Watches for kids: a gift that brings responsibility

Age matters less than whether your child actually needs time for something. Once they start learning to read a clock face, whether at school or at home, a watch on the wrist gives them a little practice every day.

A good sign is when your child asks on their own, "What time is it?" or "How long until…?" A preschooler who can't read a clock yet gets no more from a watch than from a bracelet. At that age a sand timer works better, or a light-up alarm clock that shows when it's OK to get out of bed.

In practice it looks like this: 5–6 years, an alarm clock or a light-up wake-up clock; 6–8 years, a first analogue watch; 8–10 years, a digital or combination watch with a stopwatch and alarm; 10 and up, possibly a smartwatch, if your family has a reason for one.

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 even talk to them. Alerts that the child had left a permitted area weren't reliable either.

That leaves three things to check before you wrap one up. First, who is behind the app and whether the manufacturer releases updates. Second, whether you can set a list of approved numbers so that not just anyone can call the watch. Third, what the SIM and charging involve — a watch that's flat by lunchtime won't teach anyone responsibility.

And one more question that's easy to overlook with a gift: do you want to give your child responsibility, or give yourself peace of mind? A watch that lets a parent track their location constantly mostly teaches them that someone else is keeping watch. If you're buying it for a safer walk to school, agree with your child in advance when you'll check their location and when you won't. Find out, too, whether the school allows smartwatches during lessons at all.

A watch in a drawer is the most common end to this gift. It's usually not laziness: the child simply doesn't need the watch for anything, because an adult is still keeping time for them. Go back to the job that came with the watch: once your child has to know for themselves when to leave the playground, they'll start looking at their wrist.

The second reason is comfort. A heavy case, a strap that pinches or a watch that ticks by the bed at night gets put aside. 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. So for a first watch, a cheaper model makes sense — your child should be learning to keep track of time, not worrying about an expensive object. Agree with them whether a replacement comes out of their pocket money or as a birthday present. Both teach that things have value, just at a different pace.

With young children, responsibility is easier to "wear" in a story. When your child gets a watch along with a book in which they are the hero, handling a task against the clock, the new rule comes with a picture. At Hero of the Book you can create a personalised book featuring your child's likeness from a single photo; the digital version costs NZ$14.99 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 inspiration, see Book dedications.