Hottest Tech Toys Holiday Gift Guide for Kids

What's on your kids’ holiday wish list? With tech being almost impossible to avoid when it comes to our kids, I'm almost certain your kids already have their eye on a few of this season's hottest tech toys. There's no denying that we all love to see how excited our kids get when they receive a toy they wished for, but as parents we get most excited when we know that our little kids are learning all about technology and developing important tech skills when they're given a VTech® product! That's why I've curated this top tech toys holiday gift guide to help you choose some of this season's hottest tech toys. The tech toys featured here don't just make fun toy gift ideas, they're also great tech toys that promote learning, creativity, knowledge and skills building. I've even included tech toys for kidsthat don't involve any screens -- yes, they do exist -- and can help develop a kid's aptitude for life skills and knowledge bases.

Which of these tech toys will your kids be adding to their holiday wish list?

VTech® KidiZoom® Creator Cam

Empower your kids to become a kid creator with the KidiZoom® Creator Cam and make all their content creator dreams come true!

Kids can take still photos and also create awesome videos with this high-definition video camera kit for kids. It includes a built-in microphone, editing and creative tools, green screen features and more than 20 animated backgrounds. Kids can easily set up their own video shoot with the included abletop tripod/selfie stick and use the easy on-screen editing and creativity tools to create trick shots and time-lapse videos to share with others. Photos and videos taken on the KidiZoom® Creator Cam can only be uploaded to a computer via an included USB cable at a parent's discretion. The camera comes with a microSD card slot to increase storage up to 32 GB (card not included). Recommended for kids ages 5 to 10.

VTech® KidiZoom® Smartwatch DX2

Every little kid wants to be like Mom and Dad, down to the tech! The KidiZoom® Smartwatch DX2 is a great multifunction smartwatch, just like Mom and Dad's. Best part, it's designed just for kids!

With the KidiZoom® Smartwatch DX2 kids can take pictures, videos, play games, tell time and more! Featuring a new sleek and stylish design, this durable smartwatch includes 55 digital and analog customizable watch faces to help kids learn to tell time. This kid smartwatch also features two cameras that lets kids capture everything from action videos to selfies and these can be customized in the Silly Me app and made into new watch faces. Also included are an assortment of fun digital games, like Monster Detector, which uses the camera and augmented reality to help kids find and capture monsters in the real world. Kids can also use the watch's motion sensor for active play challenges or to track steps. Additional content is also available from Learning Lodge. Using the included Micro-USB cable, kids can also upload photos and videos. Recommended for kids ages 4 and up.

VTech® KidiGoTM Walkie Talkies

These days, we seem to be outdoors a whole lot more! Stay connected and add some extra excitement when adventuring outdoors by gifting the kids a set of KidiGoTM Walkie Talkies.

Keep in touch anywhere you go with the KidiGoTM Walkie Talkies’ 500-ft range. These kid-safe, two-way radios feature a digital connection that's clear and keeps kids' conversations secure, preventing other walkie-talkie users from listening in or chatting with them.

Little adventurers can also send messages back and forth by choosing from preset animated messages using the large, backlit LCD screen. The KidiGoTM Walkie Talkies also include four two-player games for real-time gaming between devices -- perfect for downtime during your next outdoor adventure! Recommended for kids ages 4 and up.

VTech® Jiggle & Giggle Fishing Set

Since many of our little kids are learning from home right now, it's more important than ever to continue to foster learning and help them practice and master new skills in fun ways.

Cast your line into a sea of play and learning with the Jiggle & Giggle Fishing Set! Little kids will love catching sea creatures on the magnetic bobber and watch them wiggle. Seven sea creatures wait on the pretend pond playmat, ready to jump on the line. The smart bobber recognizes each sea creature you catch, triggering the creature to respond with its unique personality in songs and phrases.

As kids play, the interactive fishing pole teaches them about animals, colors and numbers with three play modes, 10 songs and five melodies. As kids line up the bobber with each magnetic creature, they're developing hand/eye coordination. The light-up bobber teaches colors as it changes color to match the color of each sea creature and reinforce color learning. What's also nice is that kids can place their catch in the storage bucket when playtime is done, and tuck the pond playmat inside with all seven sea creatures, for easy storage. Recommended for little kids ages 2 to 5.

VTech® Myla's Sparkling FriendsTM

Last but not least, my personal favorite is VTech®’s Myla's Sparking FriendsTM. These Sparkling Friends make playtime magical! These adorable Sparklings are colorful, talking, singing friends that are as unique as our kids.

