10 Great Gadget Gifts for Kids of All Ages
By Jennifer Jolly (from Tecca) on December 22, 2011
You've made your list. You've even checked it twice. But you're still having trouble finding that perfect high-tech kids device. I know, it's hard to figure out just what high-tech toy will keep young ones wired and inspired long after the last of the Santa-shaped sugar cookies are wiped out. Here are 10 of the absolute best gadget gifts around this year for kids of all ages. Just don't forget the batteries! Oh, one more thing -- you won't see tablets and smartphones for kids included in this particular column, since they have already been covered on Tecca.
1. Let's Rock Elmo
Ages: 18 month to 4 years
Price range: $38 to $50
Not just for tickling anymore, this black-T-shirt wearing Let's Rock Elmo is a hot ticket among the toddler set. He sings, plays instruments, and encourages kids to jam right along with him. He also helps little ones learn each of his six songs with the true patience and pep that only a beloved Sesame Street character can bring to the party. While not intended to prep your pre-K for American Idol, this is definitely one sweet toy that will help keep little ones busy long enough for you to make dinner.
2. VTech Kidizoom digital camera
Ages: 3 to 9 years
Price range: $30 to $80
Ever wonder what the world looks like through the eyes of your child? The VTech Kidizoom digital camera lets you find out. It's a real camera, built just for kids.
This camera features a rugged body, two large, molded hand grips, and two eyeholes instead of one, so kids can get clear shots of all the action. It comes in a variety of colors and lets kids take and edit photos, make movies, and play games.
This is the perfect starter device to help kids explore photography as well as videography. It can withstand the constant dropping, banging, and abuse kids heap on their toys. Bonus: They'll keep their hands off your more expensive smartphone camera. For now.
3. Fijit Friends
Ages: 6+ years
Price range: $40 to $50
The first thing you'll notice about this interactive toy is how cool and squishy the body feels. The first thing your child will notice (or rather, marvel over) about Fijit Friends is how this little robot doll can dance, joke, play, and even talk (just as long as your child says one of 30 scripted words during the conversation, such as "tell me a joke"). These brightly colored interactive gadgets make sweet little companions.
There are a total of four Fijit friends in different colors and with different names. But back to the squishy part -- if kids get bored with it, it can double as a stress ball for parents.
4. Mattel Hot Wheels Wall Tracks
Ages: 4+ years
Price: $50
Hot Wheels have been a hot holiday toy for as long as I can remember. This year you -- I mean, your kids -- can bring stunts, speed, turns, and tricks to new heights. Hot Wheels Wall Tracks, the new spin on the old classic track-and-car set, lets you create a whole race course right on your wall, with 3M sticky strips that don't damage paint, wallpaper or wood paneling, no matter how many times you put it up or take it down. The best part -- aside from the awesome, gravity-defying slopes, bumps, and loops you can create -- is the fact that all your little racer's clutter gets up and off the floor. Bonus!
5. Electronic Rock Guitar T-Shirts
Ages: 5+ years
Price: $15 to $40
Shhh... don't tell her, but this is one of the gifts I bought for my own 10-year-old budding Joan Jett rocker daughter. These machine-washable rock guitar T-shirts have a playable guitar on the front of them and come in a variety of colors from black and blue to pink and turquoise. They play all major chords, which are recorded from a real electric guitar, so the sound quality is pretty good considering it's a shirt. It comes with a mini amp that clips to your young musician's waistband and gets plenty loud.
Along this same line of thought are Techno Hoodies for both boys and girls, with earbuds built into the hood drawstrings. I found these for adults on sale at Old Navy last week and picked one up for myself!
6. SpyNet Stealth Video Glasses
Ages: 8+ years
Price range: $15 to $25
Every rock star needs a stealthy body guard, or paparazzi, or just a great spy friend. These SpyNet Stealth Video sunglasses record up to 20 minutes of video or up to 2,000 photos.
The "photographic evidence" is easy to upload to a computer and to the interactive SpyNetHQ.com. The dark wraparounds are recommended for "undercover surveillance, detection and communication." Just no using them to spy on Mommy.
7. Helium Air Swimmers
Ages: 8+ years
Price range: $28 to $49
Oh no, here's another one plucked straight from my own daughter's wish list. These giant, remote-controlled fish balloons are wildly popular because (according to my daughter) the concept of anything that big that can fly in the air inside your house, that's like a robot remote-controlled helicopter but is really... a fish... is just really, really cool.
Helium Air Swimmers are such a hot item this year, there have been reports of knock-offs being sold on eBay. They come in either a clown fish version or a shark. Both swim through the air with incredibly smooth and lifelike motion and have complete up, down and 360-degree turning control. They don't come with helium, so you'll either have to buy a separate canister of it or take a quick trip to the balloon store for a fill-up. It's a little awkward in the car when it's full, though!
8. iPod touch /iPod nano Ages: 8+ years (appropriate age is best determined by the particular child's ability not to lose, break, or abuse these internet-enabled and expensive tech toys)
Price range: $129 to $199
For most bigger kids, from tweens on up, it's safe to assume anything with a little "i" in front of it will be a big hit. If an iPad 2 (which 44% polled said they wanted) is out of the question (in no small part because the price starts at $500), then the iPod touch and iPod nano are great choices. With hundreds of thousands of apps, games, HD video, and digital photos, these top-of-the-line gadgets are fun-filled and feature-packed gifts for kids who have been very, very good this year.
9. Xbox 360 4GB gaming console with Kinect Ages: 5+ years
Price: $300+
This is the video gaming console that comes with an attachment that lets you use your body as the controller. Xbox 360 with Kinect gets everyone off the couch moving, laughing, and cheering. See a ball? Kick it. Control an HD movie with a wave of the hand. Want to have a family dance-off so that you can show off your mad disco moves of yesteryear? No problem. Just get ready to laugh. A lot. At yourself... getting... ahem... jiggy with it. This is one of those "toys" that the whole family can join in on. And remember, the more you play with your little ones -- collaborative, not competitive games -- the better!
Already have the Kinect? Then a new game or console accessory is always a welcome treat. My daughter just asked me for Disney Universe and Lego Harry Potter 5-7.
10. Angry Birds accessories
Ages: 2+ years
Price range: $7 to $30
When in doubt, anything Angry Birds will save the day. From water bottles, plushies, magnets, keychains, T-shirts, lunch boxes, and even the not-so-high-tech Angry Birds board game, these make great stocking stuffers for tech lovers of all ages.
A gift for everyone on your list
As always -- if you didn't find that perfect gift here, take a peek at Tecca's other holiday gift guides, like the one highlighting gifts for your son. Don't be afraid to fire up the comments section here on our site and just ask. Santa's got a lot of tech advice helpers around here.
What do you think is the coolest gift this season? Let us know in the comments below.
Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning on-air contributor and writer who delivers funny, thoughtful, journalistic and helpful consumer technology and lifestyle content across multiple platforms. Tecca is a next-generation personal electronics information and shopping service. We bring together the web's leading content, commerce, and community features to provide comprehensive solutions for consumers' ever-growing technology needs. Think of us as that tech savvy friend who helps you when you have questions about what to buy, what to pay, how to make the most of you already have, and when it's time to upgrade. Get to know us on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
Comments