Kids' Watches: A Gift That Comes with Responsibility

What matters isn't age but whether your child actually needs time for something. Under the Common Core math standards, US kids learn to tell time on analog and digital clocks in first and second grade, so a first grader is already learning it at school — and a watch on the wrist gives them practice every day.

A good sign is when your child starts asking "what time is it?" or "how long until…?" on their own. For a preschooler who can't read a clock yet, a watch is just a bracelet — a sand timer or a light-up "okay to wake" clock that shows when it's time to get up works better.

In practice it looks like this: ages 5–6 an alarm clock or a light-up clock, ages 6–8 a first analog watch, ages 8–10 a digital or combo watch with a stopwatch and alarm, 10 and up maybe a smartwatch, if your family has a reason for one. For more ideas for a child about to start school, see Gifts for a First Grader.

A smartwatch with location tracking is really a small phone. In 2017, the Norwegian Consumer Council had several models tested by a security firm and found serious flaws: a stranger could take control of the watch, track the child's location, listen in and talk to them. Alerts that the child had left a safe zone weren't reliable either.

That leaves three things to check before you wrap one up. First, who's behind the app and whether the manufacturer releases updates. Second, whether you can set an approved contacts list so not just anyone can call the watch. Third, what the SIM plan and charging look like — a watch that's dead by noon won't teach responsibility.

And one more question that's easy to miss with a gift: do you want to give your child responsibility, or give yourself peace of mind? A watch that lets a parent track location constantly mostly teaches that someone else is in charge. If you're getting one for safety on the way to school, agree with your child ahead of time on when you'll check their location and when you won't. Also find out whether their school even allows them during class.

A watch in a drawer is the most common way this gift ends. Usually it isn't laziness — it's that your child doesn't need the watch for anything, because a grown-up is still keeping track of time. Go back to the job the watch came with: once your child has to know when to leave the playground on their own, they'll start glancing at their wrist.

The second reason is comfort. A heavy case, a pinching strap or a watch that ticks by the bed at night gets put away. Swapping the strap for a fabric hook-and-loop one solves most complaints.

And if the watch gets lost or broken? That's part of responsibility just as much as wearing it. For a first watch, an inexpensive model makes sense — your child should be learning to keep track of time, not worrying about an expensive item. Agree together whether the next watch comes out of their allowance or as a birthday gift. Both teach that things have value, just at different speeds.

For little kids, responsibility is easier to “wear” inside a story. When your child gets a watch along with a book in which they're the hero handling a task on time, the new rule comes with a picture to go with it. At Hero of the Book you can create a personalized book featuring your child's likeness from a single photo; the digital version costs $7.99 and is usually ready within 15 minutes — so it works even as a last-minute gift. You can add your own dedication to the book; for ideas, see Book Inscriptions.