Ace LTE

This smartwatch is so feature-rich that I decided to break down the biggest ones based on my kid’s experience using each one:

‘Noodles’ or activity rings

Fitbit Ace LTE kids smartwatch

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Like most features on the Fitbit Ace LTE, Noodles are customizable. Kids can choose their preferred Noodle and see an animation when it transforms to an upgraded version after they complete their daily move goal. For example, it can be a cartoon snake getting closer to a leaf bug as the day progresses. When the Move Goal is reached, the snake eats the bug and changes color as it ‘dies,’ seemingly poisoned.

Kaiju Golf has kids make golf swing movements.

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Games on the Fitbit Ace LTE are unlocked as the kid wearing it reaches exercise goals, with new features available as the kid moves more. The watch features games played through physical activity, like fishing and golf, which require arm movements. My kid particularly loved the fishing game Smokey Lake, which has new locations where she can try catching different fish. However, these locations are an X number of steps away, unlockable only if she completes the set number of steps. 

Playing Kaiju Golf on the Fitbit Ace LTE kids smartwatch.

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The Fitbit Ace LTE only works with the Fitbit Ace Pass, so you can’t bypass the subscription to use the smartwatch. The Fitbit Ace Pass, paid monthly or annually, gives the wearable access to calls, messaging, GPS location, and games. The games are part of Fitbit Arcade, accessible only with the data plan and updated almost daily. These games don’t have in-game purchases or need to be downloaded; they only become available when the child does physical activity.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Each watch has an Eejie, an avatar that kids can customize and keep happy by achieving move goals. Eejies live in a house in Bit Valley that kids can decorate, unlocking rooms as they progress to different levels. Think of an Eejie as a modern-day Tamagotchi (without the hatching or dying). 

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If parents allow it on the Fitbit Ace app, kids can friend each other in Bit Valley when two or more Fitbit Ace LTE users are nearby. Their Eejies can interact in Bit Valley but can’t message or call each other. When added as siblings with Fitbit Ace devices, kids can communicate with each other on the smartwatches. 

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Fitbit Ace app for grownups

Fitbit Ace LTE kids smartwatch - Fitbit Ace app on smartphone

The Fitbit Ace app lets parents see their kids’ recent activity broken down into “light” and “active” categories and steps taken. There’s no way to track sleep, which is one feature I’d like to see. The app also doesn’t show heart rate data, even though it monitors it to track movement and discern from light and active exercise. I don’t mind the lack of heart rate data during the day, as it varies by age, which could lead to false alerts, but I’d like to see it incorporated with sleep tracking.

Kids can’t message anyone they want because the watch has no phone number attached to the data plan. Only approved users with the Fitbit Ace app can message the kid wearing the Fitbit Ace LTE smartwatch. Google just announced family chats, which lets parents create groups and send messages to everyone in them. 

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Parents can also add emergency contacts that can be reached via phone when the watch is set to school mode, a way to avoid distractions during a predetermined time. The app allows breaks in school time to give kids access to the smartwatch’s features during lunch or recess.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

The Fitbit Ace LTE lets kids call and send text and voice messages, but parents can’t send voice messages, which is a minor inconvenience I’d love to see corrected. The messages also don’t support large stickers or photos, so you can’t send your kid a cute photo of their pet or a funny sticker. While kids and approved contacts can send emojis, they look tiny in the mobile app and on the watch. 

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Maria Diaz/ZDNET

I’m not ready to get my second-grader a phone. I know she’ll forget it somewhere, or one of us will forget to charge it, rendering it useless. The Fitbit Ace LTE

This summer, the smartwatch gave me some actionable insight into my kid’s activity level. When she went to day camp, her daily physical activity doubled and sometimes tripled that of the days she stayed home. As her parent, this motivated me to get them all moving more during the summer when it’s easy to fall into a routine of screens and snacks.

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The Fitbit Ace LTE does have a few areas it could improve, but they can be remedied with future software updates, and ultimately, the pros outweigh the cons.

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