Tech Gift Guide (for kids & maybe husbands)

When used responsibly, I love technology. I think it is how our world works (all my work is done on a computer or phone), and I don't mind my kids learning to use tech in a safe and discerning way.

My husband also really likes playing games and such with them, so it is a family activity. I don’’t often partake since I’m terrible at video games, but I do have a hand in stewarding how they use technology and what technology they’re allowed access to.

All links for items in the image are below the image - Read on to find out what I choose and why I chose it.

V-Tech ABC Computer

Even our littlest kids want to feel included, but we may not want them to have a full scale technology item. This little computer is fun to play with and a good way to practice letter sounds and numbers. (We have one in pink for my daughter).

Handheld Game System

There’s a lot of these out there, and they’re great because they’re not dependent on the internet. They are not even internet accessible devices. This blue gameboy like device is pre-programmed with 400 games, meaning your kids have tons of play options available, and it’s affordable at just under $30.

Kindle Fires

I like having a kindle fire for kids. While Amazon is not the most intuitive software out there, it has good parental controls. Amazon also makes it easy to recover lost information and reset tablets to factory settings as needed. My favorite fire feature is that Audible for kids is included and they can read on an e-reader app on their kindles. I know reading only player devices are gaining popularity, but I like the additional features of a tablet.However, the memory can be lacking, so in that case I also recommend a kindle fire combined with…

SD Cards - 128 GB

This is the storage size of the SD card you’ll want. You can use this to upgrade a kindle fire’s memory once it's full. This means you don’t have to buy a new tablet every year or two. You can save $20 buying what is listed as 128 GB but it’s actually 5, 32 GB cards so, buyer beware. Storage in such small amounts isn’t going to be helpful.

Electronic Wipes

Part of screens is keeping them clean. This gift is definitely something my husband would love finding in his stocking. He, and my kids, keep their tech and screens clean using gentle electronic only wipes.

A very noisy timer

A loud timer is a great ‘gag’ gift as technology, but also means nobody will miss its sound when it’s time to stop playing. Just a note - most parental settings allow you to set play time so all machines shut off after a set amount of time. An analog timer works too, but in device timers are probably more effective. Another tip - you can also set your internet router to shut off at a certain time so kids won’t be tempted to get into devices.

GABB Watch or Phone

This is the phone company we went to for our children. Phones with internet access are a huge problem. GABB has eliminated that by having a no internet phone with a variety of apps available that are not social media apps (think music, photos, texting) and you have great parental controls allowing you to be notified when your child adds someone to their phone list. We start our kids off with a watch when they’re old enough. The watches only allow your child to receive calls/text from certain pre-programmed numbers. They cannot text, and only can send voice messages via text, but they can call people on their preset number list. It’s a great way to train your child to use this technology responsibly before using a GABB phone. We have no plans to get our children on regular phones or even allow them on social media for the time being.

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Read all the gift guides here!