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.

Pixel Art Advent Calendar - A Chocolate Alternative


Lots of families want an alternative to a chocolate advent calendar, or just something more interesting to go with it. So here at Tech Age Kids we've come up with a Pixel Art Advent Calendar to inject some tech-inspired creativity into the holiday season.

Pixel Art Designs for Christmas

We've created 25 pixel art designs for Christmas which you can download and use.

  • Click here to access all 25 pixel designs to make your own pixel art advent calendar.

There are lots of different ways to create the pixel art using either physical materials or digital tools or a combination of the two. Why not get creative and try a different method every day. We've tried to keep it simple, so you can actually make each design in one day. You can use arty and techie ways to make pixel art. We made our whole advent calendar using Simbrix.

Make it with Simbrix

Create each piece of Pixel Art using Simbrix slot together bricks. Simbrix don't need ironing - they just stay together. There's a hole in each brick so you could thread a ribbon through and turn each creation into a Christmas tree decoration. After Christmas you can take the pixel art apart, play with it all year and then make it again next year.

(Note you will NOT be able to make all the designs with just one Simbrix Cute Crafter kit. We recommend you buy the Creator Kit (US | UK) or try use some other ideas below to make the pixel designs.)


Other Ideas to Make Pixel Art


  1. Perler Beads with a square peg board will also work. The decorations you get will be smaller. Perler Beads (US) or Hama Beads (UK)
  2. Qixels water-fusing beads is another option. Add a refill pack to get more colours. Qixels Design Creator US | UK
  3. How about getting some Aida fabric and embroidery thread and creating the pixel art using cross stitch. Younger makers will find plastic cross stitch boards easier to use. 
  4. You could make Christmas themed characters and items in Bloxels and make a seasonal game! The Bloxels board is only 13 x 13 pixels and the pixel colours are limited so you'll have to adapt the designs a little. 
  5. You could use 2x2 LEGO blocks on a baseboard. You'd need quite a lot of LEGO to make all the pixel art designs but you could take photos and then take them apart to make new designs. 
  6. We made our designs using Piskel, it's a fab online app for creating pixel art. You can easily set the size of the canvas and you can output images for printing or for display on a screen. Try make an animation of one pixel art design using the free tool. 
  7. Squared paper and colouring pens or pencils is another good option. You could add a string and pegs and hang up a new piece of artwork each day. We'll email you a blank template you can use when you sign up to the advent calendar list.
  8. Create the designs in Minecraft using different coloured blocks.
  9. Use different shapes - how about making a pixel picture using spots?
  10. Craft it! Paint using sponge squares or finger prints, cut up card into squares and build a paper pixel puzzle, make a grid using glass paint and acetates then display them on the window.




Share your creations

We'd love to see what you make, share the kids (or your) creations on your favourite social media platform and remember to add the hashtag #pixelxmas and mention @techagekids! 

For more inspiration check out our Pixel Art Christmas Pinterest Board.




Find our 25 designs on your Pixel Art Advent Calendar Pinterest Board.


24 days of Scratch coding book cover and cute penguin
Name

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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children: Pixel Art Advent Calendar - A Chocolate Alternative
Pixel Art Advent Calendar - A Chocolate Alternative
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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children
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