fun apps

My iPad has dozens of educational apps loaded on it, and I usually feel better about letting my kids have screen time if they're learning something. The new app HeyHey Hurry from Belgian street artist Bué has none of that. And I'm okay w…

I cannot tell you how excited I am about the new YouTube Kids app that just launched today. Over the years, we're continually asked how to find great videos for kids on YouTube by parents, and while we've shared various safer YouTube app…

I admit it, I'm an app junkie, and so are my kids. But the in-app purchase prompts on some of our favorite games drive us all crazy.Because even when you've disabled in-app purchases on the devices your kids use (you have, right?), the a…

When people ask me about any tech "wows" I might have caught at the NY International Toy Fair this week, honestly there were a few but not tons. However the first thing I'm excited about is the upcoming Anki OVERDRIVE , and it's killing …

While I'm pretty cautious about my kids' use of social media, I love encouraging them to take pictures and hone their photography skills, whether we're on some exotic family vacation or just hanging out around the house. Of course kids n…

My house is filled with readers. If it's made of paper, we'll probably read it. So it may seem strange that I'm very excited about a brand new interactive book app. But once you see the new City Nights app for iPad from Tidepool Publishi…

We dress up every other part of our smart phones, from gorgeous cases to pretty wallpaper. So why shouldn't your keyboard get a little makeover too? We found 3 fun keyboard apps to perk up your phone and make it look cooler than ever. 1.…

There's a new obsession in my house: trivia apps. We're battling for bragging rights over questions like, What was the real name of novelist George Orwell? Or, W hat color is young Anna's nightgown in Frozen? Frankly, I think it's perfec…

When I spotted the free 1+2=3 app in the App Store and it asked me if I was smarter than a first grader, my interest was definitely piqued. And well, after playing pretty much non-stop for the past couple of days, I see why it gets such …

Not all kids' magazines are created equal, and one that's risen to the top of our reading list lately is Anorak . The art is modern and cool, the stories interesting, and the jokes witty. And now this British mag. known as "The Happy Mag…

Everyone likes singing karaoke. Well, everyone except maybe my husband, who prefers to do a Leonard Cohen-style speak-singing thing when it's his turn up at the mic. Still, even he would get a kick out of Hook'd , a fun social music app …

When it comes to fun educational apps for kids, the folks behind Cool Mom Tech faves Endless Alphabet and Endless Reader just won't quit. (Guess that's where the whole endless thing comes into play, huh?) The creative development team at…

Well wasn't I delighted when I went to update all my out-of-date apps (another resolution), and clicked on Aviary in the App store (also in Google Play for Android ) which is one of my very favorite free photo editing apps. It was then t…

My daughter came home from school last week, begging for a video chat with Santa. How very 21st century. But what was more surprising was that my ever-practical, Elf-on-the-Shelf-mocking, not-believing-in-Santa kid flip-flopped! And I ow…

It's not often that we have good news for procrastinators, but if you haven't yet mailed your holiday cards, then today is your lucky day. Because we just discovered 20Stamps , an awesome iOS app that lets you design your own customized …

To be honest, I was a little hesitant when I first downloaded the Pepi Ride app . But then I turned it over to my 5-and-half-year-old son, and this doubting mama loved his reaction. Pepi Ride is a fun intro to video games. There's no rea…

Tomorrow may be Cyber Monday, but it's also World AIDS Day . Which means it's an awesome opportunity to do some extra good when you shop, and at one of our favorite places too, the Apple store. All this week through December 7, Apple wil…

This is a sponsored message from Entertainment One Family Preschoolers can't seem to get enough of Peppa Pig , one of the coolest new cartoons to hit the tube in the last ten years. Probably because Peppa Pig likes a lot of the same thin…

I confess: I've always been super curious about how other people live. I'm the nosy one who tries to catch a glimpse through lit windows while walking or driving by, and I'm afraid my kids have inherited my curiosity. Thankfully the new …

Though my kids love to explore the woods behind our house, with the weather turning frosty their time spent outdoors will be shortened considerably. So for those days when Mother Nature is less than hospitable, I'm thrilled to find the T…

When emojis first started popping up in random social media spots, I thought, "Eh, they won't last." But then I starting using the funny little graphics myself in iMessages and on Instagram comments, and suddenly emojis sort of became my…

So of course Halloween has crept up on us seemingly faster than ever before. I'm going to avoid thinking about what happens after Friday (holiday shopping, eek!), and focus on getting those costumes ready and devising a strategy to not e…

If Halloween's scary side has your kids jumping at every bump in the night, you'll want to check out Toca Boo, a brand-new app for iOS by Cool Mom Tech favorite Toca Boca that lets your child be the scary one---and not just when they mis…

We are definitely a Spotify family. And by family, I mean I do not tend to publish my playlists because they range from "Every version of every Frozen song ever" to "Every Gummy Bear song sung in every language ever." Okay, I do have a f…