tech for kids Archives | Cool Mom Tech

6 scary podcasts for kids, just in time for Halloween

Gearing up for Halloween is looking a little different this year, but at my house we’ve been getting into the spooky spirit with these awesome scary podcasts for kids. They come at every level of fright, from pumpkin-caper to prepare-to-sleep-with-the-lights-on....

15 awesome podcasts for kids that you’ll enjoy too, parents.

by Caroline Siegrist | Entertainment

We’ve been busy rounding up everything from helpful homeschooling resources to online learning apps and websites for the quarantine, but we realize kids can’t live on educational materials alone. So we asked our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group members...

The Seriously STEM Award winners: 4 of the best educational STEM toys of the year

by Liz Gumbinner | Tech Toys and Random Fun

I was so honored to return as a judge for the second annual Seriously STEM awards, honoring the best educational STEM toys. In collaboration with STEM.org, and with judges including educators, journalists, science museum directors, and independent STEM toy experts...

3 affordable Apple Watch alternatives for kids

by Kate Etue | Fashion + Accessories

My sixth-grader has been asking me to splurge on an Apple Watch for her lately, but I don’t see that in her future at the moment. The thing is: she doesn’t have a phone yet. So I see little value in spending that kind of money on a watch, when she...

10 things you need to know before using a school-issued laptop

by Kate Etue | Back to School Tech

For lots of middle school kids, back to school means back to tech. Specifically: school-issued laptops. Of course, when we’re thinking about our kids and tech that they don’t own themselves, but they’re responsible for day-in and day-out, that comes...

quip for kids: A grown-up toothbrush that’s made for tiny mouths.

by Kristen Chase | Fitness + Health

I have been a hard core fan of the quip electric toothbrush, long before you probably heard their ads on podcasts (though not on Spawned just yet!) or could find them at your local Target. I have even bought them for my kids, though that was before they decided to...

Listen up! 5 fantastic storytelling podcasts for kids.

by Kristen Chase | Entertainment

Podcasts can promote your child’s creativity and imagination without spending more time in front of a screen. And while there are more and more awesome podcasts for kids popping up all the time, we wanted to specifically highlight storytelling podcasts. Think...

The new Fitbit Ace lets kids track activity and sleep, right on their wrist.

by Kristen Chase | Fitness + Health, Kids

The launch of Fitbit’s new Ace, an activity tracker for kids, is probably a surprise to no one. With the popularity of fitness trackers with adults, there are plenty of kids, including my own, who want their own. And, in most cases, kids are wearing their...

7 cool ways Crayola is going STEM in 2018.

by Ellyn Exley Dvorkin | Tech Toys and Random Fun

We’re always excited to see what new and exciting goodies Crayola is launching, which is why they’re one of our first stops at Toy Fair every year. And lucky us, we got a sneak peek their brand new and upcoming releases to share with you, lots of which...

Jooki: Why we adore this 21st century jukebox for kids | CES 2018

by Liz Gumbinner | Kids Music, Tech Toys and Random Fun

Wow was I excited to discover Jooki at CES 2018. I mean, I saw a whole lot of new tech for kids, but not a whole lot beyond STEM and coding toys that really made me go wow. So I’ll be sharing a few top favorites for kids over the coming days, but I have to start...

NEW: The podcast that helps you be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week

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.