tweens + big kids

With back-to-school here, or just around the corner for some of us, I like to take the time to have reinforce some basic tech rules with my kids and have some important tech conversations before things get super hectic. Whether your kids…

We know many so many families who love online gaming for its temporary escape into cool unique realms and the connection with others who love to play as much as we do. But sometimes real-world problems can follow us into our online games…

I know firsthand how hard it is to decide when is the best age for kids to have their own cell phone . On one hand, we want them to be able to reach us if soccer practice gets out early or they want to leave a sleepover at 1am, but expos…

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 chil…

We know shopping for the best tech gifts for teens can be pretty challenging, but in our experience, tech is pretty much always a hit -- provided it's age appropriate. And we've got that down! For more than 10 years now, we've been in on…

We've spent the past several years evaluating the best headphones for students for remote learning, and while kids are back in school, one of the residual effects has been more online learning (and social!) opportunities. Whether kids ar…

With all the social and humanitarian crises we are facing as a nation, it's more important than ever that the next generation is activated toward making a difference. The children are our future, right? Well, here's one way that's happen…

I'm among millions of parents all over the country concerned about widespread efforts to ban "controversial" books in our public libraries. Especially when the lists include some of our favorite books , and plenty of them are not "contro…

We've officially hit the point of full Apple product saturation in our household -- and as so many parents in our Out Tech Your Kids community tell us, they have too. So what do you do when you're all basically on Apple devices, your kid…

We love when parents ask us "how do I know if my kid is ready for a cell phone?" It means you're conscientious, caring, and involved -- and of course, want to make sure that you're raising a kid to make good choices, and not who isn't th…

If you've ever said, "Alexa, play When the Party's Over " then you'll be thrilled that Amazon has just announced the launch of the Billie Eilish special edition Amazon Echo Studio and it's pretty darn cool if you're a super-fan. Remember…

When your teen takes the time to text you the news about InnerSloth's official Among Us costume for Halloween this year, you know that the party game that got millions of kids through the worst of the pandemic last year is only growing i…

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 he…

In our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, a parent recently asked for recommendations for great news podcasts for kids. Our readers replied with some really good suggestions, so we wanted to round them up for you...and add a few more …

Parents of tweens and teens, we've got good news! YouTube is launching new parental controls specifically for kids in this age group. What a relief to those of us who see the value in letting them watch some of the content on YouTube...b…

Has anyone else's teens struggled with interrupted sleep since the pandemic? My kids' slower social lives and reduction in extracurricular activities certainly plays a part, but turning to tech to connect with friends is making an impact…

Let's take a minute to applaud our teens who've been willing to quarantine this year. It's been brutal to lose so many activities they love, and they've handled it with flexibility and (mostly) good attitudes! While we'd hoped we'd be "b…

With school going online this fall, we're starting a whole new phase of parent-sanctioned screen time at my house, which is why I've been on the hunt for blue light glasses for kids. The jury's still out concerning exactly how much these…

Okay, so plenty of us gave up on the same screen time limits we had pre-Covid. But that's not to say we don't still have screen time fights with the kids. Or uh...arguments? Debates? Gentle disagreements? If you're looking to cut back on…

Kids are pretty darn smart, but we can be smarter, parents! On this week's Out-Tech Your Kids podcast , we're talking about the ways kids can circumvent parental controls so you can be prepared, thanks to the members of our Out-Tech Your…

We've always said that all screen time is not created equal! And on this week's Out-Tech Your Kids podcast , we're talking about the benefits of social media for kids. Social media tends to get a bad rap -- let alone specific channels li…

"Don't read the comments" isn't going to fly when your kids are old enough to watch YouTube videos without you around, let alone managing their own TikTok accounts. But learning how to be a responsible commenter is a skill that comes in …

We're always amazed and impressed by the imaginative ideas kids can come up with when you give them a simple problem to solve. Just think of how many times your smartypants kids have gotten their siblings to do their chores. Or, figured …

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 fair…

What you do after the kids are in bed on Valentine's Day -- that's your business. What you do while the kids are still up and wanting to hang out with you though? Well, we can help with that. As the resident cinephile, I've put together …

We live in an age of photoshop and photo altering, and quite frankly, our teens and tweens are pretty savvy when it comes to pointing out (and complaining about) a model's face that's been de-wrinkled. But photos of women -- made to look…

