Our Top 5 Boxing Gloves for Kids
- Elite Sports Boxing Gloves
- Hawk Sports Kids Boxing Gloves (best Value for Money)
- Venum Challenger 2.0 Kids Boxing Gloves (best Premium Choice)
- RDX Kids Maya Hide Boxing Gloves (our Favorite)
- Dtown Kids Boxing Gloves
If you are looking for advice on a good pair of kid’s boxing gloves then you have come to the right place. There are many types of gloves to choose from in different colors, shapes and even sizes, but we can help you narrow down the choice.
When looking for boxing gloves for a young kid you will want to ensure they suit his or her size and abilities. So how do you decide?
Review Criteria
A good place to start is the following:
- Safety
- Value for money
- Style (from a kid’s perspective)
We used these criteria to evaluate many different gloves for kids and make our top five recommendations.
Safety
At this age safety is primarily about protecting your kid from injury. This means hands and wrists. Poorly made gloves can cause injury when striking pads and other training objects. Poor wrist supports can put strain on the wrists. These injuries are more likely to occur while your kid is learning how to punch and making the usual learning mistakes.
If your kid will be sparring then the main consideration is the safety of the other kid. The heavier the glove (measured in ounces) the more cushion there is to protect the other kid from the impact of punches.
Young kids don’t tend to punch hard. But, a well placed strike can still hurt. As his or her technique improves proper padding to protect the other kid becomes more important. Glove sizes (in ounces) do not vary much for young kids so it is important that the cushioning in the glove is of good quality.
Value for Money
The good news is that you do not need to spend a lot of money on a pair of boxing gloves for your kid. Synthetic (vegans happy) material is suitable for kids and it’s much less expensive than real leather gloves. If you are going to pay a little more for a glove it needs to be worth it.
The important thing is that the gloves are durable to last 2 – 3 years or until he or she outgrows them. Of course it would be a bonus if they are in good enough condition to hand down to a younger brother or sister.
Style (from a kid’s perspective)
Most adults are happy to wear simple all black or all red gloves. Even with a with a logo displayed across the glove. It is true kids can be brand sensitive at an early age. Yet most kids will want a pair of gloves that says, ‘Let’s have some fun!’. Some manufacturers have gone out of their way to cater for kid’s tastes by offering a choice of fun gloves.
All kids size gloves will come with velcro straps to make it much easier for putting them on and taking them off. Velcro straps are popular with adult gloves.
Determining Glove Size
Glove sizes indicate the amount of padding in ounces. The greater the ounces the more padding there is for protection. Typical kid’s sizes are 4, 6 and 8 ounces. The 4 ounce is for very young or small kids.
As a rule of thumb 4 oz gloves will work for kids up to 7 years old. Older kids around 12+ will do better with 8 oz. gloves. Although this is not a hard fast rule. It does depend on the size of the kid.
Some manufacturers try to steer you toward a glove size (in ounces) that will fit the hand of the child wearing it. With adult gloves it is more important to use a glove that is the correct size (in ounces) for protection. With kids this is a little less important and it is better that the gloves fit comfortable on the hands.
It can be difficult choosing a pair of gloves online that will fit your kid. Most manufacturers provide hand size charts. They use the size of the hand to tell you which glove size (in ounces) will fit.
When the gloves arrive have your kid put them on and make a tight fist. Is it comfortable for him or her? If so then the gloves are likely to be fine, unless the hand compartment is way too large.
If you do have a problem then you should contact the seller to return or replace it. Most online providers are understanding and wil try to help. It is in their interest to do so.
Additional Information
For more help on selecting a pair of boxing gloves see our article on How to Select a Pair of Boxing Gloves.
Our Top 5 Boxing Gloves for Kids
- Elite Sports Boxing Gloves
- Hawk Sports Kids Boxing Gloves (best Value for Money)
- Venum Challenger 2.0 Kids Boxing Gloves (best Premium Choice)
- RDX Kids Maya Hide Boxing Gloves (our Favorite)
- Dtown Kids Boxing Gloves
Product Reviews
Elite Sports Boxing Gloves
These are popular adult gloves that are also made in smaller sizes for kids. They come in 4oz, 6oz, & 8oz. and all the way up to 16 oz.
All the color choices are black with one other colour accent. Saying that, there are a choice of 10 colors and some of the colors are bold. This makes them look kid friendly and kid focussed at the same time.
These are comfortable gloves and provide protection for the hand and wrists. They have smaller hand compartments for smaller kids.
Because this same glove design is for adults we have confidence in their durability. In fairness, they are not designed for continuous hard daily use by adults. But, for kids these will be strong enough to last until he or she outgrows them. For the price these score well on value for money.
These gloves have a rounded design at the point of impact. So for kids (as well as adult beginners) they are more forgiving with not so perfect strikes. This is why kids like these gloves.
