NEWS$show=/search/label/news

Here's where you'll find all the latest news about technology for children. We love to follow cool new inventions on Kickstarter and we hunt out all the latest announcements about tech toys and gadgets for the coming Christmas holidays. You'll also get our take on children's technology stories in the media.

REVIEWS$show=/search/label/review

Our kids technology product reviews are intended to help you work out whether a toy, gadget or kit is a good fit for your child or family. There's lots of cool stuff available, but is it the right choice for the child or teenager that you are buying for? We'll help you make the right choices and get the best value for money.

GIFT GUIDES$show=/search/label/gift%20guide

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends assemble. We create gift lists to help you make good choices for kids technology which helps them develop the right skills for the future. We research the best in Coding Toys and Games, Making / Craft Tools and Kits, STEM/STEAM related gifts, Programmable Robots, Electronics Kits and Gadgets for Tech Age Kids and Teens.

PROJECTS$show=/search/label/project

Get crafty with technology. Here we'll post all our ideas and projects using technology to get creative and making with kids. You'll find anything from making a lemon battery to a glow-in-the-dark Minecraft sword. Our projects are tried and tested on our own kids or at events we run, so we are sure you can have a go at home with your kids. Some of our projects use specific tech gadgets which we provide links for you to purchase.

STEM$show=/search/label/stem

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In recent years there is an increased focus in these areas of study. We like to include Art and Design too, so we often talk about STEAM (A stands for Art). At Tech Age Kids we believe Coding is a new literacy and children need to understand how technology works, practice making skills and grow in their curiosity to make a better future for us all.

CODING$show=/search/label/coding

Coding is increasingly being recognised as an important skill for children to learn. Some will learn to code at school or at a coding club, but it's brilliant if they get support at home too.

ELECTRONICS$show=/search/label/electronics

We think it's really important for kids to get hands-on with electronics and learn how to make circuits and write code to control hardware. Younger kids can start with conductive playdough. For kids who like to combine craft and tech, littleBits are fab. And we love SAM Labs wireless electronics components for making it easy for kids to make Internet of Things inventions. Lots of electronics kits for kids have support for the Arduino microprocessor environment. The DuinoKit Jr is one of our favourites. Arduino is a fab skill for older kids and teens to develop.

ROBOTICS$show=/search/label/robotics

We love robots at Tech Age Kids, especially programmable ones. We've got lots of them and write reviews and projects that use them. Our programmable robots for kids buying guide is a good place to start if you're not sure what's available. Roby the mBot Meccano robot dog is one of our popular projects and has been with us to lots of events. Our Ozobot LEGO trailer is fab for kids who love LEGO and robots.

MAKING AND CRAFT$show=/search/label/making

We're advocates of the creative use of technology, but this needs to be balanced with developing physical skills such as papercraft, woodwork, clay modelling, technical drawing and soldering. If children don't develop these skills as they grow up then physical making projects can become frustrating rather than fun. The Maker Community uses the term 'making' as a broad term to include all sorts of artisan skills or craft activities. Being able to make things can lead to life-long hobbies or even careers. It's a great feeling to be able to take a project from an idea in your head to a real object that does something. We're particularly interested to explore products that combine maker skills with tech skills such as electronics but others focus purely on the physical making skills that are still important to modern making.

Leap Motion for Kids?

Leap Motion is a new device for gesture based computer interaction. Let's take a look at whether it will be any good for kids to use. The idea is that you set up the controller and instead of needing to touch a screen or use a mouse the controller tracks the motion of your hands and uses that to control a PC.

My kids have grown up with touchscreens. First it was coloring apps on their parents smart phones then tablets and when it was time to get a family PC that they can use we chose a touchscreen model. They still jab at my non-touch laptop and are surprised when it doesn't work. But this does mean that the screen is always covered in fingerprints! I'm forever cleaning the screen because it's usually off when they're at school and I'm working at home and fingerprints really show up when the screen is turned off.

So could gesture control be a new way for them to interact with the computer?


We have a Nintendo Wii console and they also have some games that make use of the webcam on the PC. They seem to work pretty well for interacting with the PC using big motions.

The Leap Motion takes this technology down to a finer-grained level so you can move windows around, do freehand drawing and writing, and generally all the stuff you would normally do with a mouse or touchscreen, and more because it has 3 dimensional awareness.

Let's take a look at what the Leap Motion can do (in general not specifically for kids.) If you're watching with kids note that there is a clip from a first person shooter video game in this video.


Pretty cool. So is it suitable for kids?

Well you probably spotted Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds being played using the Real Motion controller. I know some kids who would enjoy that (yes, and lots of adults too.)

One cool application that is brilliant for kids is Google Earth with Leap Motion support. What a cool way for kids to get to know their way around the planet. I grew up with very poor knowledge of world geography and I don't want that to be the case for my kids. 


Touch has become a popular interface, but many families can't afford a new touchscreen monitor. The Leap Motion controller is actually a cheaper option that lets you extend your existing PC. It has a launch price of $79 plus shipping. So the controller will be within reach for many families.

I've started doing some 3D modeling with my 6 year old so he can design things to make on our 3D printer. So far we haven't found anything he can really do on his own. I can see the Leap Motion being a brilliant way to do 3D modeling in future once we get the software to support it. There will be a 2D drawing tool at launch which looks fun.

Intially the Leap Motion is available for Windows 7 and Windows 8 which most family PCs are running. And also the Mac which covers most of the rest.

We'd like to see Android support as we've ordered a Mii PC, and also Raspberry Pi as we could do some very cool projects then. But support for those will come later.

We've had a lot of success with the kids using the touchscreen. I'm intrigued to see if the Leap Motion can do an even better job. I think we'll pre-order one and let you know how we get on.

The Leap Motion controller is due to ship in mid May 2013.

Pre-order (US / International) or UK.



24 days of Scratch coding book cover and cute penguin
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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children: Leap Motion for Kids?
Leap Motion for Kids?
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https://www.techagekids.com/2013/04/leap-motion-for-kids.html
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