We know first hand that finding cool gifts for teens is no easy task. But in our experience, tech is always a safe choice, especially in 2019 when teens are so in tune with what's hot on the tech scene. We're so pleased to present this h…

This past week, my 11-year old daughter and I had a long conversation about Snapchat. She's been begging me for awhile now, but lately, it's amped up because pretty much all her friends use it exclusively to communicate. I've been very r…

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…

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…

We've said it before but we'll say it again: Representation matters. That's why we were thrilled to support Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls when it launched a few years ago on Kickstarter, along with their journal , and their podcast. …

For the tween or teen in your life, or hey maybe your manicure-loving self, these new print your own nail decals from Canon are pretty darn cool. They work specifically with the PIXMA series printers and let users customize and then prin…

If it looks like your kids are hard at work on their laptop or Chromebook, they might actually be messaging with their friends. Turns out, tweens and teens are using Google Docs to chat with each other, and it's honestly pretty brilliant…

With my 12-year old son heading to middle school next year, I've got the the typical parental worries, which these days includes trying to figure out the best first laptop to purchase for him. Yes, my baby is all grown up and needs his o…

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 …

Even if you haven't finished your holiday shopping yet, we've got you covered with these tech gifts you can still order on Amazon Prime and receive before Christmas. Brilliant, right? And, true to form, these last minute Amazon Prime tec…

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…

If you've got someone in your home whose love for LEGO and Harry Potter have transcended toys, books, and movies, we give you the newest release: LEGO Harry Potter Collection for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch . We can hear the sound of wa…

My daughter came home from a sleepover this past weekend asking if she could download Musical.ly (now known as TikTok). I've been hesitant about this app after hearing friends' kids with various issues, not to mention the stories we've s…

What Potterhead among us hasn't wanted to accio our own working wand and perform a little magic? Like, I don't know...make some Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans get bigger, disappear a few Mandrakes, or summon some chocolate frogs? Well,…

While kids are born to love science, every kid at every age has different abilities, inclinations, passions and skills. We started Cool Mom Tech in part to help parents foster that love of STEM in their kids, which is why we couldn't be …

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, kid…

Our Cool Mom Picks' editor, Liz, had the awesome opportunity to check out the latest Crayola creations at the 2018 Toy Fair, and we are pleased as tropical punch (aka magenta) to sneak peek their brand new and upcoming releases with you!

I've been back several days from CES 2018, the Consumer Electronic Show, and I'm so happy to discover so many innovative new coding toys for kids this year that are giving new meaning to "best coding toys for kids." Wow, how far we've co…

We're all learning about new technology right along with our kids, which can put us at a bit of a disadvantage. Darn those growing brains. And if you've ever gotten a new cell phone and seen how much more your kid knows about it than you…

The gingerbread house just got a 2017 makeover thanks to this clever Super Mario gingerbread house we found at Michael's. Seriously, how fun is this? Related: The coolest craft gifts for kids You get everything you'll need to put togethe…

While I was getting my new shiny iPhone 8 + this weekend, I spotted these adorable My Audio Pet Bluetooth speakers at the T-Mobile store, under a big "One of Oprah's Favorite Things!" Now, I love me some Oprah, but I tend to be pretty sk…

If you've got a kid like mine, it's a full-time job just keeping up with her every growing interests, many of which happen to be digital. And no, I'm not necessarily talking about gaming and YouTube binge watching. From learning to code …

My tweens know that I have a pretty strict policy about social media in our house. We won't even have the conversation about setting up accounts for them on Facebook or Instagram until they're the minimum age required by the app. And eve…

Our favorite little droid R2-D2 faithfully served Padmé, Anakin, Luke, and Leia, and now, you can add your own little Jedi to the list, thanks to this new Droid Inventor Kit from CMP favorite littleBits . The Droid Inventor Kit, which is…

Since more and more upper and middle schools are requiring laptops or iPads in the classroom, we wanted to take a look at the best laptop bags for kids. Our requirements: They have to offer good support for our kids backs with all that h…

It's back to school time, which also means, back to school shopping time. That's why we launched the first installment of our annual Cool Mom Picks Back to School guide , full of the coolest space accessories for kids. Yay geeks! From sc…

We have to admit that we're getting pretty excited about the total solar eclipse on August 21. Depending on where you live (or where you're traveling to), you could experience up to 3 minutes of complete darkness during day. Along with m…

When I was a drop-out Brownie some 30-ahem years ago, my troop worked on badges like Basketry and Arts & Crafts. But now I'm kind of wishing I could go back and do it all over again because this fall, the Girl Scout organization has anno…

If you're like me, then you do your best to manage screen time using myriad methods. In our house, I've done The Marble Jar to read for screens, and pretty much everything in between. And still, there are tantrums and arguments when it's…

Forget Snapchat, Facebook, or even Instagram. Teens these days are often connecting with friends online by gaming together on their Xboxes and I find the key to good communication for them is a great gaming headset for teens. So my almos…

These camps are so cool that you’ll want to be a kid again! Well maybe temporarily.

