apps for kids Archives | Cool Mom Tech

Find your own town on this amazing interactive Native Land map

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Educational Apps, Websites We Love

I originally stumbled on this incredible Native Land Map when it was shared in honor of Indigenous People’s Day and — wow. What a worthwhile educational site to explore today, especially if you sit down and do it with your kids. Particularly if...

7 of the best meditation apps to help you calm anxiety. Deep breaths, everyone.

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps, Fitness + Health

These days, anxiety feels like a constant a companion at my house and I’ve made good use of these meditation apps ever since Covid began. I’m happy to say that when I actually get a chance to use them, they really make a difference. After all, we’re...

Should your kids be using BeReal, the hot new social media app? What parents should know.

by Christina Refford | Best Apps, Internet Safety, Social Media

You may have seen this hilarious sketch on SNL that has a bunch of adults using the app BeReal during a rather tense situation. (if you haven’t seen it yet, go watch now! I’ll wait.) This sketch does a great job explaining what BeReal is, but we’ve...

Student discounts on these meditation apps can help college students find zen for a lot less.

by Christina Refford | Back to School Tech, Best Apps, Tips and Tricks

For those of us with college students (already!), we know how stressful it can be for our kids to get adjusted to a totally new schedule and, often, a new living situation. We even included meditation apps among our recommendations of apps for college freshmen to...

Help for kids with anxiety: 4 excellent mindfulness podcasts to help soothe the scaries of the world

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

If you need help for kids with anxiety, I am so grateful for these terrific mindfulness podcasts for kids. We all know that unfortunately, anxiety is on the rise for lots of children, including my own. Maybe you’re trying to help a child with chronic anxiety, or...

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

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps

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...

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.