The technological world has advanced since we were kids- connecting people in global communications, information at our fingertips, and even changing the way we entertain ourselves. Our kids are more affected by this change as many of them were born in the digital age. In this article we talk about some new technologies designed for kids engagement and parent comfort. (All tech and apps mentioned are linked at the bottom of the article.) 

Study and Learning Tools

A large portion of a tween's day-to-day life revolves around school: lessons, homework, studying and more make up a large portion of a kid’s educational experience. Whether they are learning a new language, studying geometry, thinking about earth sciences, or wanting to understand more of history, there are various online tools that can help equip your tween with educational values and skills. 

Gizmo is an AI assisted study tool that after inputting information into it, the application can create flashcards, mini lessons, quizzes, summarizations and more based off of the information you provided. Students can also link with their ‘friends’ on the app and “Create and share decks, quiz together in real time, and keep each other motivated as you learn.” Learning together or alone this application makes studying easier. 

Quizlet is similar to Gizmo but can be used by both students and teachers. On Quizlet you can turn notes into study guides, flashcards, and games for studying. This is the tool I used in Spanish class to work on my verb conjugations and vocabulary recall- and it still holds up today! Teachers can create materials for students for their specific classes and links to different flashcard sets can be shared among classes or friend groups. The games implemented into the application make it possible for kids to engage with their class materials in more ways than just reading and rereading notes. 

Another tool we have is Khan Academy. It is an online platform and tool for teaching and learning material. With different accounts for students, parents, and teachers to utilize. Khan Academy does specialize in teaching Math for many different age groups and classes but also has lesson plans for English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Computing, Economics, and Life Skills (like Financial Literacy and Internet Safety). Each lesson plan has recorded video lessons explaining the topic, practice questions and course challenges to measure level of content understanding. 

Communication Technologies 

It seems that every kid wants a smart phone- which comes with the complexities of handling safety and communication. To limit access to inappropriate content and applications for kids and tweens, many different companies have created their own communication tools like phones and watches designed specifically for young users. These tech are specifically built for child responsibility and safety and easing parent’s anxieties. 

Screen-free phones are making a comeback with the accessibility of an older style home phone marketed for families and kids. Tin Can is a Wi-Fi enabled landline that can call approved phone numbers and emergency contacts. Tin Can supports the calling of other Tin Can devices for free and has a family plan for calling regular phone numbers.

The Ring Ring Club follows this same idea of a screen-free home phone for kids. It can be connected to a router or use the local Wi-Fi to function. This company plans for a smarter start for kids and tweens with outside communication using their phones. A parent can set contacts, quiet hours and more from a mobile app they can have on their personal device. 

Pinwheel takes a different approach when it comes to phones for kids. Their devices focus on ‘digital wisdom’ by having the parents have the ability to change and grow accessibility on their child’s device. The phones and watches have installed GPS location tracking, text monitoring and no access to social media. So your child can have the ability to have a smart device without many of the complications a standard smartphone would have for kids. 

Smartphones and watches are becoming very popular with all ages, Gabb sells both child safe Smartphones and Smartwatches. Its ability to have its own messaging feature, music application and device specific accessories keeps the conversation of device and communication safety a priority between parent and child. Allowing the child to have the communication tools they want with the child safety the parents need. 

Entertainment with Purpose

There are lots of ways to entertain ourselves now-a-days but with constant screens and devices- children, especially tweens, are moving away from toys as a form of entertainment. Tech is a great way to entertain oneself, but this doesn’t mean it has to be a TV Binge or a YouTube scroll- there are other devices and tech that can entertain your tween while teaching them valuable lessons with engaging content. 

Yoto is an audiobook player for kids, and tweens with ‘cards’ that can be inserted to read out books and stories for children to enjoy. This can be especially helpful with the phasing out of CD players and physical format audiobooks. Yoto has over one thousand stories, songs and podcasts for your child to enjoy. This device aims to grow with your child and their capabilities with content aimed for ages 3 to 12 years old. Yoto’s various devices come in different sizes with different functionality besides reading such as a Wake-up clock, night light, sleep timer, white noise and more! 

If your child is more into robotics and coding, Sphero is the way to go. They design hands-on engaging, educational and fun activities for all ages and ability levels. Categorized by grade level, from preschool to 12th grade, the wide range of projects can include engineering, coding, circuits, programming, CAD design and more. Your kid can explore their technical creative side with Sphero. Sphero even hosts competitions, has events and provides resources for users to learn as they build and code. 

Maybe your child is more artistic and craftsy; consider looking into the 3Doodler, a 3D printing pen designed for kids. No hot parts, glue, and limited mess- these devices can help children and tweens think and create in 3D space. Along with your child’s imagination they also provide stencils, tutorials, and lessons on how to create using the 3Doodler. With different sets and accessories dependent on age group this device makes learning creativity fun for everyone.  

Technology is constantly advancing and we all notice it. The kids in the past couple generations might not be able to remember a time when there wasn't a phone, computer, smart device, etc. in the home. This is not a way to say that technology is ruining childhood, we just need to adapt and be considerate and aware of the technology we are providing the next generations. We hope these suggestions can help your family learn, communicate and have fun together!  

This blog post has many different tools and tech for your family to consider for yourselves. Listed below are the direct links to their websites for future research and connection. If you have a technology or application we did not mention please write about it in the comments section. 

Study and Learning Tools 

Gizmo: https://gizmo.ai/ 

Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/ 

Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/ 

Communication Technologies 

Tin Can: https://tincan.kids/?srsltid=AfmBOopf3BW5vRZ4eNA1NtltzQ9PBdEHwbQIU_WmusQgU6_RdSFQIlUk 

Ring Ring Club: https://ringringclub.com/ 

Pinwheel: https://www.pinwheel.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqkxsJEFb8PTk3DN4jdHDD_-Sy1qeu9PT6AeLtEW9AGhinIuyxI 

Gabb: https://gabb.com/ 

Entertainment with Purpose

Yoto: https://us.yotoplay.com/ 

Sphero:  https://sphero.com/ 

3Doodler - https://the3doodler.com/