Top Brands: Sphero - Wonder Workshop - Makeblock - Amazon Kids
BLACK FRIDAY: Amazon Fire Kids Pro 10"
BLACK FRIDAY: Amazon Fire Kids Pro 10"
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.
If you're think of buying your child a tablet to keep them busy over the summer vacation this guide should help you to pick the right one. We'll go through the best options for learning tablets and Android based tablets that you can buy now.
Summer is an awkward time to be buying a tablet. For most brands the new models will be coming out in the fall and you will be choosing options that have been on the market for almost a year. (This isn't the case for all the tablets, there are some that are new for 2013.)
But if your child would make good use of a tablet over the summer for entertainment and education purposes then waiting for the new models isn't convenient. One option to consider is buying a used tablet, Amazon usually has a choice of pre-played with tablets to choose from. You can also consider selling the tablet when the new models come out and upgrading.
Image: The tablets my kids use regularly. Excuse the fingerprints.
We'll start with learning tablets for a younger age group and work our way up.
LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Disney Princess Bundle @Amazon
The LeapPad 2 is is a learning tablet for kids aged around 4-8. It's a good choice to prepare kids for school or help them learn to read and develop other key skills.
My younger son has the green one and uses it regularly - he's nearly 5. It's very well designed with a good choice of fun and educational titles. It works with cartridges or downloads which you transfer from a computer using the provided cable.
There's a new LeapPad Ultra model coming out in the fall which adds Wifi syncing and other capabilities. If you think you'd like to wait for that model then consider the new LeapReader pen which has just come out.
VTech InnoTab 2S Wi-Fi Learning App Tablet @Amazon
The InnoTab 2S is an updated model that came out in late 2012 and adds Wifi sync capability so you don't need to connect to a computer to download new content.
My older son has the non Wifi version of this tablet and likes it a lot. It has a swivel camera, note taking and calendar apps and you can play your own videos (if you get them into the right format.)
We're likely to get an updated InnoTab for 2013, but we don't have details yet.
At time of writing this tablet is very good value on Amazon.
Kindle Fire HD 7", Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB @Amazon
The Kindle Fire isn't specifically a kids tablet, but it does have lots of features and content for kids. It has pretty good parental controls (much better than when it first came out) and it's easy to use. We have the 7" HD version. There is a cheaper non-HD version, but the HD one has a higher spec and is a bit more future-proof.
There's the Kindle Fire Freetime Unlimited subscription service which gets you access to lots of kid friendly apps, videos and books which can save money and time trying to find suitable content. The Amazon free app of the day is often kid-friendly, we've built up a good library of apps this way.
Amazon have got into a routine of releasing new tablet models in time for the holidays. The current range of Kindle Fires are plenty good enough for kids so your main risk in buying early is that the price of the older models will drop. But if your child will use the tablet a lot over the summer and fall then it may still make sense to buy now.
7" Matricom .TAB Nero Tablet PC - Android 4 Capacitive Multi-Touch 4GB (Red) @Amazon
A cheap Android tablet under $100? This is probably obvious, but if you go for a cheaper option then set your expectations accordingly.
Having said that, the Matricom .TAB Nero offers good value for money in this category, if you really need an inexpensive option. It comes in a choice of colors too.
Just make sure you consider parental controls and consider installing an Android parental controls app.
This is a new budget tablet which came out earlier in 2013.
Summer is an awkward time to be buying a tablet. For most brands the new models will be coming out in the fall and you will be choosing options that have been on the market for almost a year. (This isn't the case for all the tablets, there are some that are new for 2013.)
But if your child would make good use of a tablet over the summer for entertainment and education purposes then waiting for the new models isn't convenient. One option to consider is buying a used tablet, Amazon usually has a choice of pre-played with tablets to choose from. You can also consider selling the tablet when the new models come out and upgrading.
Image: The tablets my kids use regularly. Excuse the fingerprints.
We'll start with learning tablets for a younger age group and work our way up.
LeapFrog LeapPad2 Explorer Disney Princess Bundle @Amazon
The LeapPad 2 is is a learning tablet for kids aged around 4-8. It's a good choice to prepare kids for school or help them learn to read and develop other key skills.
My younger son has the green one and uses it regularly - he's nearly 5. It's very well designed with a good choice of fun and educational titles. It works with cartridges or downloads which you transfer from a computer using the provided cable.
