The clever gadgets that will keep kids entertained as they learn
Children are spending more time than ever using tech – and thanks to these new products, they can learn new skills while having fun
The average eight-year-old is already a technology expert, from playing games on tablets to teaching their parents the latest Alexa tricks. And as a result, a growing number of tech toys are being built to entertain and educate – keeping children amused and engaged while also teaching them STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills. Here’s our pick of the best.
Coding toys
Gadgets to help kids learn computer programming (coding) aren’t new, but the latest wave are also keen to tap into children’s physical creativity. British company Tech Will Save Us, for example, has a Creative Coder Kit, which is a set of rainbow lights designed to be worn and respond to movement. Children write code to control how they flash, using simple software.
Meanwhile, Sphero describes its Bolt as an ‘app-enabled robot’, which can be driven around and made to flash by creating code in Sphero’s app on a tablet or smartphone. The cheaper Sphero Mini offers a more affordable way into coding.
The most advanced coding toy might just be the Anki Cozmo. It’s a robot that can play games, travel around the room, and even show emotion. The clever thing is that he gets more features the more he’s used, with opportunities to practise coding along the way.
Tablets and smartwatches
While many children are adept with an iPad or Android tablet, there are also tablets made specifically for them. The Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition comes with a rugged case that can survive drops and rough handling, along with a one-year subscription to Amazon’s Fire for Kids Unlimited service. It has a mixture of ebooks, apps, games and videos – and none of the games or apps use advertising or have in-app purchases. Faster versions of the tablet with a better screen are available too: the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition and Fire HD 10 Kids Edition.
Smartwatches such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit Versa have been popular for adults, but there are also some specifically designed for younger wrists. The Kurio Watch 2.0 is one example. It has a camera for taking photos and shooting videos and can send messages and voice chats to other Kurio smartwatches and Android devices. It can also play games and act as an activity tracker and music player.
The VTech Kidizoom DX2 is a more affordable model. It acts as an activity tracker and camera, and comes with an augmented-reality game called Monster Detector. It also has an app that teaches children how to tell the time.
The future
What’s next for children’s gadgets? The recent CES tech show in Las Vegas offered a few ideas. Tactile robots like Codi Bot, Woobo and Lovot hinted at a future where artificial intelligence (AI) may be more cuddly, for example.
Sphero showed off its new Specdrums, a coloured touchpad and companion app that helps children explore music-making. And Robolink unveiled Zümi, a self-driving robotic toy car, which aims to teach people, children included, how to program AI.
Elsewhere, Intel and Audi showed demos of how virtual reality (VR) technology might be used to keep passengers entertained on long journeys in the future. Audi’s demo used Marvel’s Avengers to turn journeys into virtual spaceship rides, accelerating and turning to match the car's movements.
Intel’s in-car VR demo turned a car into a Batmobile, complete with Gotham City projected onto the windows, and Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred, driving. If he’s also happy to field endless ‘Are we there yet?’ questions from the back seat, parents will no doubt be delighted...
