When it comes to choosing sports watches for girls, make sure that you pick one that’s up to the job. Any sports watch that you purchase for a child should be sturdy, comfortable and easy to clean.
What to consider when choosing sports watches for girls
The younger your child is, the more likely it that too many features will confuse them. So look for something with just a few simple features that are easy to use. These watches are cheaper, too. As they grow older, and more features might be appropriate, you can always replace their sports watch with a better model.
When it comes to the features you will find on a sports watch, you may find that they vary significantly. So, if your child is into a particular sport, shop around to find one that is most suited to their needs. Some watches are more water-resistant than others, and some are better at tracking things like lap times.
The other key factor to take into consideration is that children have smaller wrists, but they can grow quite quickly. So, if you are looking for a watch that will last, it is a good idea to select one that will grow with them; this will ensure that it is comfortable.
Incident Detection Watches For Girls
A key feature to consider when choosing a watch is whether it uses incident detection or not. This is quickly becoming a popular feature, so it’s one to look out for when choosing a sports watch for girls.
What Is it?
Before we look at whether the watches feature this software, we’ll give a quick summary of what it does.
Incident detection (sometimes referred to as fall detection) can recognize when the wearer has fallen over and it will then contact any emergency contacts or authorities. Using high-tech sensors (such as an accelerometer), many modern smartwatches can determine if the wearer has fallen mid-exercise or even from a stationary position.
If the watch determines that you’ve fallen, it sets off an alarm on the watch’s face for about 60 seconds. This gives you a minute to get up and turn it off. However, if you’re unconscious or injured and can’t turn the alert off, the alarm will call any pre-selected emergency contacts when the time limit is finished.
This feature is a must-have for any parents that worry about their child falling during any adventurous activity. It’s a great way to keep peace of mind whilst your daughter is off playing away from you. Just remember to set up the emergency contacts so your phone will be notified if a fall occurs.
It’s also important to note that the smartwatch will need LTE connectivity or Bluetooth signal for this feature to work.
Do Sport Watches For Girls Include Incident Detection?
Incident detection is most often found on new smartwatch models. This means that if you’re planning to give your daughter an old Apple Watch or an old Galaxy Watch, the fall detection software won’t be on the older model. If this feature is a must for you, you may have to consider a newer watch model, but these can be expensive so consider buying a pre-loved watch instead.
Fitbits and Mi Bands are very popular sports watches and fitness trackers, especially for girls. Unfortunately, these two brands are yet to integrate incident detection software into any of their wearables. While there are some third-party apps (such as better alerts) that can give you fall detection, these won’t work on all devices. For example, Better Alerts only works on the first generation Fitbit Ionic and Versa models. We hope to see this software added to these brands soon though!
What other features should I usually expect on a children’s sports watch?
For the most part, all of the sports watches that you can buy will include alarms. They will also have backlighting for ease of reading the screen. Countdown features or stopwatches will be a part of some, but not all. Sports watches are a great way for children to count running or bike laps. The majority of sports watches will be water-resistant to varying degrees.
Chunky straps and faces are a feature of many sports watches which again makes them perfect for children, especially younger children as they stand up to more rigorous play. There are, however, plenty of sports watches, especially sports trackers, that have slimmer faces and straps to appeal to fashion-conscious pre-teens and older children.
Sports watches for older children
The Fitbit Ace 2 is a great choice and of course, comes with an excellent pedigree. Like many of the other Fitbits that you can buy, this is a stunning sleek watch with a slim band. It benefits from a battery life of five days and is water-resistant down to 50 metres.
The standard features you would expect from a fitness tracker are also in evidence; step counter and the ability to keep track of active minutes. While the screen is on the slim side, it is nevertheless still easy to read. It also features a small graphic. The wipe-clean strap comes in a range of different colours and graphics. As with other Fitbits, you can also change the strap giving a number of different options.
A final suggestion, if you have the budget, is an Apple Watch. You should check out our article here on Apple Watches for kids. They have some really useful features to keep your little ones safe.