There's a new LeapPad Ultra model coming out in the fall which adds Wifi syncing and other capabilities. If you think you'd like to wait for that model then consider the new LeapReader pen which has just come out.
VTech InnoTab 2S Wi-Fi Learning App Tablet @Amazon
The InnoTab 2S is an updated model that came out in late 2012 and adds Wifi sync capability so you don't need to connect to a computer to download new content.
My older son has the non Wifi version of this tablet and likes it a lot. It has a swivel camera, note taking and calendar apps and you can play your own videos (if you get them into the right format.)
We're likely to get an updated InnoTab for 2013, but we don't have details yet.
At time of writing this tablet is very good value on Amazon.
Kindle Fire HD 7", Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB @Amazon
The Kindle Fire isn't specifically a kids tablet, but it does have lots of features and content for kids. It has pretty good parental controls (much better than when it first came out) and it's easy to use. We have the 7" HD version. There is a cheaper non-HD version, but the HD one has a higher spec and is a bit more future-proof.
There's the Kindle Fire Freetime Unlimited subscription service which gets you access to lots of kid friendly apps, videos and books which can save money and time trying to find suitable content. The Amazon free app of the day is often kid-friendly, we've built up a good library of apps this way.
Amazon have got into a routine of releasing new tablet models in time for the holidays. The current range of Kindle Fires are plenty good enough for kids so your main risk in buying early is that the price of the older models will drop. But if your child will use the tablet a lot over the summer and fall then it may still make sense to buy now.
7" Matricom .TAB Nero Tablet PC - Android 4 Capacitive Multi-Touch 4GB (Red) @Amazon
A cheap Android tablet under $100? This is probably obvious, but if you go for a cheaper option then set your expectations accordingly.
Having said that, the Matricom .TAB Nero offers good value for money in this category, if you really need an inexpensive option. It comes in a choice of colors too.
Just make sure you consider parental controls and consider installing an Android parental controls app.
This is a new budget tablet which came out earlier in 2013.
/fa-fire/ MONTH TRENDING$type=list
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Considering a Fitbit fitness tracker for your teen? Let's take a look at the options and see which Fitbit makes the most sense for you a...
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At Tech Age Kids we've been testing and writing about kids coding toys for over 10 years. This post is our round up of the current optio...
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It's getting close to December so we've been thinking about coding,tech and video game themed advent calendars for kids and teens....
/fa-calendar/ RECENT$type=blogging$m=0$cate=0$sn=0$rm=0$c=3$va=0
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- connected toys
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- craft cutter
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- crowdfunding
- css
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- lego power functions
- lego technic
- lego wedo
- let's start coding
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- lightseekers
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- littlebits
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- maker
- makey makey
- making
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- mars
- mars rover
- marty
- math
- maths
- mbot
- mbot ranger
- me arm
- meccano
- meccanoid
- meccanoid 2.0
- merge vr
- mews
- michael faraday
- micro:bit
- microbit
- microcontroller
- microscope
- microsoft
- middle school
- miles kelly
- mindstorms
- minecraft
- minecraft mods
- mixed reality
- mobile
- modular electronics
- monsters university
- morse code
- mothers day
- motion capture
- motors
- mover kit
- movie
- movies
- mu
- mu toys
- munzee
- music
- my first robot
