Start your kids on the path to life-long fitness with these Fitbit trackers

As a team that works remotely, we understand the necessity behind getting to the gym, and we've tested all the fitness tech that we can find to figure out what works best. Finding a fitness tracker that works alongside your little one is a great way to start introducing working out and the joys of healthy living into your kids' lives. Our favorite kiddie Fitbit is the Fitbit Ace 2, which is tailor-made for kids aged six and up.

Best Overall: Fitbit Ace 2

The Fitbit Ace 2 is the best Fitbit tracker for kids because Fitbit has geared it toward them specifically. It has an excellent feature set, comes with a durable band, and is relatively inexpensive.

The Fitbit Ace 2 is for parents of children aged six and older who want to buy their child a fitness tracker. It may be overly complicated for anyone younger, and they may not be able to appreciate its benefits. It's the newest tracker in Fitbit's lineup.

The Fitbit Ace 2 may be for kids, but that doesn't mean it's a simple plaything. It boasts practical features that its Fitbit counterparts have, offering your child a meaningful foray into tracking their fitness progress. It tracks steps and active minutes during other exercises. Plus, it monitors sleep so that your kid can learn, not only good exercise habits but also great sleep habits as well.

To add a spark of fun and some friendly competition, your child will earn badges for achieving milestones. Additionally, they'll receive daily celebration messages for reaching goals. Got a kid that likes to lay on the couch all weekend? Reminder to Move will encourage your child to stay active throughout the day with friendly reminders.

With its 5-day, rechargeable battery, your kid won't have to put down their Ace 2 very often. Also, since its shower-proof, they can wear it all day and night. There are 10 clock faces to choose from and two band colors, so your child can add their own sense of style, and the band size is adjustable for little wrists.

If your child is under 13, you'll create a Family Fitbit account, which offers two views — one for you and one for your kid. You can view all of your child's progress, and your child can access their account through Fitbit's secure "Kid View," which shows them their progress, badges, and more. Kids can also go toe-to-toe with their friends in friendly step challenges to win virtual trophies.

Pros:

• Durable, kid-friendly build
• Great feature set
• Swimproof
• 5-day battery life
• Great ecosystem

Cons:

• Older kids may not like the look

Best Overall

Fitbit Ace 2

• $70 at Fitbit

The Fitbit Ace 2 helps make fitness fun for kids.

Fitbit's Ace 2 tracker is an Alta made kid-friendly with the same iconic design, but with animations and more, all geared toward children.

For Older Kids: Fitbit Inspire

The Fitbit Inspire is the same price as the kid-friendly Fitbit Ace 2. Of course, it's not strictly for kids, so it doesn't have that "kiddie" look. It's simpler-looking and slimmer. This makes it great for older kids and teens. The Fitbit Inspire is fully water-resistant, so they can certainly take it to swimming lessons. It tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and much more, and it has a 5-day battery life. It even has female health-tracking, which is helpful for young women just starting to need to track periods. For young people with a smartphone, the Inspire has text, calendar, and smartphone app alerts. Choose from two different colors, Black and Sangria. The band is removable, so your child can personalize the look with different bands.

Pros:

• Adult Fitbit; doesn't look childish
• Female health (period) tracking
• Text, calendar, and smartphone app alerts
• Swimproof

Cons:

• Not made for kids per se

For Older Kids

Fitbit Inspire

• $70 at Fitbit

Not just for kids.

This is an adult Fitbit, perfect for tweens and teens who don't want a "kiddie" fitness tracker.

Bottom line

While there are great alternatives, the Fitbit Ace 2 has the features your child needs, and the Fitbit lineup is easily the best around when it comes to fitness trackers. $70 might be a big ask, but it's an investment in your child's fitness habits, and the tracker itself should last years, thanks to its hardy build.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Daniel Bader is a Fitbit aficionado with a penchant for exercise and drinking too much coffee (though not necessarily in that order).

Derek Kessler is a proper wizard who makes all this inane rambling look good. He's also a kid at heart and has a preference for colorful fitness trackers.

Karen S. Freeman is a teacher, writer, social media person, and family woman. She loves to travel, play with tech stuff, work out, drink coffee, discover amazing new restaurants, and experience new things.