tweens + big kids

What you do after the kids are in bed on Valentine's Day -- that's your business. What you do while the kids are still up and wanting to hang out with you though? Well, we can help with that. As the resident cinephile, I've put together …

We live in an age of photoshop and photo altering, and quite frankly, our teens and tweens are pretty savvy when it comes to pointing out (and complaining about) a model's face that's been de-wrinkled. But photos of women -- made to look…

We know first hand that finding cool gifts for teens is no easy task. But in our experience, tech is always a safe choice, especially in 2019 when teens are so in tune with what's hot on the tech scene. We're so pleased to present this h…

This past week, my 11-year old daughter and I had a long conversation about Snapchat. She's been begging me for awhile now, but lately, it's amped up because pretty much all her friends use it exclusively to communicate. I've been very r…

My sixth-grader has been asking me to splurge on an Apple Watch for her lately, but I don't see that in her future at the moment. The thing is: she doesn't have a phone yet. So I see little value in spending that kind of money on a watch…

For lots of middle school kids, back to school means back to tech. Specifically: school-issued laptops. Of course, when we're thinking about our kids and tech that they don't own themselves, but they're responsible for day-in and day-out…

We've said it before but we'll say it again: Representation matters. That's why we were thrilled to support Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls when it launched a few years ago on Kickstarter, along with their journal , and their podcast. …

For the tween or teen in your life, or hey maybe your manicure-loving self, these new print your own nail decals from Canon are pretty darn cool. They work specifically with the PIXMA series printers and let users customize and then prin…

If it looks like your kids are hard at work on their laptop or Chromebook, they might actually be messaging with their friends. Turns out, tweens and teens are using Google Docs to chat with each other, and it's honestly pretty brilliant…

With my 12-year old son heading to middle school next year, I've got the the typical parental worries, which these days includes trying to figure out the best first laptop to purchase for him. Yes, my baby is all grown up and needs his o…

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 …

Even if you haven't finished your holiday shopping yet, we've got you covered with these tech gifts you can still order on Amazon Prime and receive before Christmas. Brilliant, right? And, true to form, these last minute Amazon Prime tec…

Next up in our Holiday Tech Gift Guide 2018 , we're featuring cool tech toys for tweens and big kids. Hey, we know first-hand how hard older kids can be to shop for, but having consulted with them we're pretty sure these tech toys, gifts…

If you've got someone in your home whose love for LEGO and Harry Potter have transcended toys, books, and movies, we give you the newest release: LEGO Harry Potter Collection for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch . We can hear the sound of wa…

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…

What Potterhead among us hasn't wanted to accio our own working wand and perform a little magic? Like, I don't know...make some Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans get bigger, disappear a few Mandrakes, or summon some chocolate frogs? Well,…

While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be …

The launch of Fitbit's new Ace , an activity tracker for kids, is probably a surprise to no one. With the popularity of fitness trackers with adults, there are plenty of kids, including my own, who want their own. And, in most cases, kid…

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!

I've been back several days from CES 2018, the Consumer Electronic Show, and I'm so happy to discover so many innovative new coding toys for kids this year that are giving new meaning to "best coding toys for kids." Wow, how far we've co…

We're all learning about new technology right along with our kids, which can put us at a bit of a disadvantage. Darn those growing brains. And if you've ever gotten a new cell phone and seen how much more your kid knows about it than you…

The gingerbread house just got a 2017 makeover thanks to this clever Super Mario gingerbread house we found at Michael's. Seriously, how fun is this? Related: The coolest craft gifts for kids You get everything you'll need to put togethe…

While I was getting my new shiny iPhone 8 + this weekend, I spotted these adorable My Audio Pet Bluetooth speakers at the T-Mobile store, under a big "One of Oprah's Favorite Things!" Now, I love me some Oprah, but I tend to be pretty sk…

If you've got a kid like mine, it's a full-time job just keeping up with her every growing interests, many of which happen to be digital. And no, I'm not necessarily talking about gaming and YouTube binge watching. From learning to code …