- national dog day
- nature
- new
- new year
- news
- news coding
- nikola tesla
- nintendo
- nintendo switch
- ohbot
- ollie
- on the web
- opinion
- origami
- osmo
- outdoors
- ouya
- ozobot
- papercraft
- paperwhite
- parental controls
- parenting
- parrot
- pc
- people
- pet tech
- pets
- phone
- photography
- photon
- physics
- pi day
- picks
- pimoroni
- pinoccio
- pixel kit
- pixelart
- play
- playstation 4
- plezmo
- pocket code
- pocket money
- pokemon
- pokemon go
- poll
- pre order
- pre-teens
- prehistory
- preschoolers
- primary
- printable
- products
- professor einstein
- programming
- project
- projects
- puzzles
- python
- racing
- raspberry pi
- reading
- reivew
- remote control
- research
- resource
- resources
- retro
- review
- rights
- robot
- robot dog
- robot fish
- robot wars
- ROBOTERRA
- roboticals
- robotics
- robots
- role models
- role play
- romo
- romotive
- root
- rover
- safety
- sam labs
- samuel morse
- sandbox
- schools
- science
- scratch
- scratchjr
- screen time
- screenless
- screens
- sensors
- servos
- simbrix
- skills
- skylanders
- skylanders superchargers
- skylanders swap force
- smart pens
- smartphone
- smartwatch
- snap circuits
- social media
- solar power
- soldering
- sonic pi
- sony koov
- sound
- space
- sparki
- speaker
- speech sythesis
- sphero
- sphero mini
- spider
- star wars
- stars
- STEAM
- stem
- stikbot
- stop motion
- stop motion studio
- storage
- story
- strawbees
- students
- subscription
- subscriptions
- sugru
- summer
- swift
- tablet
- tablets
- tangible coding
- tech
- tech age
- tech craft
- tech is bad
- tech is good
- tech toys
- tech will save us
- technology
- technology will save us
- teens
- teknikio
- tekno
- teksta
- tenka labs
- tesla
- textiles
- thames & kosmos
- the extraordinaires
- tim berners lee
- tinkercad
- tinybop
- toddlers
- toot-toot
- top pick
- touch
- toy
- toys
- travelling
- TTS
- TV
- tween
- tweens
- tynker
- typing
- ux
- vehicles
- videos
- view-master
- views
- virtual reality
- voice assistants
- voice recognition
- vr
- vtech
- web
- websites
- wifi
- wii
- wii u
- windows 8
- wonder workshop
- wowwee
- writing
- writing. education
- xbox one
- xyzprinting
/fa-dice/ RANDOM$type=blogging$m=0$cate=0$sn=0$rm=0$c=3$va=0$src=random-posts
- 2013
- 2023
- 3d printing
- 3DTin
- accessories
- activities
- adafruit
- advent calendar
- adventure games
- amazon
- amazon fire
- amazon prime
- android
- angry birds
- animation
- anki
- app
- app toy
- app toys
- appcessories
- apple
- apps
- arcbotics
- architecture
- arckit
- arduino
- art
- artificial intelligence
- astronauts
- astronomy
- augmented reality
- automaton
- awards
- battle bots
- battling robots
- bedtime
- big kids
- big tablets
- bigtrak
- bike
- binary
- birthday
- bitsbox
- black friday
- blockly
- blogging
- bloxels
- bluetooth
- board games
- book
- books
- boolean box
- breadboard
- bricks
- brixo
- buying guide
- camera
- cameras
- card game
- careers
- catroid
- celebration
- cellphone
- ces
- chemistry
- chess
- christmas
- circuit cubes
- circuit playground
- circuit scribe
- cleaning
- climbing
- code clubs
- code-a-pillar
- codebug
- coder
- coding
- cognitive learning
- communication
- comparison
- competition/challenges
- computational thinking
- computer
- computer games
- computer science
- computer vision
- computers
- computing
- conductive playdough
- connected toys
- construction
- conversational ai
- cozmo
- craft
- craft cutter
- creative thinking
- creativity
- crochet
- crowdfunding
- css
- cubs
- curiosity
- curious chip
- cyber monday
- dads
- data
- deals
- dens
- design
- design process
- design thinking
- digital parenting
- digital skills
- disability
- disney infinity
- dog tech
- dolls
- drawing
- drones
- duinokit
- earth day
- Easter
- ebooks
- eco
- edblocks
- edison
- edtech
- education
- egypt
- electricity
- electronic pets
- electronic toys
- electronics
- electronics kit
- electronics kits
- electtronics
- elementary
- elenco
- energy
- engineering
- entertainment
- ereader
- ereaders
- esafety
- escape the room
- event
- ewriter
- exercise
- family
