fun apps

With all the not-so-great news coming out around YouTube recently -- from their pedophilia problem to the horrific content spliced into kids' videos to the infamous Momo challenge -- I've been looking for some YouTube alternatives. From …

Feeling inspired by Jordan Shapiro's interview on NPR with our former Spawned guest Anya Kamanetz , and reading his book for our upcoming interview with him on Spawned, I decided to let my tween daughter give TikTok (formerly Musical.ly)…

If you're looking for an amazing last-minute holiday gift that the people on your list will love, consider a digital subscription gift. It's one gift takes up no space in their home, yet provides hours of entertainment, learning, or fun.…

Anyone on the hunt for fantastic iPad apps for 6 year olds? This topic came up recently in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group , and yay, our members shared their tried and true favorites, both educational and just for fun. So whether …

I loved the Secret Code book when it came out two years ago, and so I was especially pumped to see the new Secret Code app bringing the book to life with its recent launch. Where the story of Rox's Secret Code introduced kids to the poss…

My daughter came home from a sleepover this past weekend asking if she could download Musical.ly (now known as TikTok). I've been hesitant about this app after hearing friends' kids with various issues, not to mention the stories we've s…

Halloween is right around the corner, so we decided to round-up fun Halloween apps for kids that aren't too scary, all of which happen to be free (yay!). What a fun way to get them excited about Halloween, though if your kids are anythin…

This is a sponsored message from Kinsane Entertainment Inc. If you've ever told your kids not to play with their food, well, now there's one way they totally can: Fruits vs Veggies Supermarket App for iOS and Android . This fun, safe, an…

This is a sponsored message from KinToons Music! Singing! A flying turtle with a jet pack! An ice cream-eating duck! It all comes together in the wonderful new KinToons Nursery Rhyme DJ app , a fun, colorful, and totally safe environment…

Over the weekend, my husband and son became completely engrossed in these escape room apps (or puzzle room, to some people), and after taking a look myself, I can totally see why. Warning: they are pretty freaking awesome, so much so tha…

As my son gets older, I'm starting to look for cool educational apps to give him a leg up on counting and letters and other basic skills. The clear favorite for now? The brand new Khan Academy Kids , a free learning app from Khan Academy…

I'm always happy when companies find a way to take their kids' toys, games and activities and add components or extensions that keep them fresh for kids to play with. One of the best tech companies at this: Wonder Workshop , whose robots…

With the popularity of the Musical.ly app , it's no surprise that Facebook has jumped on the bandwagon with the launch of their new Lip Sync Live feature. Related: 12 risky apps parents should watch out for Similar to what folks share on…

This is a sponsored message from Spotify Spotify remains the world's largest global music streaming subscription service and for good reason. It's transformed the way we can all find and enjoy music for free. And now, thanks to some amaz…

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…

With the warmer weather finally here, I'm looking forward to getting outdoors with my family. We're avid campers and hikers, and I have to admit, I enjoy the time we spend away from screens. Turns out, it's also Screen-Free Week, so how …

Our Cool Mom Picks' editor, Liz, had the awesome opportunity to check out the latest Crayola creations at the 2018 Toy Fair, and we are pleased as tropical punch (aka magenta) to sneak peek their brand new and upcoming releases with you!

Editor's note: Please scroll to the very bottom for some important updates on our Movie Pass experience. When I first heard about MoviePass on Facebook, I thought it sounded a little too good to be true. All the movies you could possibly…

My timeline started blowing up with bizarre side-by-side photos of selfies and museum portraits. I tracked it down as a feature of the new Google Arts & Culture app (iOS and Android ) which is free, fun, and possibly has some educational…

Harness your thoughts (and maybe a New Years' resolution) with one of our favorite free journal apps.

We know lots of people who would appreciate a Hulu membership, or a subscription to Netflix over more stuff.

The Portable North Pole app and website is hands-down our favorite way for kids to get a chance to talk with Santa. And this year, it's back with new features that make it better than ever. For kids who are clever, curious (and maybe a l…

Hot Wheels is getting a big tech upgrade, thanks to their newest partnership with a longtime Cool Mom Tech favorite, Osmo . You'll be able to recapture your living room floors from miles of winding plastic track, but still let your kids …

The TBH app has been blowing up over the past few weeks and just hit #1 in the App Store for iOS following the announcement that Facebook has purchased it. I've seen multiple articles referring to it a "kindness app" or an "anonymous com…