tweens + big kids

Once again, it's that time we seek out the very best Halloween apps for kids to help keep them in the Halloween spirit, without wearing out their costumes and polishing off the mini Kit-Kats before the 31st even hits. And once again, it'…

Just a few weeks ago, we featured four apps kids are using that parents should know about , and noted that SnapChat was decreasing in popularity--which gives us a small sigh of relief. But with a brand new app release this week, we're th…

We all know STEM is a big deal in schools these days. The combination of science, technology, engineering and math is what kids are living on a daily basis, so a 10-year-old entrepreneur named Ethan Saadia wants to encourage even more ki…

As a family of frequent travelers, we have a lot of headphones at the ready, just waiting to be thrown into our carry-on bags or in the car. But we'e never seen anything like this before. Billed as a hybrid headphone/speaker system, Flip…

Parenting tweens and teens is challenging enough, but the prevalence of tech in most kids' lives makes it that much more important for parents to try and stay one step ahead. Where safe internet browsing was once our biggest concern, now…

I absolutely adore my iPhone, which is why I want to feel the same way about my iPhone case. I really want adequate protection but it still has to look pretty and fit my style--that goes double for my tween daughter, who can be a little …

The emotions we feel as adults are so complex today, as they are each year on September 11. But as parents, we have the added burden of trying to explain it to our own children in an age-appropriate way, and to help them cope with it too…

We're pretty diligent around here about making sure our kids understand math concepts, and math apps can be a helpful and even fun way to get them excited about it. Year after year, math just keeps building on itself, so it's super impor…

Just about every day, I have a moment where I'm grateful social media wasn't around when I was a teen or pre-teen. Don't get me wrong; technology is a major positive in my life and in my kids' lives. But it's also kind of scary to think …

I still remember spending hours on end playing Simon, that awesomely fun hand-held eletronic game which had you imitating the light patterns as they got increasingly hard. Get it: Simon Says? I cannot even believe it's back. I still cred…

My 10-year old son is definitely ready for his own laptop, but I have no idea what to get him! Can you help with a child-friendly option? -Amy Funny you should ask, Amy. I just decided to get a laptop for my 9-year old, which was a lot e…

While my kids are enjoying the freedoms of summer immensely right now, I also want to make sure that their minds are staying active and avoiding the dreaded "brain drain" (it's a real thing!). In addition to getting them to read and spen…

If you have recently upgraded to a new tablet and want to hand off the older model to your lucky kids, there are a couple safety measures we recommend you put into place to make your tablets safe for kids. Even the older models are still…

While we're not big on recommending that you should run out and get a shiny new iPad for your toddler, there are plenty of kids' tablets that make sense and even opportunities to pass on hand-me-down tablets when you upgrade your own. In…

If you're a Pixar fan, a Monsters Inc. fan, or one of the millions of new Monsters University fans, have we got the app for you. The Monsters U Storybook Deluxe app for iOS and a more limited version, the Monsters U app for Android , are…

Now that we're fully immersed in swim season, as parents we've always got safety on the brain. Recently we discovered The SEAL System , a really clever gadget and companion app to help you monitor your kids in the water. Now, there's ano…

This year, my son has needed a computer more frequently for his homework assignments. And while I'm happy to have him use my laptop, it always happens at a time when I'm right in the middle of something work-related and urgent. I'm think…

The minute the temperature rises above 70 degrees, my kids are in the pool. Now they're proficient swimmers, but I spent the earlier years of their lives hovering over them like hawks, concerned about pool safety. I still am always on al…

Even since I was a kid, gifts with batteries were somehow considered higher on the Awesome Gift Continuum™ but still, I get that not every parent wants a child's head buried in a screen. So this is one gift that fulfills all the techy fu…

I feel for parents of teens these days, who not only have to contend with the usual teen angst, but also have a whole new set of digital obstacles to face with their kids texting and app-downloading and web surfing. Not to mention apps l…

Poking around one of my favorite online shops, Fat Brain Toys , I was looking to see what's new and geeky and cool for kids now that school is close to letting out around here. That's when I came across this robot. But it's no ordinary r…

Maybe you've never thought about playing piano on a bunch of bananas or turning Grandma into a space bar, but once I saw this cool new gadget that lets you turn (almost) anything into a computer key. Think of it as one Father's Day gift …

My kids' love of electronics is not going away just because the grass is green again, which is why I really like a new educational iPad app that gets kids excited about the great outdoors---and even asks them to put down the iPad and go …

If you grew up on characters like Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong, the new news from Nintendo will make you want to dig out your flannels, dust off those cowboy boot shoes, and pause the Friends marathon while you get your hands on some of …