- family tech
- fathers day
- Festival of Code
- fiction
- fire
- fitbit
- fitness
- fitness tracker
- flotilla
- flow charts
- flutterbye fairy
- flying
- force awakens
- force friday
- future
- gadgets
- games
- games console
- games consoles
- gaming
- gift guide
- gifts
- girls
- giveaway
- glow in the dark
- grace hopper
- grove
- hackaball
- hacksoton
- halloween
- halloween costumes
- hardware
- headphones
- health
- hexbug
- hexbug aquabots
- hexbug project
- high school
- history
- home
- home education
- homeschool
- hot toys
- hour of code
- html
- humanoid
- ICT
- in app purchasing
- indiegogo
- industry event
- innotab
- innotab 3
- innotab 3s
- internet access
- interviews
- invention
- ios
- IoT
- ipad
- ipad mini
- iphone
- jacquard
- japan
- java
- javascript
- k'nex
- k'nex robotics
- kano
- keyboard
- kickstarter
- kids
- kindle
- kindle fire
- kit
- kits
- kodu
- kubo
- label printer
- languages
- laptop
- laptops
- last minute
- leap motion
- leapfrog
- leappad
- leappad 2
- leappad ultra
- leappad2
- leapreader
- learning
- learning resources
- learning tablet
- learning tablets
- leds
- lego
- lego boost
- lego chain reactions
- lego mindstorms ev3
- lego power functions
- lego technic
- lego wedo
- let's start coding
- lights
- lightseekers
- little kids
- littlebits
- logiblocs
- logic
- logical thinking
- loom
- machines
- magnetic
- make it
- makeblock
- makedo
- maker
- makey makey
- making
- mardles
- mars
- mars rover
- marty
- math
- maths
- mbot
- mbot ranger
- me arm
- meccano
- meccanoid
- meccanoid 2.0
- merge vr
- mews
- michael faraday
- micro:bit
- microbit
- microcontroller
- microscope
- microsoft
- middle school
- miles kelly
- mindstorms
- minecraft
- minecraft mods
- mixed reality
- mobile
- modular electronics
- monsters university
- morse code
- mothers day
- motion capture
- motors
- mover kit
- movie
- movies
- mu
- mu toys
- munzee
- music
- my first robot
- national dog day
- nature
- new
- new year
- news
- news coding
- nikola tesla
- nintendo
- nintendo switch
- ohbot
- ollie
- on the web
- opinion
- origami
- osmo
- outdoors
- ouya
- ozobot
- papercraft
- paperwhite
- parental controls
- parenting
- parrot
- pc
- people
- pet tech
- pets
- phone
- photography
- photon
- physics
- pi day
- picks
- pimoroni
- pinoccio
- pixel kit
- pixelart
- play
- playstation 4
- plezmo
- pocket code
- pocket money
- pokemon
- pokemon go
- poll
- pre order
- pre-teens
- prehistory
- preschoolers
- primary
- printable
- products
- professor einstein
- programming
- project
- projects
- puzzles
- python
- racing
- raspberry pi
- reading
- reivew
- remote control
- research
- resource
- resources
- retro
- review
- rights
- robot
- robot dog
- robot fish
- robot wars
- ROBOTERRA
- roboticals
- robotics
- robots
- role models
- role play
- romo
- romotive
- root
- rover
- safety
- sam labs
- samuel morse
- sandbox
- schools
- science
- scratch
- scratchjr
- screen time
- screenless
- screens
- sensors
- servos
- simbrix
- skills
- skylanders
- skylanders superchargers
- skylanders swap force
- smart pens
- smartphone
- smartwatch
- snap circuits
- social media
- solar power
- soldering
- sonic pi
- sony koov
- sound
- space
- sparki
- speaker
- speech sythesis
- sphero
- sphero mini
- spider
- star wars
- stars
- STEAM
- stem
- stikbot
- stop motion
- stop motion studio
- storage
- story
- strawbees
- students
- subscription
- subscriptions
- sugru
- summer
- swift
- tablet
- tablets
- tangible coding
- tech
- tech age
- tech craft
- tech is bad
- tech is good
- tech toys
- tech will save us
- technology
- technology will save us
- teens
- teknikio
- tekno
- teksta
- tenka labs
- tesla
- textiles
- thames & kosmos
- the extraordinaires
- tim berners lee
- tinkercad
- tinybop
- toddlers
- toot-toot
- top pick
- touch
- toy
- toys
- travelling
- TTS
- TV
- tween
- tweens
- tynker
- typing
- ux
- vehicles
- videos
- view-master
- views
- virtual reality
- voice assistants
- voice recognition
- vr
- vtech
- web
- websites
- wifi
- wii
- wii u
- windows 8
- wonder workshop
- wowwee
- writing
- writing. education
- xbox one
- xyzprinting