I'm grateful to my daughter who (much to the chagrin of tweens and teens everywhere, I'm sure) tipped me off to a trick I wasn't aware of: Kids can easily download new apps to their devices without your knowledge, if you have Apple Famil…

We've probably all had photos we've shared on social media that we would very happily forget, like say my lovely "before" shot I took when I was starting a workout regimen a few months after having a baby that now pops up every single ti…

A recent survey of more than 1600 U.K. kids revealed some fascinating results when it comes to kids' online behavior , leading the UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to make some pretty strong recomme…

For those of you with teens applying to college, if you're wondering whether college admissions officers check student social media accounts, the definitive answer is "yes." This is clearly evidenced by this week's incident in which Harv…

In a recent survey of 1500 young people aged 14-24, researchers discovered that Instagram was cited as the most damaging to a young person , followed closely by Snapchat, and then Facebook. In fact, YouTube was the only of the 5 networks…

We all issued a collective gasp around here this week, reading about the online game called Blue Whale , A.K.A. The Suicide Game. And of course right away I was hoping it was a big hoax. When I checked out the details, I was kind of hopi…

If you think spying and snooping on your kids' social media behavior will help keep them safer, a new study in the Journal of Adolescence actually suggests otherwise, this recent post on Well Family discusses. In a survey of 455 adolesce…

If you've got Pokémon loving tweens and teens in your house, you better pop in some ear plugs before you show them the new line of Pokémon make-up from Korean brand TONYMOLY . They've got everything from nail polish to face masks, all co…

If you're a regular Cool Mom Tech reader, then you know we love STEM-oriented toys for children , especially if they're so fun and challenging that kids don't notice they're educational, like the new Electric Motors Catalyst box. Unlike …

This is a sponsored message from KidGuard Even the most vigilant parents can have a hard time keeping track of their child's online activity, which is why so many are looking to KidGuard for help to ensure they're safe and making good di…

Yay! We're so happy to be back with our annual Cool Mom Tech Holiday Tech Gift Guide , all fresh and new for 2016. And to kick it off, we've got the coolest educational tech toys for kids of all ages. Whether you're shopping for a curiou…

We love finding tech gifts for kids that they can play with all on their own, no tools or engineering degree required for assembly. And of course, they have to be the kinds of gifts that don't end up in the back of a closet after one use…

Now that my son has a phone, as do all his friends, it's a whole new world of parenting. For now, he is content texting his friends yo, bruh, what's up and watching sports clips, but there will soon be a time when social networks come mo…

I was more than willing to give the quip electric toothbrush a try. After all, I have a bit of a toothbrush obsession -- something that's greatly exacerbated by the all-time biggest candy-eating holiday of the year. I'd like to blame it …

I've seen a whole lot of portable battery chargers , but this rainbow poop emoji one from WattzUp is definitely a first. I can already hear my tween daughter squealing. These hilarious emoji portable battery chargers work with most smart…

Our Back to School tech guide continues with a bevy of the best math apps for kids of all ages. There are so many fantastic options these days -- almost too many to count (ha) -- so we've done the digging for you to uncover lots of the b…

This is a syndicated post from Reviewed.com, who we trust for rigorously tested, objective reviews on gadgets + gear Great news! If you only have $200 to spend on a laptop, your options are far better than they used to be. While these ma…

I'm all for getting a jump on back to school shopping even though my kids don't start back for another month or so. And with one kid entering middle school (eep!), I'm thinking a laptop backpack might be the way to go. We're big fans of …

When it's time to unplug the devices and hit the pool, lake, or ocean to cool off, I know my kids love stretching out and relaxing on a comfy pool float or raft while they talk to their friends. And, whoa, they would go nuts for any of t…

We're huge fans of STEM at Cool Mom Tech (no surprise, there), and in fact we started this site in part to help give parents more resources and opportunities to get their kids excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Howe…

