educational Archives | Cool Mom Tech

8 fantastic educational resources for online learning, just in case you need them, parents.

Last week, our school district cancelled school on Friday due to possible COVID-19 exposure. And this week on Tuesday, my youngest daughter had off school. Whether or not we will see more cancellations in the future is unknown at this time (sorry, no crystal ball,...

Dear Reader is the addictive wordplay game for fans of Jane Austen and Edgar Allen Poe. Yes, really.

by Liz Gumbinner | Fun, Fun Apps

When you think “voracious reader of the classics” you don’t generally think at the same time “..and big game, toor!” And yet, that’s how I feel every time I open up Dear Reader. Free with Apple Arcade, this fun, quippy, clever, and...

Outschool: Real-time, teacher-led courses for kids…from home.

by Kate Etue | Educational Apps For Kids, Websites Worth a Bookmark

As a homeschool mom, there’s something I’ve realized about myself over the past couple years: I’m not great at everything. There are some subjects I definitely teach better than others (hello, writing!), and some that I have no business attempting to...

5 of our favorite, fun educational apps to get elementary students excited about learning this year.

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Tech, Best Apps, Educational Apps For Kids

Last week, my daughter Sage and I had a great time talking with the crew from News12 (NYC, Long Island, Westchester) about our favorite fun, educational apps for grade schoolers that help your kids make the most out of screen time. I’m glad I had the opportunity...

3 great podcasts to help you learn a foreign language

by Kate Etue | Entertainment

We get all sorts of awesome questions in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group. You are a member, right? Recently, a parent asked for foreign language podcast recommendations for kids. So, we dug around and found these 3 great podcasts to help you learn a foreign...

3 free audiobook apps you need for back to school

by Kate Etue | Educational Apps For Kids

School will be starting up soon, and that means my kids’ tech will be focused more on education than Fortnite in a few weeks. Sorry, kids. I’m going to start by downloading these free audiobook apps that let you borrow them (along with books, movies, and...

We found an animated storybook app that’s a great YouTube alternative

by Caroline Siegrist | Educational Apps For Kids

I’m always on the hunt for YouTube alternatives for my son, and I’ve just discovered a good one in Vooks, the app that streams animated children’s books. If you’re wanting your kids to be entertained by something other than toy cars being...

4 awesome YouTube alternatives for kids of all ages

by Kate Etue | Fun Apps for Kids

With all the not-so-great news coming out around YouTube recently — from their pedophilia problem to the horrific content spliced into kids’ videos to the infamous Momo challenge — I’ve been looking for some YouTube alternatives. From now on,...

7 fantastic iPad apps for 6 year olds that our readers swear by

by Caroline Siegrist | Fun Apps

Anyone on the hunt for fantastic iPad apps for 6 year olds? This topic came up recently in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group, and yay, our members shared their tried and true favorites, both educational and just for fun. So whether you’re just looking to...

10 cool holiday tech toys for tweens and big kids | Tech Holiday Gift Guide 2018

by Cool Mom Staff | Holiday Picks, Holiday Tech Gifts, Tech Toys and Random Fun

Next up in our Holiday Tech Gift Guide 2018, we’re featuring cool tech toys for tweens and big kids. Hey, we know first-hand how hard older kids can be to shop for, but having consulted with them we’re pretty sure these tech toys, gifts and gadgets will...

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.