10 Kids Gadgets That Happen To Make Excellent Gifts

Picking gifts for kids is a challenge. It's hard to know what they like. Toys — even the best RC cars you can buy — are generally made for specific age groups, which means a kid will inevitably outgrow them. The same issue exists with clothing, plus the fact that designs and colors are subjective makes it even more challenging. Owing to this, the ideal gift for most kids would be a nice and useful gadget. However, it's also important to not subject kids to a lot of extra screen time. Taking this into account, we've come up with a list of the best kids' gadgets that happen to make excellent gifts.

We've taken into account multiple age groups, interests, and price points while making sure all the gadgets included are gender-neutral. Most importantly, none of these gadgets add to kids' screen time, so you won't find any of the best kid-friendly tablets on this list or apps that make you want to learn how to use parental controls on the devices they already have. Some gadgets are educational, some add a layer of safety, while others are purely for entertainment. Whether you're picking up these gadgets for your kids or are planning to gift them to your kids' friends on their birthdays, one thing's for sure — they're absolutely going to love them! That said, let's get gifting!

Many kids love doodling all the time. However, doodling on pieces of paper creates a lot of waste. So, what's the solution? The Bravokids LCD writing pad is a large 10-inch writing tablet with a pen tethered to it. The tablet can be used for writing, doodling, taking notes, or just about anything kids would do on a piece of paper — except in digital form. It's a colored screen that has an anti-glare layer to replicate the look and feel of real paper. The display doesn't have any backlight, so it's safe for kids to look at for long durations.

It's available in multiple sizes, runs on a single CR 2025 cell, and can be used over 100,000 times as per the brand. The way it works is kids can write or draw on the pad with the provided pen. Once they fill the screen, they can hit the button at the bottom to erases everything in one shot, and then fill it up all over again. From learning to write the English alphabet to putting one's imagination to work by drawing, the Bravokids LCD writing pad is a great gift for kids who have just started attending school.

The best smart displays and speakers are excellent devices that make your home smarter. They can control smart home devices, get queries answered, play music, and Alexa-enabled ones can run routines. And Amazon went one step further for kids, releasing an Echo Dot speaker just for children. If you're wondering what separates it from other all the other Amazon Echo speakers, the Echo Dot Kids has a cute toy-like exterior made specifically to fit into kids' rooms with ease. Apart from the exterior, the Echo Dot Kids also has a few firmware-based changes to make it a suitable option for younger ones.

There's more elaborate parental controls, allowing you to set time limits for usage, view what your kids have asked the speaker, and only allow kid-friendly responses. Kids can ask the speaker to play songs, narrate bedtime stories, or tell them jokes. Parents have the option to disable results with explicit language, so when asked to play a song that has unsuitable language for kids, the speaker will not complete the action. The speaker also comes with a year of Amazon Kids+ subscription that includes audiobooks, interactive games, and other learning material for kids aged 3-12. Amazon's Echo Dot Kids is a fantastic gift that most children are going to adore. It's fun and useful at the same time.

A good way to introduce kids to educational concepts is by using toys or gadgets that allow them to experiment and discover new aspects of the universe. An excellent example of this is the Gskyer smart telescope. Not only will it let kids observe celestial bodies, but it also has a smartphone mount so you can use your phone camera to take a picture of any heavenly body. The lens has a focal length of 400 millimeters which when paired with the 3X Barlow lens results in significant magnification when viewing the moon or other objects in outer space.

Gskyer has also bundled a tripod with the telescope, making it easy to mount it and point it in the desired direction. Additionally, a wireless remote that's also included in the package can connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth and act as a remote shutter button. This is an excellent inclusion since touching the smartphone screen to capture a photo might disturb or shake the image formation on the telescope lens, resulting in a ruined shot. There are two types of magnification one can achieve with the Gskyer tripod — 16X using the 25 millimeter eyepiece, and 40X using the 10 millimeter one. If you want kids to develop an affinity towards space and the heavenly bodies in it, a telescope is an excellent entry point.

If you're looking for a gift for two kids, this set of two walkie-talkies from Sportsvoutdoors is certainly worth considering. From the outside, the walkie-talkies appear like standard digital watches with a camo design — barring the antenna jutting out at the top. There's a reason it's there: The watch can be used for communication between two individuals up to 150 meters away. This is a handy way for kids who play outdoors to communicate with each other if they're too young to have phones, or you just want to keep them away from screens. Unlike a standard walkie-talkie, this one wraps around the wrist so you don't have to worry about kids losing it when playing.

Apart from its core functionality, the watches also have a built-in magnifying glass, a night light to find the way in the dark, and a secret capsule to hide messages. These features mean that the watches by themselves can be used to play several games, apart from being used for communication when outdoors. Thankfully, there's no charging involved since the walkie-talkies are operated by replaceable AG10 button cells. If your kids often wander outside the home, you can also use this gadget to keep them on your radar. Give them one watch and you retain one, so that you can communicate with them and check on them frequently.

3D printing is a fantastic hobby. One can print pretty much any object they can think of thanks to the magic of melting plastic. If you're an adult who enjoys 3D printing, you can also introduce your kids to the world of 3D printing thanks to several affordable 3D printers for kids. However, if you think your kids are too young to understand the concept yet, a good alternative that's both cheaper and easier to use is the 3Doodler 3D printing pen. It crams the basics of a 3D printer into the body of a pen. All you have to do is feed some filament into the rear of the machine and press a button to extrude it in the required shape.