I sometimes think I have the sense of humor of a ten-year-old, which comes in handy since I do have a tweenage son who thinks things like talking cupcakes and singing basketballs are pretty hilarious. What's even more hilarious is when w…

Coding is certainly one of the new buzzwords in education, along with STEM, STEAM, and now, believe it or not, STREAM. And while a lot of learn-to-code apps toys, and games, like Robot School, Dash Robot, and Code Master , are targeted p…

As I was searching for a cool new unicorn iPhone case for my tween this week, wouldn't you know it --all over the news, a story about an actual siberian unicorn fossil that was discovered. Not that it looks anything like the magical crea…

In this week's Spawned podcast, our editor Liz's Cool Pick of the Week is Brain Pop, a website I have turned to for years with my homeschooled kids to find smart, kid-friendly videos about topics as diverse as William Shakespeare, the Ci…

We went crazy for the incredibly cool 3Doodler 3D-printing pen when we first saw it back in 2013, but it wasn't really a toy that our younger kids could safely use on their own. Until now. With the upcoming launch of 3Doodler Start , our…

We're continuing our series about kids and cell phones on behalf of our sponsor, the premium authorized Verizon retailer, Cellular Sales , because wow, do parents need help with this! And by parents, we mean, ourselves too! Because we kn…

This is a sponsored message from Wonder Workshop With so many parents looking for STEM toys for their kids this holiday, it's worth checking out Wonder Workshop, makers of the awesome Dot and Dash robots that teach kids some fantastic sk…

We're seeing drones at the top of a lot of tween and teen holiday wish lists this year. And really, we're not surprised. It's pretty amazing what you can do with these super cool gadgets. Let's just say these are not the remote control p…

It's clearly an emoji world out there, which is why we were so glad when the diverse emoji hit our smart phones. And now, some love for our curly-haired friends from the smart folks at Dove. Available free on iTunes and Google Play, the …

One thing we've always loved about littleBits' magnetic electronic building blocks is that kids can snap them together in any way they want, while learning about circuitry and electronics in an open-ended and fun way. More ambitious kids…

If your kids are having a hard time waiting for Halloween to hurry up and get here, we've got a fun treat to share with you that will keep them busy and challenged this week. Developed by Kano , whose DIY computer kit wowed us earlier in…

It's not like my kids need any additional reasons to get excited about Halloween -- the costumes and candy and thoughts of staying up extra extra late do that for them -- but still, it's nice that there are so many fun Halloween apps for…

With four kids in the house ranging in age from five up to 11, it's no small feat to find a tech toy that they can all play with, especially when it's something educational. Darn those age limits. But as I recently learned, that's not th…

Last year we fell in love with the Anki Drive app-controlled racers, calling it one of our top tech toys of 2014 . Earlier this year at Toy Fair, we got a look (and a very fun if brief test drive) of the brand new Anki OVERDRIVE and as o…

Every year when our kids ask us about 9/11, we turn to BrainPop to help us tackle this challenging topic. This year, we're adding another helpful resource that we discovered on the 9/11 Memorial website that we think you'll want to check…

It may sound a tad hokey, but reading really is fundamental to school and life in general, which is why we've worked hard to put together 8 of the very best reading apps for older kids as part of our Back to School Tech Guide 2015. Wheth…

We're as geeked out about Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens as anyone else, but let's all step back for a minute and take a moment of reflection for today's #ForceFriday national day that's really a giant unboxing and marketing event desi…

There seems to be no shortage of websites or online games that will help teach our kids coding so they can be ready to head out into this increasingly technical world. And as much as I love that there are so many online options, sometime…

I have a kid who really wants to be creative, but usually needs a good push before he'll dive into a project, and now we've found an app that delivers on that so beautifully. The brand new WonderBox app hails from Duck Duck Moose , one o…

Recently, I wrote about how totally in love I am with the Dot and Dash Robots from Wonder Workshop . So it makes me extra happy that they have joined us as as our newest Cool Mom Tech sponsor because, well, we all adore them! (Also, so d…

Oh c'mon, I know that emoji are already all over your phone. Is there anyone that can still resist the siren call? I think not! That's why I going all-in with one of these emoji smart phone cases. The question is, which one should I get?…

With a bunch of Minecraft fans in my house, and a couple of them with gadgets of their own, I'm pretty sure these new Minecraft cases from Think Geek would be a huge hit. You won't find these Minecraft cases anywhere other than Think Gee…