Kids

A couple of years ago, Playtime Engineering launched a colorful portable synthesizer on Indiegogo, and now the startup has reworked the hardware and software, and toned down the cuteness, for the Blipblox After Dark.

Ah, balance bikes. An early introduction to cycling that can give a kid a bit of confidence on two wheels before introducing the complication of pedals. Mondraker has stuck a 250-W motor on one, accidentally inventing the motorcycle.

3Doodler has launched a 3D printing pen specifically designed for pre-schoolers and above. The 3D Build & Play package comes with a low-heat drawing device, character and accessory molds and colorful backdrops to encourage learning through play.

New research suggests smartphones, screen-time, and social media have not negatively affected kids’ social skills, and modern concerns over the impact of screen-time recalls past “moral panics” over the effect of new technology on children.

Building a Scalextric track, slotting in competing cars and testing your racing skills against friends or family is enormous fun. Among the new cars due for release in 2020 are movie and TV favorites such as the DeLorean from Back to the Future.

Loog Guitars has kicked off a crowdfunding campaign to fund three learning guitars for kids with a built-in amp and speaker.

Harley-Davidson needs to get its bikes in the hands of younger riders, that's clear. But this young?

Making and coding are important skills for future engineers and technicians to master. With this in mind, Kano has partnered with Microsoft to release the Kano PC – a DIY Windows 10 computer for kids that gets them making , coding and creating.​

Smartphones and smartwatches for kids aren't exactly new, but China-based Abardeen has done things a little differently. The company has taken a modular approach with its latest offering – launched this week on Kickstarter – bringing considerable flexibility to the kids phone/watch space.

Finnish designers Sanna and Mika Myllylä from Living Spaces, have created a modular furniture concept that can transform in a matter of seconds. Dubbed BiT, the series of upholstered shapes easily join together using magnets, giving the user the freedom to modify the furniture for various uses.

Learning coding language basics can be as hard as learning a foreign language. There are many toys aimed at giving future coders a kickstart, and the latest is a trainset from consumer robotics startup Innokind.​

Toys today include robots, drones and AR, and if you’re lucky you can trick the kids into learning some useful skills along the way. New Atlas rounds up the best tech toys of 2018, which could make for some great last-minute gift ideas for the young’un in your life.