There are so many available gadgets out there for kids! You can find gadgets for purely fun, for entertainment, music, school, and yes…education. With the overwhelming number of options, it’s essential to find reliable, safe, and age-appropriate electronics that can grow with your child. No parent wants to be upgrading gadgets every single year! Finding the best gadgets for kids is hard!
It can be tricky to find technology that will keep your kids engaged while also supporting their learning and development. Let’s talk about some of the top gadgets for kids that cater to various interests, skill levels, and age groups, providing hours of entertainment and enrichment.
Essential Gadgets for Kids
Whether you have a large budget, or a tiny one, there are useful gadgets for kids available on the market today. Here’s a few of them!
Kids Tablets
When it comes to tablets and smartphones for kids, it’s crucial to find age-appropriate devices that have robust parental controls and access to educational content. One great option is the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet that comes with a sturdy kid-proof case, a year of Amazon Kids+ content, and a 2-year worry-free guarantee.
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At one point, all of our kids had Amazon Fire Tablets. They were great for our younger kids, but we’ve struggled using them as our kids have gotten older and we’ve switched to other types of tablets. Mainly iPads and other tablets with more storage space.
Smartwatches
Smartwatches can be an excellent accessory for kids who love technology and need a way to stay active or organized. For instance, the Garmin vivofit Jr. 3 fitness tracker is designed specifically for children aged 4-9 and offers activity tracking along with fun features for kids, such as themed designs, customizable screens, and interactive games.
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We’ve also loved this inexpensive smartwatch, and both of our older boys have one now that they wear almost every day.
- 👍⌚【Muti-Functional Smart Watch for Kids】Kids smart watch with selfie-cam, 24 puzzle games, torch, MP3 player, voice recorder, pedometer, alarm, stopwatch, calculator, theme, screensaver select, backlight time, audiobooks, learn card, habit tracker, silent profile, five country language, ringtone volume etc.
- 👍⌚【Fun Selfie-Cam & Video】Kids touchscreen smart watch supports such as camera and video perfectly. Children usually use “VCRS + magic cameras” to record every happy moment in their lives. Set your favorite photo as wallpapers. Kids watch is capable of store 10000+ HD photos or 6+ hours video.
Educational Toys
Incorporating technology with learning through play is the key to finding great educational toys for kids. For example, PlayShifu Tacto Chess is an interactive and educational game that combines a physical chessboard with an augmented reality app, teaching kids chess strategies along with developing their cognitive skills.
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Another exciting choice is Miko Mini, an AI-powered robot companion that acts as an assistant, teacher, and buddy, keeping kids engaged through learning and play.
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Headphones
Choosing the right headphones for kids is essential to ensure they can immerse themselves in their favorite tunes, games, or videos while safeguarding their hearing. For a quality option, consider Belkin Soundform headphones that are designed for a comfortable fit and have volume-limiting capabilities to protect children’s ears.
- BLUETOOTH CONNECTION: Bluetooth 5.2 connects you to compatible devices within 30 feet in just seconds, while multipoint technology lets you connect to and seamlessly switch between 2 devices at once.
- ALL-DAY BATTERY & QUALITY CALLS: 45 hours of battery life keeps your headphones working all day with a single charge. Plus, a boom mic with flip-to-mute function and ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) provides clarity for calls, gaming, and more!
Most of our kids have started with over the ear headphones, and as they’ve gotten closer to 11 or 12, they’ve switched out for earbuds. There are also great option for wireless earbuds as well.
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Best Gadgets for Kids Fun and Entertainment
Games, Activities, and Movies
One of our family’s favorite gadgets for kids that love video games is the Nintendo Switch. The Switch offers a diverse gaming experience, with numerous entertaining titles and interactive multiplayer options. This has been a fun video game system for our whole family and it sure it nice to offer a Mario Cart beat-down to trash talking tweens!
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We have also really enjoyed this old-school handheld video games system. It’s a much lower price point than the Switch, but brings with it some nostalgic fun!
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For kids who enjoy movies, portable DVD players for longer car rides. I know a lot of people love their streaming services for this too. And you can definitely download shows and movies onto your kids’ tablets for those longer car rides. But our family still loves and uses our portable DVD player all the time.
