Gifts for Kids Who Have Everything - Our Top Tech Picks
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Do you know a kid who seems to have everything? Are you racking your brain trying to come up with something cool to give them this holiday season? We can help! Keep reading to find out our top tech gifts for kids who have everything!
We’ve included a variety of ideas, for a variety of ages, skill levels and budgets. We hope you find the perect gift!
Gifts for Kids Who Have Everything
Over the Ear Headphones
These super comfy headphones come in a variety of animal characters for you to choose from. They have volume control so they won’t hurt kids’ ears and hearing. The speakers are inside of a cozy fleece headband, so they are way more comfortable for kids to wear compared to traditional headphones. If your child falls aleep with them on they can sleep in a natural position, and they stay on kids’ heads way better.. They are wireless, easy USB charging and have kid friendly controls on the headband itself.
Electronic Drawing Pads
For artistic kids, these will make great gifts! They can bring their drawing pads with them on the go, use less paper and digitze their artwork. Drawing pads can get pricey, so we’ve included 3 different options based on age and budget.
FLUESTON LCD Writing Tablet
This drawing tabet is best suited to younger kids. It’s brightly colored and comes in at a great price. This tablet is basically a way for kids to doodle on screen, no paper, pens, crayons, etc., necessary. One thing to remember with this tablet is that kids won’t be able to save their work or connect it to a computer, tablet or phone. It has a replaceable battery, an erase button and a lock button to save your work until you unlock it. The tablet is pressure senstive, so kids can draw with thick and thin lines. Kids can use the included stylus to draw, or any other hard material (spoon, stick, etc.). This is a great gift option for your budding artist!
While an Amazon Fire HD Tablet isn’t technically a drawing tablet, you can make it into one by purchasing a stylus to use with it. Then your child can use drawing, coloring or art apps to use the stylus and release their creativity! The bonus of using a stylus with an Fire tablet as opposed to a tablet strictly for drawing use, is that your child will be able to do much, much more than just draw with it. If your child already has a fire tablet, then purchasing the stylus is an affordable way to expand their options. This rechargeable stylus provides 20 hours of active use and shuts down automatically after 30 minutes of idle time. It fully charges with a micro USB in 60 minutes. It’s a great way to introduce kids to digital art making.
2020 HUION KAMVAS 13 Graphics Drawing Tablet
This Huion Kamvas graphics drawing tablet is a pen display tablet. This means that you can see your creation on the same screen you are drawing on (as opposed to a graphics tablet wherethe image you are drawing only appears on the computer screen). This option is best suited for older kids for a couple of reasons. One, it is more expensive than the other choices. And two, it is a little more complicated to use. For this option, you’ll have to hook the tablet up to a computer, tablet (kindle or ipad), or even a cell phone for it to operate. Pen display and graphics tablets are much more sensitve and responsive than using a Kindle Fire or the the LCD tablet mentioned above. Pen display tablets are what professional digital artists use. Your child will be able to save their work digitally and access it on their computer, tablet or phone. The Huion Kamvas tablet will allow an artisitc child to digitally create pretty much anything they can imagine.
HUE Animation Studio
This animation studio comes with a camera, microphone, software and a book to get your kids started with 3D animation. They can use LEGOS, modeling clay, paper or toys to create their animations. The book includes animation actvities, a min-stage and a “green screen.” The included software is for stop-motion animation and has time-lapse features, sound effecs and backdrops. You can also edit your frames and add special effects with the software. Then you can easily share your animation on YouTube or anywhere else you’d like!
Animation for Kids with Scratch Programming
If you aren’t looking to buy an entire animation kit for your child, but still want to get them something to explore animation, this book might be just the ticket! This book teaches kids about digital animation using Scratch. Kids will learning coding skills as well as learn how to create their own complete animations using Scratch. Scratch is free to use, so the only real cost is the book and the time used to read it and practice. This books goes over things like managing development, interactions of multiple characters, and timing in animation. This book is a great introduction to digital animation, as well as coding principles!
Arduino Starter Kit
Arduino circuit boards super fun way for kids to get hands on experience with electrical components and programming. You can use Arduino to control electronic devices like cameras, LEDs, alarm clocks, etc. This starter kit comes with a project book to walk you through 15 different projects, but gives you the tools to keep going even after you’ve finished all of them. Arduino is an open-source hardware, software, and content platform with a worldwide community of over 30 million active users, so your child will be able to find help if they need it. We do recommend the Arduino for older kids, ages 12 and above. For younger kids interested in hands on projects, check out the next item on our list!
Makey Makey
Makey Makey is another hands on engineering and coding device that gives kids room to explore and create to their heart’s content. Makey Makey is designed for kids ages 8 and up (although older kids still love them, too). With Makey Makey, you can turn bananas into touchpads, craft your own video game controller, make musical circuits with items around the house and more! There is no software to install and it works with Mac, Windows, and Chromebook. You can find fun projects to try online, but you may also want to purchase 20 Makey Makey Projects for the Evil Genius book which has 20 projects kids can get started with.
Acer Aspire 5
If you’re looking for a great laptop for you child, this is an excellent option. We’ve used Acer laptops a lot here at Coder Kids, and they are a great all-purpose machine. This version has 8GB of RAM, and i5 processor and 256GB of SSD. It’s a great laptop for school, watching movies, YouTube, as well as some light gaming like Minecraft and Roblox.
