We love finding tech gifts for kids that they can play with all on their own, no tools or engineering degree required for assembly. And of course, they have to be the kinds of gifts that don’t end up in the back of a closet after one use! That’s why we’re so thrilled to be working with our sponsor Parrot again this holiday season, because hello? Parrot Minidrones!

Like, best gift ever.

On their behalf we put together this fun video to show you how ridiculously fun their Minidrones are — and how quickly and easily Kristen’s 8 and 9-year kids got the new Parrot Swing and Parrot Mambo Minidrones up in the air all on their own.

(And okay, we had fun flying them too. Because, MINIDRONES!)

Take a peek — you’ll know exactly why we think your kids will love them as much as ours do.

About the Parrot Minidrone Models Seen Here

The Parrot Swing Minidrone

Even though you get a good sense of it in the video, you won’t believe how fast and high the Swing can go when you try it in person. It’s got an auto-pilot feature and a vertical take-off and landing mode that make it so easy for kids.

The box includes their new Flypad, a controller that’s super helpful for kids who are video-game savvy and used to to operating similar controllers.  Even so, you can just use the app which works fabulously on its own, and lets you capture fun video from the drone while it’s flying.

Here’s a photo Kristen’s son took from Swing. Yes, those tiny little people are us! 

The Parrot Mambo Minidrone

The Mambo — the one Kristen’s son used to grab a piece of paper mid-flight at the beginning of the video — is much smaller than the Swing, but full of cool surprises like a cannon and that awesome grabber. It also has a whole host of flying tricks you’ll love trying out both indoors and out. In fact, the size makes it easy to fly indoors (provided you have a little space) which is great for the colder days of winter.

We say you should grab two, so that your kids can battle it out with their Mambo Minidrones, race each other, or host acrobatic competitions. It’s definitely worth it to purchase the Flypad separately for this one, since our kids really love using it.

And if you’re wondering, they’re sturdy. Very sturdy. Which is important when you’ve got a newbie pilot on your hands. Or uh…an adult who’s prone to crashing them into the walls. Ahem.

We also have to say that as parents, we’re really glad Parrot makes ordering a Minidrone for the holidays incredibly easy. Everything you need for your first flight comes right in the box, and set-up takes minutes after you download the free Parrot app to your smartphone and pop in a battery.

Our one suggestion: buy lots of extra batteries, because based on our own experience, your family will never want to give these drones a rest.

Oh, one more suggestion: Duck.

Many thanks to our fantastic sponsor Parrot Minidrones for making such cool tech gifts for kids that are easy for them to set-up and play with right out of the box. Plus, they make for a great family activity which we always love!