Each of these adorable tech toys talks, sings and lights up with a kaleidoscope of colors and can respond with more than 100 fun responses related to mood, feelings and lucky colors. Kids can change the Sparklings' color by touching their magical necklace and then touching their horn, eyes or wings to change their color as well. Kids can accessorize themselves and their Sparkling Friend with the included shared accessories -- hair clips, combs, and rings. Each of Myla's Sparkling FriendsTM is so cute and unique that I just had to list each one below. Kids will love collecting all five (each sold separately) -- Mia the Mystical Unicorn, Riley the Unicorn, Ava the Fox, Finn the Fox, Penny the Peacock, and Piper the Dragon (coming to Walmart this fall). Recommended for kids ages 4 and up.

Mia the Mystical Unicorn

Touch Mia's magical necklace, then touch her horn, eyes and wings to change their color. Squeeze Mia's legs to flap her wings and trigger lights and playful responses.

Brush her mane and tail using the included comb and add some extra flair with two included hair clips for you to share.

Riley the Unicorn

Touch Riley's magical necklace, then touch her horn, eyes and wings to change their color. Squeeze Riley's legs to flap her wings and trigger lights and playful responses. Brush her mane and tail using the included comb and add some extra flair with two included hair clips for you to share.

Ava the Fox

Touch Ava's magical necklace, then touch her hair, eyes and ears to change their color.

Push Ava's leg to wag her tail and trigger lights and playful responses. Brush her tail using the included brush and add some extra flair with two included hair clips for you to share.

Finn the Fox

Touch Finn's magical necklace, then touch her hair, eyes and ears to change their color. Push Finn's leg to wag her tail and trigger lights and playful responses. Brush her tail using the included brush and add some extra flair with two included hair clips for you to share.

Penny the Peacock

Touch Penny's magical necklace, then touch her crest, eyes and tail to change their color. Push Penny's wing to move her tail and trigger lights and playful responses. Add some extra flair with four included charms to put on her tail or place the crown on her head.

Piper the Dragon

Touch Piper's magical necklace, then touch her horn, eyes and wings to change their color. Squeeze Piper's legs to flap her wings and trigger lights and playful responses. Add some extra flair to Piper with a crown and two included bracelets that kids can use as rings.

Which of these top tech toys will your kids be adding to their holiday wish list?

Monica Encarnacion is a Digital Parenting Writer and Consultant. She is the author of the blog NYCTechMommy. Monica spent 12 years as an elementary classroom teacher in NYC and was a Technology Teacher for several years. Working with elementary school children and their parents inspired her interest in identifying digital platforms and other tech resources that would promote learning, language development, and help children make connections with the world beyond the classroom.

D.I.Y. Go! Go! Cory Carson Halloween Costume!

If you were wondering how to craft your very own *last minute* Go! Go! Cory Carson costume, this is the post for you!

My name is Jacqueline and I work for VTech - one of my friends asked me if I could help come up with a costume for her son who was begging to be Cory from Go! Go! Cory Carson (VTech's preschool show on Netflix!).

So, I googled how to make a car costume, and I think I've come pretty close:

Supplies:

• A box your kid fits into. I chose a grocery box I already had that was 10.5 x 15 inches

• Cardboard

• Orange craft foam - I found 12 x 18 inch sheets and used 6 of them

• White craft foam - again, used about 3 12 x18 inch sheets

• Hot glue gun and glue sticks

• Duct tape (I happened to have orange, but don't think it's a deal breaker to have other colors - it's for the inside.

• Black Sharpie to draw the face or you could cut out face shapes from black construction paper or craft foam

• Yellow craft foam or construction paper for headlights

• Red craft foam or construction paper for tail lights, mouth, and license plate

• Ribbon or webbing for straps

STEP ONE

Find a box that your kid fits in. I chose a grocery box that happened to have straps already attached to it & it was easy to send home with my friend to make sure it fit her son - here's a blurry FaceTime screenshot of the "fitting" day :)

STEP TWO

Grab your duct tape and hot glue gun - it's time to cover the outside of our box in orange craft foam!

(I originally thought I could just spray paint the box orange... terrible idea. Foam's the way to go - learn from my mistakes!)

Step Three

To make Cory's head/face you're going to want to get some cardboard and cut it to the width of your box. Height is up to you - I haven't totally decided if we're going to put Cory's face on this and have it end chin-height on the wearer, or if we're going to leave the "windshield" empty and raise it up over his face so that his face is there instead of Cory's... TBD!

You'll then want to cover that piece with orange craft foam. If you're going with the solid windshield / Cory Carson face, you'll want to also glue a piece of white foam behind it.

STEP FOUR

Cory Carson has some racing stripes down his hood - cut those out of foam and glue 'em on! I then added a 1" stripe of foam around the bottom for his "bumper"

I also added some curved pieces to be the "sides" and will add a third to be the back piece - I'm going to wait on gluing these to the costume until I have the kiddo try it on to make sure I don't position them too high or too low.

