School’s out soon and while we all love spending time with our kids, keeping them entertained all summer can be a job in itself! Luckily, the latest tech can help take the strain. From keeping track of their fitness to helping them relax, here are some top tech ideas they’ll love…
Help them make healthy choices with a fitness tracker
Fitness trackers really encourage kids to think about their health and fitness – and they do it in a fun way.
Fitbit is one of the biggest names in health and fitness tech, and their trackers are some of the best around. The Fitbit Inspire 2 automatically counts steps and monitors other daily activities. It'll even automatically figure out what type of exercise they're doing, to make sure it's tracking it the right way!
The Fitbit Inspire 2 is a big help for parents too. If you want to make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep, you can monitor this on your smartphone with the Fitbit app. You can also set bedtime reminders and morning alarms, to make sure they’re well rested and ready for the following day.
Give them something to master
If the kids are up for a challenge, why not give them tech that takes some time to master? If you think they might be a mini music maestro, there are some great value keyboards out there. Give them a music book to teach them, or prop your phone above the keys and show them a few YouTube tutorials.
Or what about a serious toy that takes some time to get the hang of? Remote controlled airplanes and helicopters look amazing when they’re whizzing through the air. But they need lots of practice to fly like a pro.
For a special treat – only if they’ve been on their best behaviour for a few weeks, mind – why not hand them the controls to their very own drone?
With all sorts of safety features built-in, the Ryze Tello Drone is the perfect starter drone for any kid. It’s simple to control with an app, and they’ll soon be able to take-off, land, hover and perform simple stunts with a few taps of the touchscreen. And of course, they’ll be able to record and stream stunning HD aerial footage, giving them a chance to see the world in a whole new way.
Give them a smart speaker that knows it all
Smart speakers open up a whole load of play possibilities and they're super easy to use. Google Nest Mini has a simple plug-and-play setup. And, once it’s up and running, it’ll assist anyone that says the magic words 'Okay Google'. Kids love doing things like:
Playing their favourite tunes (make sure you’ve got a subscription to a streaming service like Spotify or Google Play Music)
Listening to classic children’s stories, rhymes and fairy tales
Playing quizzes and trivia games
Getting answers to any question, including help with their homework.
And finally, let them have some play time…
If the kids need to spend any length of time indoors, you need something to a) keep them entertained and b) keep them quiet.
You can find some amazingly cheap retro gaming consoles, pre-installed with loads of classic titles. If you were a whizz on the Sega Mega Drive or Nintendo SNES back in the day, buy a retro mini console and see if your kids are suitably impressed.
For more up-to-date gaming, the Nintendo Switch is a versatile little thing. It can be played as a hand-held controller, or streamed to the living-room TV with the easy-to-use docking accessory (included in the box). There’s a fantastic range of games available, from Super Mario Party to Zelda’s latest epic adventure. We’re talking weeks of entertainment.
The Nintendo Switch can also help with health and fitness too. Ring Fit Adventure is a fantasy game and fitness workout all-in-one. It’s so much fun they’ll keep fit without even realising it!
For more inspiration, check out the tips in this article to get creative with your kids.
