Best Walkie Talkie For Kids
Like many of our readers, I grew up before the proliferation of cell phones, so my brother and I had to use walkie talkies to keep in touch with our parents when we were going to the park or playing around the neighborhood. Now, don’t get me wrong – cell phones are a wonderful thing. They’re great for long-distance communication, they’re bringing the world together in new and exciting ways, and as a tech writer and digital marketer I literally couldn’t do my job without one.
But at the same time, many parents are still choosing two-way radios and walkie talkies for their kids’ playtime, for a variety of reasons. If that sounds like you, you’re in luck, because we’ve put together a list of the best walkie talkies for kids in 2019.
In this article, we’ll cover all the best solutions for walkie talkie kids at a variety of price levels and feature sets. If you’re not sure what to look for in a walkie talkie for kids, or want to learn more about the technology behind them, you can scroll past the reviews and read our comprehensive guide to the topic below.
Best Walkie Talkies For Kids
Here are the 5 best walkie talkies for kids, as chosen by Dronethusiast’s staff of toy and tech experts. We’ll include specifications, pros, and cons for each model so you can tell which one is best for you at a glance. We’ll also include handy Amazon links to every product mentioned, so you can read more reviews and start shopping at the best price right away!
Midland LXT500VP3 22-Channel GMRS
Read reviews and shop for the Midland LXT500VP3
This two-pack is simply the best walkie talkie set for older kids. They include up to 22 channels of communication, they sound great thanks to an Auto Squelch feature that removes annoying background noise, and they’re capable of an impressive 24-mile transmission range in open areas. They’re also weather proofed and water resistant for up to 30 minutes.
One of the best features of these walkie talkies is that they’re built for power conservation, with a long battery life and the power to customize your power source to extend that life even further. And all this, in a two-pack, for under 50 dollars!
Specifications:
• purchase includes two walkie talkies, two rechargeable battery packs, one desktop charger, one AC wall adapter, two belt clips, and an owner’s manual
• measures 1 x 2 x 6 inches
• weighs 1 pound
• 22 communication channels
• 24-mile range
• 3 hour maximum battery life
Pros:
• Great range
• Good all-around feature set with few complaints
Cons:
• Low maximum volume
• Reception can get fuzzy in a building with thick walls
Arcshell Rechargeable Two-Way Radios With Earpiece
Read reviews and shop for the Arcshell 2-way Radios
Though these Arcshell Rechargeable Walkie Talkies are still quite inexpensive, they are perhaps not the best choice for young children, and are definitely designed with older kids in mind. They have a great battery life of 8 hours and a UHF range of 400-470MHz across 16 communication channels.
These two way radios for kids have a lot of great advanced features, like earpieces, a push-to-talk microphone, an emergency alarm, a built-in LED flashlight, VOX function, and intelligent charging. A great choice for parents whose kids are ready to take their walkie talkies to the next level.
Specifications:
• Purchase includes two walkie talkies, two 1500mAh rechargeable Li-ion batteries, two charging docks, two earpieces, and an owner’s manual
• Measures 4.53 x 2.36 x 1.30 inches
• Weighs 6.3 ounces
• 16 communication channels
• 5-mile range
• 8 hour maximum battery life
Pros:
• Great battery life
• A number of useful advanced features
Cons:
• May be too complicated for young children
• Not super durable
Cobra FS300-2 Family Safety Walkie Talkies
Read reviews and shop for the Cobra FS300
What’s the best cobra walkie talkie for young kids? Well, we think it’s the FS300-2 family safety walkie talkies, one of the best 4 sets of walkie talkies for kids. These extremely easy-to-use radios allow for hands free response and come already paired with each other right out of the mox (meaning that they’re ready to use without setup.)
Specifications:
• Purchase includes four walkie talkies and an owner’s manual. Batteries for the child units are built in, but batteries for the parent units must be purchased separately.
• Parent unit measures 5.16” x 1.96” x 1.46” and weighs 0.24 pounds
• Child unit measures 3.60” x 1.83” x 0.65” and weighs 0.10 pounds
• 22 communication channels
• 8-mile range
Pros:
• Very durable and fully waterproofed
• Automatically turns off when not in use to save power
• Extremely easy to use and designed for kids in mind
Cons:
• Mediocre battery life
• Mediocre sound quality and reception
Retevis RT628 Kids Walkie Talkies
Read reviews and shop for the Retevis RT628
The Midland LXT500VP3 and the Arcshell are great advanced options, but the Retevis RT628 walkie talkie for kids is good for anyone looking for something a little cheaper. These walkie talkies are specially designed with children in mind, which is why they’re colorful and very easy to use.
These walkie talkies are very compact and lightweight, making them a good solution for younger children who might not be ready for a larger model. They have a decent range and 22 channels of communication. And they come with back-lit screens, so that they can be used safely in low light conditions. All in all a good value for the money!
Specifications:
• Purchase includes two walkie talkies, two belt clips, and an owner’s manual. Batteries must be purchased separately.