Kids can use the pen to draw and make jewelry, tiny figurines, flowers, and everyday objects. It's also an excellent way to boost their creativity since drawing via a 3D pen instead of a standard marker on a piece of paper brings those doodles to life. Once they get the hang of it, you can start introducing them to the world of 3D printing with the help of a dedicated printer. Apart from toys and figurines, a 3D pen like this one can also be used to make functional objects like a phone case, a fancy badge that can be hung around the zipper of a backpack, etc. 

Kids make a ton of memories during their childhood, whether it's with parents, siblings, or friends. While we adults use smartphones to capture these memories, it may not be a good idea to hand over a device like that to someone so young. However, it's still important for kids to have a means to capture these memories so that they can look back at them and relive them when they're older. The Essoxofore instant camera facilitates exactly this. As the name suggests, it's an instant camera that not only stores captured pictures but also prints them on thermal paper.

Before clicking a picture, you can preview the image in the included viewfinder. The screen can also be used to choose from various filters and stickers that can be applied to the image before clicking it. There's also a flash for shooting in the dark, so the brand has taken care of common scenarios. Unlike most cameras of this nature, the Essoxofore camera uses inexpensive paper so even if you run out of the roll included in the package, you don't have to spend much to refill it. Moreover, the cost of the camera is also quite low, so you don't have to be too bothered about your kids losing the camera or not handling it well. Owing to this, it's a great way to familiarize your kids with cameras.

If kids aren't old enough to have their own smartphones, parents may find it hard to keep a tab on their kids' whereabouts. This is where the Bark smartwatch makes life a lot easier for all the parents out there. Once the watch is snapped onto your kid's wrist, they can use it to communicate with you via calls or messages. The built-in data connection provided via a subscription plan will let parents and a bunch of other pre-selected contacts communicate with the kids at all times. There's also selfie camera for video calls and letting your child take selfies with their friends. It can also be helpful for monitoring your kids' surroundings.

The onboard SOS button can be triggered in emergencies. When pressed, the Bark watch will notify the parents and other emergency contacts about the emergency along with a video recorded via the camera and the real-time GPS location of the kid. This makes it simple to track down the child in quick time. Notably, the watch does not provide kids access to a data connection, so your child is protected from the harmful side of the internet. Apart from the initial cost, Bark also charges a monthly subscription fee to facilitate the calls and texting service. While this is a bit of a bummer, the price is well worth your peace of mind.

The Amazon Echo Dot Kids is the perfect smart speaker for children, but if you feel like your kids are too young for a device connected to the internet, or too immature to be asking their own queries, the Toniebox audio player from Tonies is the perfect alternative. It doesn't require any input from the user, instead playing a set of recorded tunes, songs, stories, and fables. Ideally, the Toniebox speaker is recommended for kids who have just turned 3, since it can recite rhymes, bedtime stories, and tales related to popular cartoon characters.

Tonies makes the learning experience intuitive and engaging with an attempt to keep kids away from screens. As per the brand, the device engages imagination via active play, which accelerates the development of cognitive skills in children. It's also a lot more fun to play with compared to a regular speaker or even the Echo Dot Kids thanks to quirky design choices. For example, the ears popping out of the top act as volume controls, while there are touch-sensitive pads on either side that can be used to perform gestures to move to the next or previous track. Tonies has partnered with notable institutions like National Geographic and Disney, making it the perfect gift for young kids to have fun and learn at the same time.

Looking for a gift for slightly older children? The Sphero Mini coding robot is a tony robot the size of a ping-pong ball. But despite its smallness, the possibilities it unlocks for children to learn more about science and computers are endless. The Sphero Mini has a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and colorful LED lights that can all be programmed via the companion app. Once you connect the robot to your smartphone via Bluetooth, the app lets you drag and drop blocks to create unique functions, giving kids a basic understanding of programming.

Apart from coding, there are other STEM-inspired games bundled with the Sphero Play App. Drag and drive in the Joystick mode, pull back and release when using the Slingshot mode, or tip and rotate your mobile device while in the Tilt mode. The onboard sensors facilitate these features on the robot. It's one of the best gifts to induce curiosity among kids and prepare them for the future. Moreover, children can continue using the Sphero Mini even after they grow older since it's programmable, and kids can develop new programs on it as and when they become more mature. It's also surprisingly affordable for what it brings to the table.

One of the best gadgets on this list that we wholeheartedly recommend not just for kids but for the entire family is the Nex Playground gaming console. Unlike most gaming consoles that rely on a controller that needs to be operated while being seated throughout the game, Nex Playground aims to keep kids active with interactive games that involve physical activity. This is to promote the importance of physical activity in a world where we're all getting more and more sedentary by the day.

Simply connect the Nex Playground to your TV and start playing the five included games for free, without using any controllers. The onboard camera and AI track your movement and replicate it on the large screen. Up to four players can play at the same time, so it's ideal for when you want the entire family to bond with the kids. If you wish to expand the game library beyond the five free games, you will have to shell out $49 for three months or $89 for a year's subscription. It is slightly steep considering it's almost half the cost of the console itself, but it's certainly a lot of fun and a good way to spend time with your kids while keeping them active — right from the comfort of your home.