Metal detecting is a brilliant hobby for children. It gets them outdoors, it’s full of small rewards, and a Roman coin or an old button is a very direct way into history. But children’s detectors range from toys that barely find a coin to proper machines, and the right choice depends on the child’s age and how serious they are.
How we chose: from manufacturers’ specifications, current Amazon UK prices and ratings, and what parents report in reviews. We haven’t tested every detector ourselves.
The short answer
- Ages about 6–9, first try: National Geographic Starter Kit (about £50). Light, simple, and comes with a trowel.
- Best budget all-rounder: SUNPOW Rechargeable (about £80). Has real discrimination modes and a waterproof coil, and suits older children and adults too.
- Best “proper” detector for kids: Minelab Go-Find 22 (about £160). Very light, from a major brand, and simple to use.
- For a keen older child: Minelab X-Terra Voyager (about £150). An adjustable shaft and a detector they won’t outgrow.
What matters in a child’s detector
Weight. This matters more than anything. A detector that’s too heavy gets put down after 20 minutes. Under about 1kg is ideal for younger children.
Simplicity. An on switch, a clear beep and perhaps a light or icon. Lots of settings frustrate younger children.
An adjustable shaft. It lets the detector grow with the child and means an adult can use it too.
Realistic expectations. Cheap children’s detectors typically find a coin only a few centimetres down. That’s fine in a garden or on a beach, where plenty of finds are shallow, but it’s why keen children soon want something better.
The best metal detectors for kids
1. National Geographic Starter Kit with Trowel: best first detector for young children (about £50)
This is a starter kit rather than a serious detector, but it's well designed for its job. It weighs just 544g, the arm length adjusts, and it signals a find with a light and a sound. The coil is waterproof to 10cm, so it's fine on wet sand, and a sturdy trowel and a colour learning guide are included. National Geographic says it detects objects up to about 10cm deep, so it's best in gardens, parks and on beaches. It's rated 4.3 stars from 387 Amazon UK reviews. A version with a pinpointer is about £65.
2. SUNPOW Rechargeable: best budget all-rounder (about £80)
The SUNPOW is aimed at both adults and children and is a step up from a toy. It has four modes, including all-metal and a notch mode to ignore unwanted metals, a backlit LCD screen, and an 8-inch IP68 waterproof coil for shallow water and the shoreline. The built-in battery lasts about 20 hours and charges by USB-C, so there are no batteries to buy. It's rated 4.4 stars from more than 4,500 Amazon UK reviews, far more than any other detector in this guide. It's a single-frequency budget machine, so don't expect it to match a Minelab on difficult ground.
3. Minelab Go-Find 22: best proper detector for children (about £160)
The Go-Find 22 is a real detector from one of the biggest names in the hobby, designed to be simple enough for all ages. It weighs about 1kg, folds down small enough for a rucksack or suitcase, and has two find modes and three sensitivity levels. Large icons on the screen suggest what kind of metal it's found. Camouflage stickers are included, which children tend to like. It's rated 4.0 stars from 196 reviews. Some owners find it basic, but that's the point for a child.
4. Minelab X-Terra Voyager: for a keen older child (about £150)
If your child is already hooked, or you want a detector the whole family can share, the Voyager is the better long-term buy. It's a proper field detector with three target tones, four preset modes and a pinpoint function, and it comes with headphones. The shaft adjusts to suit children and adults. It's the same detector we recommend as the best budget choice in our beginner detector guide, rated 4.3 stars from more than 1,000 reviews. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Quick comparison
| Detector | Price (approx.) | Weight | Best for | Amazon UK rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Geographic Starter Kit | £50 | 544g | Ages about 6–9, gardens and beaches | 4.3 (387) |
| SUNPOW Rechargeable | £80 | — | Older children and shared family use | 4.4 (4,528) |
| Minelab X-Terra Voyager | £150 | Light | Keen older children | 4.3 (1,000+) |
| Minelab Go-Find 22 | £160 | 1kg | A real detector for any age | 4.0 (196) |
Prices are Amazon UK prices checked in September 2026 and change often.
Where children can detect
The same rules apply to children as to adults, so the adult with them needs to know them.
- Your own garden is the best place to start, and you don’t need anyone’s permission.
- A friend’s or relative’s garden, with their permission.
- Beaches. Much of the UK foreshore is managed by the Crown Estate, which allows detecting on it. Council and private beaches may have their own rules, and National Trust land is off limits. See our guide to where you can detect.
- Parks and farmland need permission from whoever owns them, just as they would for an adult. Our guide to getting permission explains how.
Insurance for families: the National Council for Metal Detecting (NCMD) lets a member add up to three children aged 10–16 to their membership free of charge. Membership costs £8 a year and includes public liability insurance, which many landowners and clubs ask for.
Tips for detecting with children
- Salt the garden first. Bury a few coins for their first session so they’re guaranteed a find.
- Keep sessions short. An hour is plenty for younger children.
- Make a finds tray. Let them clean modern coins, label their finds and keep a record. It turns a trip into a collection.
- Teach them to fill in holes and take rubbish home. Good habits start early.
- Anything that looks old or unusual should be kept as found and shown to your local Finds Liaison Officer. They’re usually happy to see young finders. See our guide to cleaning finds for what not to do.
Frequently asked questions
What age can a child start metal detecting? Many children start at about 6 with a light starter kit. From about 10, most can handle a full-size lightweight detector like the Go-Find or Voyager.
Are cheap children’s detectors any good? For gardens and beaches, yes. They find shallow targets and they’re light. For fields, a proper detector finds far more.
Do children need a licence to metal detect? No licence is needed in England, Wales or Scotland. As with adults, they need the landowner’s permission, and treasure must be reported. Northern Ireland has stricter rules on searching for archaeological objects.