That's it for now - I'll update when it's complete with pics for you! - Jacqueline

10 Awesome Ways to Organize Your Playroom with VTech’s Go! Go! Cory Carson Collection

Organize your playroom alongside Cory Carson and his pals with these simple tips to promote fun, learning, and exploration!

As a busy mom of two young, energetic kids, I am no stranger to the clutter generated from a well-used playroom. I absolutely love listening to my kiddies come up with creative ideas while playing with their favorite toys, but it’s also a reminder that they can enjoy their toys infinitely more in an organized space that allows for movement, consistency, and easy clean up!

We have a little saying that we live by in our house: Surround yourself with things that you love, and store (or give away) the rest!

When the kids got a chance to explore VTechâ’s adorable Go! Go! Cory Carsonâ collection, I knew these awesome Bumperton Hills friends would be a staple in the playroom. I am thrilled to incorporate and share some of my best tips for creating an organized playroom with this super fun line of toys!

1. Make cleanup fun with designated storage

Combining pretend play with accessibility allows children to enjoy their cleanup time. Add a “pull-in garage” to any unused or open spaces in your storage shelves or toy boxes to allow Cory and his vehicle friends to sleep for the night in Bumperton Hills!

My daughter loves to park Halle the helicopter in the “construction garage” and pushes the windshield to hear her talk. Freddie the firetruck is my son’s favorite because he LOVES to place him on the Firehouse’s SmartPoint location to discover more phrases and sounds.

2. Use picture labels to promote independent sorting

Pictures are a great guide for children when sorting to clean up and it creates a more effective way for everyone to organize. I use printable picture labels that are easy for my three-year-old to recognize and include additional labels wherever we need them! The bin labeled with a construction helmet shown below contains all of their helmets and the label also highlights the location of the Bumperton Construction Garage. :)

3. Incorporate a toy display area

This is one of my favorite tips. Take advantage of a smaller or awkward wall space by turning it into a toy display! Your kids will be delighted to see their favorite Bumperton pals highlighted in their play space, and it also allows you, the parent, to control whether toys are in or out of reach at any given time.

4. Choose furniture with ample storage, the more the better

Toys are an important part of our kids’ lives and help them to develop in so many vital ways. At home we embrace the toy life and make sure that we have the storage we need to stay organized. If you don’t have a lot of space, try opting for a table or corner stand with built in space for storage.

5. Designate small containers for storing smaller toys

When small toys are dumped into large toy boxes at the end of the day, it’s easy to lose track of what toys are actually in the room, sometimes resulting in favorites getting “lost in the sauce”. Using smaller containers for small toys creates a reliable system that can inspire children to enjoy cleaning when they get that instant gratification of putting toys in the right place.

Larger Toys=larger baskets! My son enjoyed designating a new

home for Freddie’s Firehouse.

6. Rotate out your child’s underused toys

To make organizing easier for everyone, have a separate place to put toys away that isn’t as accessible as the rest of the toys. A closet in another room coupled with a few plastic storage drawers is a great example. So while I have a small space upstairs for a toy rotation, Timmy the bulldozer and all of their other go-to toys are accessible every day!

7. Utilize storage space in an adjacent room

Clearing clutter is an important part of organization. If clearing out toys isn’t at the top of the list, using a storage ottoman in a nearby room, for example, can be helpful to store those miscellaneous toys.

8. Utilize storage spaces in seating

Multi-use storage solutions are a life saver for organization. They certainly have been for my household. Storage, seating and a play area? Love it! Grab a cushion and some pillows for your storage shelves or try a storage bench. My daughter lights up with laughter as she listens to Cory Carson sing songs and play melodies on the bench!

She loves to take her pals to another town on the bench :)

9. Make the space below count

Rolling storage drawers are a great way to store toys in smaller spaces. Whether you have extra space below a desk, couch, or even a bed, utilizing that space can free up the play area.

10. Plan for extra room to play

Creating ample space to play is one of most important benefits of organization. When choosing storage and furniture, or simply reorganizing, remember to plan for pretend play. With our open floor space, the kids imagine and go on adventures, pushing Cory and his friends around to trigger some super fun sound effects.

We hope you enjoyed these kid-friendly tips for organizing your child's playroom. Implement just a few and your kids will be having fun with Cory Carson and his pals in an organized playroom in no time.

Kayla Hollomon is a former engineer and a marketing consultant for wellness and consumer brands. She is also a stay-at-home mom of two and has home schooled her children for the last two years. She is the author of keeptoddlersbusy.com, a resource created to provide activities, tips, inspiration, and ideas for moms. Her love for children has grown into a passion for helping busy moms create fun and educational environments for their children while also organizing their lives and homes to promote balance and happiness.