Osmo
Osmo is an educational device that works with your iPad or Kindle Fire tablet. It uses a base (where you stand your tablet) and a red reflector that is put over your device’s camera. You use physical tiles and game pieces to play the games and they work in conjunction with your tablet. The physical pieces you use have consequences kids can see on the digital screen. It is super fun, and kids LOVE it! We use Osmo in our Coding Foundation classes, and it is always a hit. We primarily use Osmo with their Coding Awbie game to help kids learn about coding. However, there are tons of other games you can play like math, spelling, drawing, and even a detective game! You can check out our review of Osmo here.
Pacrate Gaming Headset
If you know a gamer, they’ll love this headset. Not only does it look good, but it is also super comfortable to wear, has a mic and can be used with tons of different platforms. You can use these headphones with a PS4, PS4 Pro / Slim, Xbox One, Xbox One X controller, PSP, PC, laptop, tablet, mobile phone and most other devices with 3.5 mm audio jack. It has simulated surround sound so you can hear which directions sounds are coming from on your game, making the gaming experience even more intense!!
Nintendo Switch Accessories Bundle
If your kid loves their Nintendo Switch, they will love this Nintendo Switch Accessories Bundle pack! It comes with a case, screen protector, Joycon grips and racing wheels, a charging dock, a comfort grip case, a playstand, cartridge case, earphones, USB cable and a stylus. This bundle is a great way to get everything your kid could want all in one place. It is sure to be a crowd pleaser!
imagiCharm
imagiCharm is a smart accessory that helps kids learn how to code on their phones and brings their designs to life! It was developed in Sweden by female engineers to help kids and girls get motivated to code. imagiCharm is a small accessory that kids can wear on their backpacks, bags or use as a keychain. Kids learn to code in Python using the free imagiCharm mobile app and they can share their designs with people around the world. Kids program their pixel art designs and animations on the app, and then can see it displayed on their imagiCharm. It’s a fun, creative way for kids to learn to code!
Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding
Hello Ruby is an awesome book for introducing coding concepts to young children. This book is half picture book and half activity book. Kids go on a fun adventure with Ruby and learning about coding on the way. Kids will learn about decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition and algorithms. We have an in-depth review of Hello Ruby you can read here. The author, Lind Liukas has also written 2 other books in the Hello Ruby series: Journey Inside the Computer and Expedition to the Internet.
25 Scratch 3 Games for Kids
This is a great book for older kids who are starting to use Scratch. This book comes with directions for 25 cool games that teaches kids about different coding and gaming concepts. The games are short, focused and easy to follow. The games progress in difficulty, but enough to discourage new coders. Each game teaches a different coding concept and the games spark imagination and inspire custom game design. For more details and an in-depth review of this book, check out this blogpost.
Kamigami Scarrax Robot
The Kamigami Scarrax Robot is a build-it-yourself robot, and you can control the robot using the free Kamigami Robot app (you can use any device that can download apps from the Apple or Google Play App store). After kids build the robot, they can make the robot to run, dance, play tag, and battle with another robot. In code mode, kids can code the robot's motion, lights, and sounds. Another bonus to this Kamigami robot, is the price. It comes in at under $20! It’s a great addition to any holiday or birthday gift list! For more detailed information about this robot, click here.
DESTEK VR Dream VR Headset
The DESTEK VR Dream VR Headset was designed especially for kids. It has an adjustable headstrap, and removable and washable face pad. It also includes anti-blue light coating HD clear lens to reduce eye strain and protect eyes. The lenses are also individually adjustable, so everyone who uses it is sure to have a perfect fit, view and experience. You use this VR set with your cell phone. It is compatible smartphones with a 4.7-7.2 inch in screen (be sure to check speciffic compatability requirements before you purchase it). Once you have the headset, you can download any VR apps for your phone and get started!
Pankoo 40X60 Monocular Telescope
This is a super cool gift idea for kids who love to explore. It’s a monocular telescope that is portable and lightweight, so they can take it on all of their adventures. It comes with a tripod and a smartphone holder. You may be wondering what a smartphone holder is used for, but if you attached it to this monocular you can take photos or videos of what you’d be seeing while using the monocular telescope, which we think is pretty cool!
Robot Turtles
Robot Turtles is a perfect gift for young kids to introduce coding concepts through a fun board game. A bonus to this game is that kids will need a grown up to help them play, so you’ll get in on the fun and get to spend time with your kids.Plus, this game comes in at under $30, so it’s budget friendly. In this game, kids will guide turtles through different mazes while learning the coding basics of logic and sequencing. We love using this game in our Coding Foundations classes.
JBL JR POP Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker for Kids
This little speaker packs a whole lot into a little package. While it is a little pricier than other bluetooth speakers, for kids, we think it’s worth it. Different colors have different prices, so you can save some money with your color choice. It has great sound, easy to use and see volume and power buttons. It even has a lightshow going on while it’s playing your music (you can turn this feature off to save battery power). It connects easily with smartphones and tablets. It has a rubber-like coating that makes it durable for all of the bumps that come along with kids. It also has a strap with a snap-closure that is perfect for putting it on bags, backpacks, beltloops, etc. And, on top of all of that, it’s waterproof!
Conclusion
There you have it! Our 20 picks for gifts for kids who have everything! We hope it’s been helpful to you and that you’ve found some great gift ideas! Let us know if we missed anything!
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