apps for kids Archives | Cool Mom Tech

This new bedtime podcast for kids is a parents’ life saver

I’m grateful for any tech that makes bedtime easier, so I was excited to discover Netflix Jr.’s brand new Bedtime Stories podcast — and I figured a whole lot of parents might be too. The podcast features some of my kids’ favorite characters...

This app lets you check out library books on your phone. Free. From home. Yes!

by Kate Etue | Best Apps

Lately, a lot of readers have been asking us about apps that let you check out free library books. Or, free e-books to be technical. So here’s the info on a favorite of ours, the hoopla digital app. While I love the feeling of being surrounded by stacks and...

5 of the best Santa tracker apps to prove he’s real. Because he is. So there.

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Holiday Picks

This year is definitely the year of the Santa tracker app. After, all, even the biggest Santa fans among us know that while he is vaccinated (so don’t worry kids) we want to keep him safe — and him, us. So we’re avoiding the mall and turning to some...

Active Arcade is a fun free app that gets the whole family up off the couch.

by Christina Refford | Best Apps, Fitness + Health, Games + Gaming

Before the holidays kick into full gear, I recommend you download one super-fun, get-off-the-couch app that also happens to be 100% free: Active Arcade. It’s entirely designed to get you moving (and maybe burning off all that pie eating) while enjoying yourself...

The best apps for road trips with kids: Map apps, entertainment apps, even restroom finder apps!

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps

I’m grateful for this list of the best apps for road trips with kids, because it turns out, I’m not allowed to put my kids in a hilarious sidecar by themselves during long drives. So I’ve been prepping my phone and the kids’ iPad for the long...

The new Rebel Girls app puts kids’ favorite inspiring women right in their earbuds

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps

I’ve been a huge Rebel Girls fan since their very first book came out, so naturally I’m so excited to hear about their brand new Rebel Girls app. The app features the stories of some of our favorite women — Malala, Lady Gaga, Maya Angelou, and many...

The 3 best digital planners for parents, according to parents with very strong opinions about planners!

by Kate Etue | Back to School Tech, Best Apps, Life and Home

I’m always on a quest for the best digital planner for the school year, because I have developed a very bad habit: Every year I get tempted by the beautiful, fun, old-fashioned paper planners I discover on Etsy or in our local stationery stores. They’re...

These 4 excellent mindfulness podcasts for kids help soothe the scaries of the world

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps, Fitness + Health, Kids

I am so grateful for these terrific mindfulness podcasts for kids.I know I’m not the only one seeing increased anxiety levels in my kids since COVID turned their worlds — and ours — upside down. So all the resources I can find to help my kids cope...

I’m getting better sleep thanks to this app. Which you may not even think of as a sleep app.

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps

It’s been a while since we shared our favorite apps to help you get better sleep. So long, that our last post about favorite sleep apps seems to include apps all recently acquired by mattress companies. Hm. I did recently write about my favorite iOS tip for...

$10 of the best math apps for middle school that make learning fun.$

10 of the best math apps for middle school that make learning fun.

by Christina Refford | Back to School Tech, Best Apps, Educational Apps

As a former homeschooling parent, I am a huge fan of math apps for middle school — and for tweens and teens whatever their grade level. I used to say that I was okay teaching math until around 3rd or 4th grade, and then I needed some help explaining certain...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Tech in 2010 to help make our increasingly digital lives easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun, however old your kids may be.

We love that it's grown to become the go-to source for millions of parents who want commonsense info about tech delivered with a smile.

We even have the privilege of sharing our tips + tricks with The TODAY Show, CNN, HLN, GMA, Nightline, newspapers and magazines around the country, and our favorite -- regular parents who stop us at PTA meetings and ask us how old kids need to be to get a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat.

(Answer: It's complicated.)

We're so glad you're here! And we hope we can help you too.