• Measures 160 x 55 x 28mm
• Weighs 90 grams
• 22 communication channels
• 1.7-mile range
• 1-2 hour maximum battery life
Pros:
• Good value for a low price
• Extremely easy to use and designed for kids in mind
Cons:
• Short range
• Mediocre sound quality and reception
Tintec 3-Pack Walkie Talkies For Kids
Read reviews and shop for the Tintec 3-Pack
There are many great 3 sets and 4 sets of walkie talkies for kids, and this is one of the best. Tintec’s walkie talkie 3 pack is perfect for anyone who wants to buy multiple outdoor radios for the whole family. Their colorful, compact bodies and comfortable ergonomic grips are perfect for kids of all ages. And they come at a very reasonable price of about $10 per walkie talkie.
These Tintecs also have very decent all-around technical specifications, as you can see below.
Specifications:
• Purchase includes three walkie talkies and an owner’s manual. Batteries must be purchased separately.
• Measures 4.8 x 2.4 x 5.9 inches
• Weighs 9.6 ounces
• 22 communication channels
• 3-mile range
• 4 hour maximum battery life
• 1.2 meter drop resistant and good durability all-around
Pros:
• Great value for a low price
• Extremely easy to use and designed for kids in mind
Cons:
• Made of cheap materials
• Mediocre sound quality and reception
Everything You Need To Know About Walkie Talkie Sets For Kids
Walkie talkies are battery powered two-way radios (or “transceivers”), meaning that they can both send and receive messages. But unlike cell phones, which allow for a continuous stream of sound, walkie talkies can only do one thing at a time, so you have to talk your finger off the “talk” button if you want to hear what the other person is saying.
There are many benefits to using walkie talkies. They don’t rely on cell phone signals, which is good for areas where coverage is spotty. They don’t require learning numbers – you just have to know the frequency to transmit on. They’re cheap and easy to maintain and use, without requiring ongoing usage fees or monthly payments. And many parents are choosing to give their children walkie talkies as communication devices because they don’t want their kids to have a smartphone, with all of the distraction and disconnection and accidental credit card usage that frequently implies.
The biggest downside of using walkie talkies to communicate with kids, rather than using cell phones, is that the former tends to have a fairly short range. A phone lets you call anyone in the world from anywhere else (as long as there’s coverage.) Walkie talkies typically have a top range of 20 to 50 miles. Perfect for kids who are just walking and playing around the neighborhood, but not so good for long distance conversation.
Also, make sure you teach your children how to use a walkie talkie safely. We go into this subject further in one of the FAQ questions below.
Walkie Talkie For Kids FAQ
What are the best walkie talkies to buy?
The best walkie talkies to buy are ones with a long range, good reception, a long-lasting battery life, and a price you can afford. Ease of use, sound quality, and additional features are also good things to look at when choosing a walkie talkie to buy. And when buying a walkie talkie for kids, you often want something that’s durable and weatherproofed, since children aren’t always very careful with these delicate communication devices.
Do kids like walkie talkies?
For the most part, kids do indeed like walkie talkies. Even as cell phones grow in popularity, there’s something cool about old, tactile technology. Many parents will use code names over a walkie-talkie, which is a good idea for safety’s sake, but also adds to the “coolness” factor because it makes your kids feel like they’re secret agents or spies. And they’re perfect for short-range communication across the neighborhood.
Are walkie talkies safe for children?
Walkie talkies are entirely safe for children and adults alike. The biggest risk is that these two-way radios are not private, meaning that a stranger can potentially contact your child in way they can’t with a cell phone (unless they find the number somewhere.) However, this circumstance is quite rare. More importantly, there are easy ways to prevent any problems from occurring:
– Talk to your kids about stranger danger
– Teach your child to avoid giving exact locations over the radio
– Always use a call sign, code names, or both when using walkie talkies with your child. That way they know only to talk to the person who gives the signal that it’s safe (you).
Walkie talkies are generally considered safer for children than cell phones, because they don’t have any way to access the Internet.
Best Walkie Talkie For Kids Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you find one of the best walkie talkies for kids. These are a great old-fashioned way to keep in touch with your kids while they’re playing outside, and it’s easy to see why they’re making such a comeback in recent years. If you have any additional questions about two-way radios for kids, or if you think you have a great product that should be included on our list, be sure to let us know in the comments! We at Dronethusiast are always updating our articles to make sure we’ll only giving our readers the best and most accurate information.
At Dronethusiast.com, we’ve updated our review section to include several of our favorite electric toys for kids suggestions. Take a look at some of our favorite Kids Electric Cars here!
Kennedy Martinez
kennedy@dronethusiast.comKennedy Martinez is a resident writer who joined Dronethusiast at the beginning of 2019. She has years of experience reviewing drones and other tech products. When it comes to flying drones, Kennedy loves the ability to create artistic videos from a unique point of view. Kennedy enjoys researching new drones and other exciting products that are available to consumers which is why she is committed to creating the best buyer's guides for our readers.