The man-made odor of synthetic materials is a little stronger than other gloves. Some people have complained that the smell remains for a while, but in time it will go away.. If your kid is particularly sensitive to such smells then you may want to consider a different brand.
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Hawk Sports Kids Boxing Gloves
These are truly kids gloves that come in 4oz and 6oz sizes only.
We like the five bright color choices. If you are buying two pairs for two kids there will be no confusion with which pair is whose. The bright colors will make it harder to lose them at the bottom of the closet with everything else.
These are rugged gloves with good wrist support. The padding does a good job of protecting the hands and knuckles.
We like that the padding over the knuckles is straight but with a slight curvature on either side. This provides more feedback to the hand but with some forgiveness with mishits.
One of the things that makes these gloves so popular is the manufacturers ‘5 year replacement warranty’. Hawk believes that kids will outgrow these gloves before they outwear them. It’s even better value for money if they last well enough to be handed down.
If you are looking for a starter pair of gloves for your kid these seem to be up to the job. They are a tad bulky but kids are unlikely to notice. You can pay more for a better glove. But if you want value for money these tick the box.
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Venum Challenger 2.0 Kids Boxing Gloves
Venum is a popular adult brand of boxing glove. The Challenger 2.0 is an adult model that is also made in kid sizes. No doubt some parents will really enjoy seeing their kids using these gloves.
The kid’s sizes are 4oz, 6oz and 8oz. However, there are only two colors available: black on black and white on black. Interestingly, the adult gloves come in 8oz and there is a selection of 14 different colors. The colors are exciting and vibrant.
These gloves tend to be well sized for kids’ hands. The triple foam padding provides protection without being bulky. The wrist opening is could be smaller for a snug fit around the wrist.
The padding design over the knuckles is traditional straight padding. This is the same design as the adult gloves. Experienced boxers prefer this style. Although it is less important for kids. But it will help him or her to feel the difference between a good strike and a poor one.
There is occasional criticism of the quality of these gloves. While you can tell they are mass produced we think the quality is good for the price. Venum is a brand of glove that is repeatedly purchased by individuals. So Venum must be doing something right.
One nice touch with these gloves is the vented mesh palm. Synthetic gloves don’t breath. The extra ventilation helps keep the hands cooler and reduce odor build-up from sweat.
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RDX Kids Maya Hide Boxing Gloves
RDX is another well known brand of adult gloves. It is great that they also make them in kids’ sizes of 4oz and 6oz. There are four cool graphic design choices for these two sizes.
You can get 8oz gloves by going to the adult selection. Although there are more color choices the graphic design will not be as ‘fun’. You will also pay a little extra. But if your kid is ready for 8oz gloves he or she may be happy nonetheless.
We like that this is an advanced glove for the price. The first thing that stands out with these gloves is the look and feel of quality. RDX has a good reputation for caring about their quality. Your kid will get compliments on these gloves.
The outer material is Maya hide leather. This is polyurethane (PU) leather, but it is a quality synthetic material.
There is good cushioning and hand protection as expected of RDX. The gloves are stiff when new and will take some breaking in.
The padding design over the knuckles is traditional straight padding. This is the same design as the adult gloves. Experienced boxers prefer this style although it is less important for kids. But it will help them to feel the difference between a good strike and a poor one.
The wrist straps are more fiddly than other gloves. Your kid might need help pulling them tight until he or she gets used to it. It is disappointing that gloves are not likely to be any more snug on wrists.
These gloves have a vented mesh palm. Even Maya (synthetic) Leather gloves don’t breath. The extra ventilation helps keep the hands cooler and reduce odor build-up from sweat.
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Dtown Kids Boxing Gloves
These are kids gloves made for kids. They come in 4oz and 6oz only with four different color choices. We like the fun graphic on all the gloves.
The quality is good and these are one of the best value for money kids gloves we could find. These gloves will not withstand continuous pounding week after week like more expense gloves. But if your youngster needs to blow off steam or burn up excess energy once in a while then these are ideal. They are a good pair of starter gloves for any young kid.
These gloves have smaller hand compartments which makes them ideal for smaller kids. You won’t get these gloves on the average 11 or 12 year old.
We also noticed that these gloves are stiff when they arrive. It will take some time for your kid to break them in. In the meanwhile, don’t let him or her hit you in the face, or anywhere sensitive.
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Conclusion
When considering the criteria of safety, value for money, and style (from a kid’s perspective) our favorite is the RDX Kids Maya Hide Boxing Gloves.
If you are prepared to pay a little extra we recommend Venum Challenger 2.0 Kids Boxing Gloves for style, function and durability.
If you want a glove that doesn’t cost very much and still meets the needs of your kid then Hawk Sports Kids Boxing Gloves is the best value for money.