Getaway Gear: Kurio Watch Glow Packs a Kid’s Flight with Fun

Choosing the right tablet or smart device for your child doesn’t have to be a difficult process, but you should consider as many options as possible. Even as tablets evolve and become smaller and thinner, carrying multiple devices can be troublesome when you’re trying to maximize the space in your backpack or duffle, especially when you have different cords and accessories to pack.

But the children must be entertained, no matter the length of your flight and/or car ride, and especially when you’re waiting for a table at your favorite all-inclusive resort’s signature restaurant (or food is taking a little longer than usual to arrive and a day in the sun is taking its toll on your child’s temper). With this in mind, I was happy to put the Kurio Watch Glow on my son’s wrist and use it to teach him how to tell time, in addition to playing a variety of games.

Seeing as I still don’t use half the apps and features available to my Apple Watch, I was hesitant to give my four-year-old son a device that he might not fully use. My son’s as curious as the next kid, and he loves to play games on his iPad, but I feared he might turn on the Kurio Watch Glow’s camera feature and just take selfies from takeoff to landing (not that it would be the worst way to distract him, but I hope for educational fulfillment when possible). But with 25 apps and games offered in this funky blue watch, we’d at least have the chance to play together.

Fortunately, as much as he loved using the camera and playing with the photo filter and Frames app, he was all about playing My Little Dragon and Pirates Battle. And I had a great time pretending he was listening to and learning from my real pirates of the Caribbean stories—which are probably 50 percent accurate, but certainly fun—while he played. It also helped make him obsessed with Tic Tac Toe, which is one of the most important strategy games a child can ever learn. (I might be overselling that, but I’m old fashioned.)

Best of all, if you have multiple children, they can voice message each other through their watches, and even share photos and emoji. So, when they suddenly burst into laughter, you’ll know they’re making fun of you in their own private chat bubble.

One of the things I really appreciate about trying kids’ products with my son is discovering what he likes and mapping out a path forward. Available in blue or pink, Kurio Watch Glow is great because it’s packed with apps and games, but it’s also built with crazy kid strength in mind. You know how it is—your kid weighs less than 40 lbs. but has all the power of a small nuclear bomb when it comes to handling toys, and so he can’t believe his Paw Patrol remote control car didn’t survive being thrown down the driveway.

Kurio Watch Glow’s strap and case are built to take a beating but won’t irritate your child’s skin, and it was designed with a scratch-resistant and splash-proof screen, because you never know what’s going to happen. One time my son got water all over his iPad case and he didn’t have a drink anywhere near him (and that obviously led to another kind of panic). Kids are unpredictable in so many ways, but that just means they’re the ultimate product testers.

My son is an artist who loves to view his own work, which means that my phone is packed with his many, many similar selfies, and I will face the ultimate wrath should I ever delete them. What’s so great about Kurio Watch Glow, in addition to showing off my unparalleled Tic Tac Toe dominance, is that I can easily transfer the device’s data to my computer at home, so all of his filtered selfies are forever protected.

That’s great for keeping him happy now and humiliating him in high school with endless slide shows.