Fitbit Charge 5
One fitness tracker that’s a great option for older children is the Fitbit Charge 5. While this is the newest generation of this model and more expensive than alternatives, it’s a great gift for any older child who is invested in fitness. This may not be appropriate for all children, but for those who have a passion for sport, this new smartwatch will increase their knowledge tenfold.
Some of the key sports features on the Fitbit Charge 5 include:
- Heart Rate Notifications
- Active Zone Minutes
- Sleep Scores
- Smart Alarms
- Over 20 Exercise Moes
- & more!
Though this watch also comes with some advanced smartwatch options, you can disable them or buy the watch without LTE connectivity. Again, we must stress that this watch is more appropriate for older children or even teens. But, it makes a great gift for any girl that’s heavily invested in getting active!
Compare prices and choose your favorite merchant in the table below.
Product | Supplier | |
Fitbit Charge 5 | Amazon | View Offer |
Fitbit Charge 5 | eBay | View Offer |
Fitbit Charge 4 | eBay | View Offer |
Fitbit Charge 5 | Fitbit | View Offer |
Fitness trackers for younger children
If you are looking for a fitness tracker style of sports watch for a younger child, then the Garmin Vivofit JR 3 is perfect.
The display is a little bigger than that of the Fitbit, making it easier for smaller children to read. The battery life is around one year, so there is no charging required. When it comes to features, the Garmin Vivofit JR 3 can help to track steps, sleep and the recommended 60 minutes of activity a day. It is also a great watch for children who enjoy swimming.
When it comes to colour options, this is one watch that any little one will really love. Whether your little girl is a fan of Minnie Mouse, Disney Princesses or Star Wars, the Vivofit JR 3 comes with a variety of themed straps. Each tracker offers your child the chance to earn rewards by achieving their daily activity targets. This is a great way to ensure that your youngsters are being as active as possible.
If you have a child under 8, head over to our article on appropriate watches for this age, here.
Basic Sports Watch
If you’re really unsure how much use your child will get from a sports watch then you may prefer to start with something more basic. The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is a great watch with basic sports watch capabilities that are ideally suited to younger children.
It is water-resistant, has a countdown timer – handy if your little one is learning to tell the time and can use the digital display to help.
Mi Band 6
If you want to spend a little more, the Mi Band 6 is the most up-to-date version of Xiaomi’s smartwatch range. This sleek wearable is a great way to introduce older children to smartwatches and fitness features too. The Mi Band 6 includes:
- Water resistance for swimming
- Over 30 fitness models
- Blood oxygen tracking
- Heart Rate trackers
- 14-days of battery life
- & more
The Mi Band is an ideal option for any parent as it includes the premium features of a smartwatch for a lower price. We all know that kids can be a little clumsy, so this durable watch won’t cost a fortune to replace if something happens to it!
There’s also a Mi Band 7 that’s expected to be released soon. Find out more about this new watch here.
Product | Supplier |
Mi Band 7 | AliExpress |
Mi Band 7 | eBay |
Mi Band 7 Pro | Amazon |
Mi Band 7 | Amazon |
Swimming Watch
A sports watch with good water resistance is essential if your little girl fancies herself as something of a mermaid.
And the Misskt Waterproof Digital Watch comes in some very pretty mermaid-like colours and with 100-metre water resistance is absolutely ideal for swimming or water sports. The watch has a smaller screen and durable strap, with the basic features that you would want from a sports watch for a child without being too expensive.
We’ve written a great article on waterproof watches for kids, here.
Conclusion
While there are plenty of watches out there in more girl-friendly colours that purport to be sports watches, a number of them represent a false economy with poor water resistance and very few features.
Opt for a tracker with a good pedigree and sensible features first – straps can be changed to suit the colour conscious later. We hope you’ve found this guide on sports watches for girls to be useful!
Last Updated on February 3, 2022
A highly motivated all-around writing professional with experience in writing about modern technology. Joanne writes for Superwatches for over 2 years now. Joanne specializes in product comparisons and reviews for us and we truly appreciate the quality of her work.
Lives in Congleton, UK.