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Gadgets that are toys
When it comes to toys and board games, there are multiple electronic options available. For example, the Sphero Mini combines coding and play in a fun, engaging manner, while the Smarty JOJO helps teach younger kids colors, shapes, and coordination with a great blend of physical and digital components.
- A small programmable robot perfect for learning and playing
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- Smarty JOJO: An interactive toy plane that teaches essential skills to young kids
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Music
Music is an important aspect to consider for kids’ enjoyment and creativity. We have a Google Nest in our older children’s bedrooms where they can play music (Google has great parental controls for these Google Nests). They also act as an alarm clock and can field some of the incessant questions that our kids tend to have.
- VALUE BUNDLE INCLUDES: Google Nest Mini 2nd Generation Bluetooth Speaker with English, Spanish, French and Portuguese Global Language Compatibility so it works everywhere, Universal Power Adapter and Quick Start Guide English Quick Start Guide with International Manual for Global Users
- IT WORKS EVERYWHERE Easy to use and will automatically start up in English when connecting to your device for the first time. This speaker works globally with support for most languages and places internationally. And its language settings can always be changed back and forth to your preferred language anytime for international use or travel at your convenience
For music on the go, our kids have loved these audio players. They allow them to bring their favorite music with them at a stage when I’m not quite ready for my kids to have phones.
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Gadgets for Audiobooks
Art and creativity should not be overlooked when it comes to fun gadgets for children. I’ve found the Yoto Mini to be a fantastic screen-free option that lets kids listen to stories or create their own using voice recordings.
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Drawing Tablets
Digital art tools are a fun, mess free to keep kids creative and entertained in the car, at the doctors office, or even just at home. We love these drawing tablets.
- Newest 2 Pack LCD Writing Tablet: Apply the newest flexible liquid crystal technology, brighter and clearer than most writing tablet. Take pressure-sensitive technology, you can draw lines of different thicknesses through different pressure levels. Package includes 2 pack kids lcd writing tablet (Blue and Pink), liberate children’s imagination and creativity!
- Eco-friendly and Eyes Protection: The doodle board can be repeated to use at least 20,0000 times, avoid paper wasting. The eye-protection colorful screen of the kids drawing tablet provides a better painting experience, no blue light, no glare, avoiding injury to eyes from long-term use.
Educational and STEM Gadgets
Coding Toys
One of our favorite educational toys that combines coding and problem-solving skills is the Osmo Coding Starter Kit. Osmo is a great way for kids to learn coding through hands-on activities and puzzles that improve their logic skills. The kit includes coding blocks that kids can arrange to make their on-screen character complete various challenges. It’s suitable for kids ages 5-10 and is an engaging way to introduce them to programming concepts.
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Subscription Boxes and Learning Resources
For a more comprehensive learning experience, try exploring the world of subscription boxes for kids. There are numerous options to choose from, so it’s important to identify what suits your child’s interests and age group.
One of the best subscription boxes for kids that our family loves is KiwiCo, which offers hands-on science and art projects for children in various age groups, from toddlers to teenagers. Each box contains STEM-focused activities and all the necessary materials for the projects, providing a fun and educational experience each month.
Another notable STEM-focused subscription box is the Bitsbox, which is specifically designed for kids aged 6-12. Bitsbox provides monthly coding projects and resources that aim to improve kids’ programming abilities and problem-solving skills. The projects challenge kids to develop their own apps and games, encouraging creativity and critical thinking.
Durability and Build Quality
When it comes to finding the best gadgets for kids, durability and build quality are essential factors to consider. Young kids and preschoolers tend to be rough with their toys, frequently dropping them or subjecting them to other forms of wear and tear. As a result, it’s important to invest in gadgets that can withstand these conditions.
For young kids, try looking into devices specifically designed for children. One example that I’ve found to be both durable and high-quality is the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet. It comes with a kid-proof case that features a built-in stand, as well as a two-year worry-free guarantee that covers accidents.
When considering the build quality of gadgets aimed at preschoolers, pay attention to not only the materials used but also the overall design of the product. This includes features like intuitive controls and kid-friendly interfaces, which can make the device more appealing and usable for younger children. As always, read reviews! I don’t ever buy a gadget for my kids without first reading the reviews.
