Best kids' watches in the UK (2026)

For children learning to read a clock, an analogue dial with clear hour numbers and the minutes printed around the edge works best. Time teacher watches, like the Tikkers Time Teacher and Timex Time Teacher, show this explicitly. Many children are ready to start at around five to seven. Practise with the watch at home first, asking what time it is at meal times and bedtime. Words like past and to on the dial help children connect the clock to how adults say the time.

Once a child can tell the time, a digital watch is often more useful, with an alarm, stopwatch and light. The Casio LW-203 is a good first digital: simple, light and tough. A digital watch also helps with timekeeping for clubs, homework and PE. Teach them how to set and stop the alarm before school, so it doesn't go off in class.

Kids' watches are usually 25 to 35 mm. A small case is more comfortable and less likely to knock on desks. Check the strap length fits the child's wrist with room to grow. A child's wrist grows quickly, so choose a strap with spare holes. A watch that's too big slips round and is uncomfortable. Very young children may find any watch uncomfortable at first; let them wear it for short periods to get used to it.

Hook-and-loop (Velcro) straps are easiest for young children to do up themselves. Buckle straps are more secure and suit older children. Resin straps are tough and easy to clean; fabric straps can be washed. Check the strap can be swapped if it breaks, as children's straps wear faster than adults'.

Look for at least 30 m for splashes and hand washing, and 50 m or more if the child swims or plays in water. Many kids' watches get wet more than adults' do. Children often forget to take watches off for bath time and swimming, so a watch rated 50 m is a sensible choice even if you don't expect it to get wet.

Children knock and drop watches. A resin case and acrylic or mineral glass is fine; avoid delicate dress watches. Timex and Casio are known for robust kids' watches. Avoid glass crystals that could crack in a fall; acrylic is safer and can be polished if scratched.

Kids' watches are quartz and run for a year or more on a battery. A battery change is quick at a key cutter or jeweller. Indiglo and backlights use more power; a child who presses the light constantly will need batteries sooner.

Some parents prefer a simple watch rather than a smartwatch for school. A basic analogue or digital watch is often allowed in exams and classrooms where smartwatches aren't, and needs no charging. A simple watch also gives children independence without screens, notifications or the need for charging.

Tikkers is a UK brand focused on children's time teacher watches. Timex Time Machines is Timex's kids' range, with Indiglo lights on many models. Both are designed for small wrists. Both are widely sold in the UK and inexpensive enough to replace if lost or broken, which happens.