educational kids' games

I'm part of the micro-generation Xennials, for whom there was no better reward in middle school computer class for finishing your typing drills and DOS coding worksheets early than getting to play a game of Oregon Trail. It's one of the …

With our kids spending significantly more time on their computers now that for many kids, school is online from home, we've realized something: they can't type. I mean, 16 wpm isn't something to brag about, champ. So we thought we'd look…

We've been hustling all summer to bring you great online educational resources, from coding camps to homeschooling websites . And now, with what we're calling "back to schooling" we're bringing you a trove of educational apps for kids of…

When you think "voracious reader of the classics" you don't generally think at the same time "..and big game, toor!" And yet, that's how I feel every time I open up Dear Reader. Free with Apple Arcade , this fun, quippy, clever, and fair…

Last week, my daughter Sage and I had a great time talking with the crew from News12 (NYC, Long Island, Westchester) about our favorite fun, educational apps for grade schoolers that help your kids make the most out of screen time. I'm g…

We're huge fans of Osmo around my house. The kids love to play their innovative games, and I love that they seamlessly marry tangible, hands-on play with screen time. So when I saw their new game just announced today, Detective Agency , …

Of all the STEM coding toys that have come through our door, our favorite has been Cubetto . Maybe it's the heirloom quality of the robot's square wooden housing, with a personable little smile on the front. Or the fact that they don't h…

News flash: our kids love video games. But they also love to help cook in the kitchen. So when we saw that the new Issa's Edible Adventures app teaches them to cook virtually and IRL, we knew we had to try it out. It's part Carmen Sandie…

If you were obsessed with Lite-Brite as a kid like I was, I bet you, er, your kids will love Pixel Kit , a new Lite-Brite-esque coding toy from Kano . It's all the best of the quintessential '80s toy, with the cool tech updates a 21st-ce…

We love finding cool toys and apps that do a great job teaching our kids the basics of coding, since it's a language we expect they'll want (and need) to know when they're adults. When they've got great design and fun play through too, i…

Yay! We're so happy to be back with our annual Cool Mom Tech Holiday Tech Gift Guide , all fresh and new for 2016. And to kick it off, we've got the coolest educational tech toys for kids of all ages. Whether you're shopping for a curiou…

I'm convinced the reason my kids keep going back to play Osmo , one of our favorite educational tools for kids, is its brilliant mashup of digital elements and tangible controls they can actually touch and move around on the table. If yo…

Coding is certainly one of the new buzzwords in education, along with STEM, STEAM, and now, believe it or not, STREAM. And while a lot of learn-to-code apps toys, and games, like Robot School, Dash Robot, and Code Master , are targeted p…

As we approach the final week of Christmas shopping, I plan spend a few minutes to make sure that I'm buying toys and games that will feed my kids' brains as much as their need for play. And while "math toys" has never appeared on any of…

This is a sponsored message from Wonder Workshop With so many parents looking for STEM toys for their kids this holiday, it's worth checking out Wonder Workshop, makers of the awesome Dot and Dash robots that teach kids some fantastic sk…

This is a sponsored message from VTech Today's preschoolers are a far more digitally connected and savvy group than we ever were, and now a new system from VTech is channeling that screen time interest and transforming it into an opportu…

If your kids are having a hard time waiting for Halloween to hurry up and get here, we've got a fun treat to share with you that will keep them busy and challenged this week. Developed by Kano , whose DIY computer kit wowed us earlier in…

When it comes to teaching my kids history, I'll use anything I can get my hands on, from Crash Course and Brain Pop videos , to cool apps like History Here that help us learn the history of places we visit. And now I've found a lighthear…

Here I was, thinking I was so excited to have my kids back in school, but I totally forgot one thing: homework. Drilling your kids on their math facts is the most fun ever, right? Ugh. Well, if you have the amazingly inventive Osmo for i…

Warning: It's a jungle out there. No, really. There's a crazy, colorful jungle filled with wild animals and plants for kids to explore, and it's right there on your smart device. Since we always love the kinds of educational apps that ki…

There seems to be no shortage of websites or online games that will help teach our kids coding so they can be ready to head out into this increasingly technical world. And as much as I love that there are so many online options, sometime…

We're big fans of dedicated kids' tablets around here. We even have a list of our favorite tablets for kids , for those parents who aren't quite ready to hand over a $500 iPad to a preschooler. Even if it is a hand-me-down. And this is w…

Recently, I wrote about how totally in love I am with the Dot and Dash Robots from Wonder Workshop . So it makes me extra happy that they have joined us as as our newest Cool Mom Tech sponsor because, well, we all adore them! (Also, so d…

Every summer I vow that we're going to do enriching activities to keep everyone's brain sharp, but then my resolve melts faster than ice cream on a hot day once we start enjoying the lazy, unscheduled days of summer. But, I've found a gr…