Alarm clocks are the best way to teach your toddlers and kids about telling time. The best children’s alarm clocks are those that use colors, lights, sounds, and alarms. These will help your child understand when it’s time to rise or stay quiet in the mornings. Alarm clocks can also be used for timing independent play or reading. Several alarm clocks on this list can be used over multiple years. These have a grow-with-me style feature that includes toddler-friendly lights as well as a full digital clock.
BEST ALARM CLOCKS FOR TODDLERS
When your child graduates to sleeping in their own bed it can be tricky to teach them when to get up. If your kids are early risers like ours, it may also be hard to get them to stay in their bedroom for quiet time before the day starts. Alarm clocks at this age are usually referred to as sleep trainers. This is an alarm clock style device that uses colored lights to alert your child of when to get up and when to stay tired.
1. Wake Up Night Light by Tomshine
This is a great beginner alarm clock because it uses a gentle wake up feature instead of a jarring classic alarm. The simple design provides a large bedside lamp that has a digital clock in the base. On the top is a touch sensor that lets you customize the color, brightness, and set the alarm. The base plays nature sounds that can be used as music to wake up to. There is also a nice sunrise simulation.
2. HatchBaby Rest Nursery Night Light
The HatchBaby Rest Nursery Night Light is one of the most popular kids clocks and has three different features you will love! It is a night light, sound machine, and an alarm. The design is simple with a no-button layout, which makes it a great children’s room option. You can control the light with an app. Through this, you can customize the color, alarm times, and brightness. This light was also designed to grow with your child. It starts out as a for low light in the nursery, then becomes a nightlight, and then a wake-up alarm as they get older.
3. Five Home Kid’s Alarm Clock
Another great grow-with-me option is this kid’s alarm clock by Five Home. The base features a glowing digital clock and three buttons for controlling the alarm and light features. This alarm has a night light timer and wake-up light, to help younger children know when it’s okay to get out of bed. It also has a dual alarm with weekday options allowing you to customize to your schedule. The light color, five nature sounds, and alarm volume also make this a great grow-with-me kid’s alarm as you can change the settings as your child progresses from toddler to kindergarten age.
4. Ok! to Wake by Mirari
For a simple toddler-specific alarm clock try the Ok! to Wake by Mirari. This small ball-shaped device has a screen that turns green each morning when it’s time to get up and out of bed. There are two larger buttons in the front, one for a snooze on the light feature and another for turning the light off. The design of this clock makes it look like a toy, a friendly tool for teaching children the basics of your morning routine. This is especially useful with children who are up too early and need a gentle reminder of when the day begins.
5. Little Hippo Mella Ready to Use
The last toddler alarm clock has a simple round design. As far as looks, it is a uniquely modern take on the classic alarm clock. This ready to rise device has a white body and black digital clock face. It isn’t your average clock face though, instead, it ranges from sleep to awake. A ring of light surrounds the face and changes colors to help your little one understand. It is light blue for sleep, yellow for quiet playtime before wake time, and green for wake time to start the day. Other features include three alarm sounds, three sleep sounds, and an alarm or silent countdown for timed daily events.
BEST ALARM CLOCKS FOR PRESCHOOLERS AND KINDERGARTNERS
Looking for a new alarm clock for Kindergarten? Many of the toddler alarm clocks mentioned earlier will work well for this age also! However, the following are the best alarm clocks for actually learning time. These awesome kid alarm clocks have an actual clock feature rather than just lights and sounds to signal changing times.
1. Classen’s Kids my First Alarm Clock
This alarm clock pairs the classics with the fun lights of a sleep trainer. The clock has two round dials, a larger dial for the actual clock which uses analog hands to tell time and a dial with a smaller digital clock in the base. The face of this clock glows white at night. The second smaller dial features a picture of a child sleeping and a child playing. One half of this dial lights up when it’s time to sleep and the other when it is time to rise. There are three alarm sounds and each alarm gradually build in volume to wake your child gently.
2. Teach Me Time Kid’s Talking Alarm Clock
Looking for best kids alarm clock that can also teach them to tell time? The Teach Me Time Kid’s Talking Alarm Clock is a simple alarm clock both in design and function. This round alarm clock has a white body with a yellow face and two simple front buttons. The face of this clock has a digital reading and hands, giving your child two ways to learn to tell time. The face glows yellow and changes to green when it’s okay to wake. The alarm function also has a snooze, for children to learn how to use their first alarm clock as they grow.
3. Wake Up Light Sunrise Alarm Clock
This is our favorite multifunctional kids alarm clock radio on the market. It is also for heavy sleepers if you are looking for an option for yourself! The light is designed to simulate the sunrise, making it a gentle and natural wake up for your little one. It has 7 different colors and the brightness can be adjusted. You can also use this clock as a sleep training alarm clock if you assign the different colors meaning for your little one!
4. Kid’s Alarm Clock and Sleep Training Clock
This is both a kid’s alarm clock and a sleep trainer in one. The design takes the classic alarm clock shape and turns it into a fun blue character to help children tell time. There’s a digital face that changes from sleep to awake. There is also a light ring around the face to tell children when it’s time to sleep, time to wake, and time to play. There are two large buttons on the top for simple controls and several small buttons in the back to adjust the settings. This is a great first alarm clock that can grow with your child.
5. Rocam Alarm Clock
When designing alarm clocks for 5-year-olds, the cuteness factor must be considered. This is a great alarm clock for kids in Kindergarten. It has a fun owl shape with a digital clock. This clock is great for kiddos learning their numbers, how to tell time or how to wake up on time. The owl lights up in its back with several different colors and glows green when it’s time to wake. Other features include a nap timer, lullaby/white noise sounds, and it is battery operated. It’s easy for kids to set the alarm on their own.
6. Unicorn Alarm Clock
If you have a little unicorn lover, you must get them this adorable alarm clock. It lights up in multiple different bright colors. The clock is very easy to read and even has a temperature reading. It includes a snooze feature as well and eight different alarm songs. This makes it the best alarm clock for girls of all ages!
Finding your perfect match on this list of cool alarm clocks for kids will be a game-changer for your morning routine. Plus, they will really help to give your child a head start in learning to tell time.