January 26, 2022
These smart home tools can entertain kids and teach them life skills, too.
Over the last decade, smart tech has produced some amazing innovations for our homes.
Smart refrigerators can play music and tell us the weather. Smart cocktail makers can effortlessly prepare our drinks, and we can even control our lights and thermostats with our smartphones.
These upgrades aren't just for adults — there are lots of exciting new smart home items designed with kids in mind, too.
These devices are not only user-friendly but can also encourage healthy habits, promote confidence and help provide structure.
Here are some top smart home innovations for kids:
Learn Smarter
With my own kids, using smart devices is completely intuitive. This is a generation that's grown up with an innate understanding of modern technology — and it's important to foster that.
STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is one of the fastest growing fields in the job force, so why not start preparing our kids now?
This spherical robot is a great learning tool — suitable for kids ages five and up, it provides dozens of activities that not only entertain, but help teach your child programming.
This robotic unicorn is as educational as it is cute, providing hands-on engineering skills in a fun, interactive building kit. If your kid is a fan of the arts, try a smArt sketcher — a smart projector that can help teach your child how to draw, trace and write.
Play Smarter
It's not just our education tools that are getting smarter — toys have gotten a makeover, too.
Most kids love toy trains, but smart trains take this timeless activity to the next level. With interactive sensors, programmable actions and steering controls, this innovative toy encourages confidence and creativity.
If you have a smart kitchen for the family, your kid will probably love having a toy version. Many toy kitchens now have interactive features like light up faucets, cooking sounds and smart grocery scanners. This model even connects to certain Alexa devices.
Live Healthier
We all need help getting ready in the morning — parents have smart mirrors and coffee makers to get the day going.
For the under 18-set, a smart electric toothbrush can really help jump start their day. Developed by pediatric dentists, this amazing tool has mobile games to guide brushing, as well as tracking and scoring systems to encourage good dental hygiene.
Smart tech has nighttime covered, too — this smart sound machine doubles as a nightlight. You can customize color, brightness and volume — all from your smartphone.
For Kids Only
With so much information available on the internet, it's important to know what your child can access. That's why sharing your own devices may not be the best option.
Now you can get a tablet created specifically for kids, which allows you to control content and voice purchasing, among other features.
Another helpful tool is a smart assistant. This easy-to-use, voice-controlled gadget gives your child access to hundreds of hours of educational content, and can also provide structure by setting reminders and alarms.
My personal favorite is a kid-friendly smart watch. It comes with a camera, games and others features of a typical smart watch but allows you to create a custom phone book to determine who can contact your child and vice versa.
And that's the goal of smart tech — to make you and your child's life safer, easier and more connected. All you need now is a strong and reliable wifi signal to power all your smart gadgets!
