Best Teaching Watch for a First Grader

by Barrett

Behold… the power of time on the wrist of a child’s hand. That can be a big deal the first time it happens. The question is which watch should you buy your kid to handle that bold responsibility...?

Behold… the power of time on the wrist of a child’s hand. That can be a big deal the first time it happens. The question is which watch should you buy your kid to handle that bold responsibility…?

How difficult is it to buy a decent children’s watch? Actually… surprisingly hard. Sure, there are seemingly dozens of choices out there. Many of them in the sub twenty-buck price range.

But here’s what I wanted…

  • Water resistance
  • An easy to wear band
  • An outer ring that displays the 60-second range numerically
  • And a watch that was going to hold up under the pressure of a kid’s active hand

And though I was searching for a ‘teaching-watch,’ I didn’t want something that looked like it was designed for a preschooler… my son is already in first grade!

Timex
I tried out a simple Timex for him a couple of years back.

  • Timex Kids My First Outdoors Watch

Unfortunately, it was a total misfire.

Sure… it was a great little watch, but it wasn’t really designed for a kid, other than it was small. There was nothing ‘fun’ about it. The watch was all black and it just didn’t stick with him.
(Plus, I think it was a little too early to introduce back then.)

What I wanted now was a watch that would have a little more pizzazz, as well as an easy to understand face with clearly differentiation between minutes, hours and seconds.

Marvel
As I began my online search, I came across a myriad of Marvel character watches on Amazon. I found a Spider-Man design that seemed perfect.
(He likes Spider-Man.)

The price was right, but it had a few mixed reviews.
So I kept on looking…

EasyRead Time Teacher
Then I ran across a specific ‘teaching-watch’ that was exactly what I wanted…

It looked so cool, I would wear it!
(Okay… theoretically)

But I spotted a review that reported the watch broke when dropped.
Hmmm… Not that I’m expecting a kid’s watch to be indestructible, but the cautionary tale prompted me to continue my search.
(Sigh)

Reviews are useful, but it’s hard to find unanimous opinion on just about anything! (A topic for another day…)

Flik Flak
Then, I happened upon ‘Flik Flak.’ It’s a kid’s watch brand made by Swatch.

Did they offer a Spider-Man watch with a clear display for all sixty seconds?
They certainly did…

  • Swatch Flik Flak Spider-Man FLNP021 for $45

Flik Flack watches cost more, but they claim to be tougher:

  • Swiss made
  • Shock resistant
  • Water Resistant
  • Machine Washable (!)

Okay, so this watch appeared to have a fighting chance to keep up with my boy on his daily adventures.

I thought my search was done, but when I looked up Flik Flak on Amazon, I had a coughing fit.
On Amazon, Flik Flaks are way more expensive!
(How unusual…. though they weren’t offered as an Amazon Prime option either. I guess Swatch and Amazon need to cozy up a bit more.)

So I went back to the Swatch website and bought the Flik Flak direct from the manufacturer.

Click!

Time Manipulation
My wife and I gave the Spider-Man Flik Flak to our son over the holidays, and…
…it was a big hit.
(He loved the design, and so far… it’s holding up!)

Plus, to be able to wear the concept of time on your wrist… I observed how mind blowing that was for him.

On the down side, it does put in place certain new limitations on his reality. Now, whenever I proclaim my parental, “Five more minutes until…” when trying to move on to the next part of our day, it’s harder for my little wizard to work his own personal blend of magic to ‘stretch time.’
(I think all you parents out there know what I’m talking about.)

Perhaps that will prompt him to begin a life-long journey towards inventing a time machine.

  • The Lester Kids’ Watch/Time Manipulator that can legitimately stretch five minutes into an hour of additional playtime

You heard it first!