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.
My 7 year old just got a kids action camera. We've had to teach him about photography etiquette so that he can use it responsibly.
Most children love to take photos. Lots of photos. Photography is a great skill for kids to learn. But, you don't want to be in the situation where your child has managed to take an embarrassing photo and share it with the world.
Before you hand over a digital camera (or indeed any kids of camera) it's worth putting in place some ground rules to make sure your child knows how to use a camera responsibly.
It's good practice to get children into the habit of asking people before they take photos, especially close-up photos of individuals.
Teach children than some situations and some information is private. For example, it's not appropriate to take a photo of a computer screen when someone is checking their email.
It's a good idea to have some ground rules about where a camera can be used, such as no cameras in bathrooms and no cameras in bedrooms before breakfast or at bedtime. You might allow a camera in the bedroom for special occasions like a birthday or Christmas, but these should be agreed in advance.
Even if a child has permission to take photos of someone it's not always considerate to do so. Encourage children to think about whether a person would be happy to have their photo taken.
A younger brother might want to avoid the camera when upset and an older sister might not want to be photographed kissing her boyfriend.
Children might sometimes take an embarrassing photo accidentally, or the subject could just really dislike a photo. It's polite to delete such photos when asked.
It's usually okay to take photos in public places. Schools and swimming pools are common exceptions. Teach your child to ask if they are not sure.
If children are taking photos at an event you should teach them to be considerate of others. It's not fun to have to watch a show with a camera waving around in front of you.
You can buy children's spy gadgets with concealed cameras and cameras that can be mounted on remote control toys. These can be great fun, but children still need to respect people's privacy.
These toys are best used with family members and friends who have been warned that they could be used.
Sharing photos is now part of everyday life and children and teenagers want to be part of this. Of course there are pitfalls to be avoided.
You will want to make sure that young children don't have access to social media accounts or the ability to upload photos to a cloud photo sharing service. Uploading photos to a PC from a children's camera is usually straightforward and children can often do thing themselves. Just make sure that they don't have access to social media accounts on a shared computer.
Many children's websites allow photos to be uploaded and shared. For example, Scratch permits this. For younger children it's best to have the rule of always asking before uploading any photo to a website.
Teenagers may well have their own social media accounts. It's important to discuss with them what is appropriate to share. This applies to photographs of themselves as well as photos of others.
One you've made sure your young photographer understands how to use their camera safely then you can relax and enjoy the many thousands of awesome photos of sticks, cereal boxes, blurry things you can't identify and so much more.
Let us know in the comments if you have any stories to share about kids and photography or any more tips that parents should know about.
You might also like: A Hands-On (and Off!) Review of the VTech KidiZoom Action Cam for Kids
Most children love to take photos. Lots of photos. Photography is a great skill for kids to learn. But, you don't want to be in the situation where your child has managed to take an embarrassing photo and share it with the world.
Before you hand over a digital camera (or indeed any kids of camera) it's worth putting in place some ground rules to make sure your child knows how to use a camera responsibly.
Asking Permission before Taking a Photo
It's good practice to get children into the habit of asking people before they take photos, especially close-up photos of individuals.
Lay down clear rules about taking photos of family members. Teenage siblings might not want to have their photographs taken unless they are in a very good mood!
Privacy
Teach children than some situations and some information is private. For example, it's not appropriate to take a photo of a computer screen when someone is checking their email.
It's a good idea to have some ground rules about where a camera can be used, such as no cameras in bathrooms and no cameras in bedrooms before breakfast or at bedtime. You might allow a camera in the bedroom for special occasions like a birthday or Christmas, but these should be agreed in advance.
Not Taking Embarrassing Photos
Even if a child has permission to take photos of someone it's not always considerate to do so. Encourage children to think about whether a person would be happy to have their photo taken.
A younger brother might want to avoid the camera when upset and an older sister might not want to be photographed kissing her boyfriend.
Deleting Photos When Asked
Children might sometimes take an embarrassing photo accidentally, or the subject could just really dislike a photo. It's polite to delete such photos when asked.
Taking Photos in Public Places
It's usually okay to take photos in public places. Schools and swimming pools are common exceptions. Teach your child to ask if they are not sure.
Museums may not permit photographs to be taken. Some restrict flash photography as it can damage artefacts. Some museums don't allow photography at all to protect their ability to monetize the collection. Some attractions permit photos but do not allow them to be shared publicly. Teach children to look out for 'no photography' signs in museums.
Most theatres also prohibit cameras during performances. The flash and movement is distracting for the actors and the rest of the audience. Photographs of school plays might be permitted (but not sharing.)
Cinemas (movie theaters) strongly prohibit taking videos and recording movies is illegal under many circumstances. Don't allow children to use their cameras in a cinema and make sure older children understand the rules.
Some attractions don't allow photos taken on their property to be shared. Older children who have the ability and permission to share photos need to be aware of these rules.
Be Considerate
If children are taking photos at an event you should teach them to be considerate of others. It's not fun to have to watch a show with a camera waving around in front of you.
It's very easy for kids to get in the way of others when taking photos when out and about. Encourage them to be aware of their surroundings and not get in the way of others.
Spy Cameras
You can buy children's spy gadgets with concealed cameras and cameras that can be mounted on remote control toys. These can be great fun, but children still need to respect people's privacy.
These toys are best used with family members and friends who have been warned that they could be used.
Sharing Photos
Sharing photos is now part of everyday life and children and teenagers want to be part of this. Of course there are pitfalls to be avoided.
- Children should not share identifying information about themselves or other children.
- Photos of some children should not be shared online for their own safety.
- Photos may contain private information. (E.g. a password written down on a scrap of paper.)
- School and children's clubs and camps often ask that photos are not shared on social media.
- Some photos can be embarrassing if shared. Children often don't have the judgement to realize this.
- Some parents prefer not have any photos of their children shared until they are old enough to make that decision for themselves.
Many children's websites allow photos to be uploaded and shared. For example, Scratch permits this. For younger children it's best to have the rule of always asking before uploading any photo to a website.
Teenagers may well have their own social media accounts. It's important to discuss with them what is appropriate to share. This applies to photographs of themselves as well as photos of others.
Have Fun
One you've made sure your young photographer understands how to use their camera safely then you can relax and enjoy the many thousands of awesome photos of sticks, cereal boxes, blurry things you can't identify and so much more.
Let us know in the comments if you have any stories to share about kids and photography or any more tips that parents should know about.
You might also like: A Hands-On (and Off!) Review of the VTech KidiZoom Action Cam for Kids
/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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I asked my kids what they wanted to do, other than playing Minecraft, over a long weekend. Not that I didn't want them playing Minecraf...
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- pets
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- speaker
- speech sythesis
- sphero
- sphero mini
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- star wars
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- stem
- stikbot
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- stop motion studio
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- technology will save us
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- tekno
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- tesla
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- 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
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- web
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- xyzprinting
/fa-dice/ RANDOM$type=blogging$m=0$cate=0$sn=0$rm=0$c=3$va=0$src=random-posts
- 2013
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- 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