11 of the best tech toys
Flying minions, smart action figures, stop-frame animation studios: we've found the coolest high-tech toys for girls and boys of all ages
We all love our gadgets and gizmos so it's no surprise that kids love anything techie, too. And more and more children's toys now have some extra technical wizardry included – for snapping pics, gaming with augmented reality or just having a bit of a wide-eyed giggle. For more tech recommendations, take a look at our selection of the best tablets for kids and best Nintendo Switch games.
Here are the best tech toys, as tested and rated by children...
1. Lightseekers, £69.99
GOLD winner, Best Tech Toy, 2017 MadeForMums Toy Awards
Age: 7+
What it is: A range of collectable 17cm smart action figures that can be played with in a traditional way or synced up via a FusionCore mini-computer to a (free) app, allowing them to speak, vibrate, light up and – appear in the games on the app. Each toy comes with a weapon, augmented-reality trading cards and a rechargeable battery
Why we love it: This is the 21st century way to play! Our child testers had no trouble getting their figures to appear in the app game, were thrilled to see it happen – and excited about what new 2-way features their game play would unlock.
What our child testers made of it:
- ‘This is brilliant! You move the figure and it does exactly the same on the screen. The toy even talks to you!’ Aidan, 7
- 'The figure was fun to play with as a toy. It was easy to figure out what to do to make it interact with the app.' Twins Archie and Ethan, 8
Available from: ToysRUs and Amazon
2. VTech Kidizoom Flix, £59.99
SILVER winner, Best Tech Toy, 2017 MadeForMums Toy Awards
Age: 4+
What it is: A friendly little (7cm x 7cm x 29cm) alien on a flexible tripod with a head containing a 2 mega-pixel camera. Takes and stores (up to 600) photos, selfies and videos, detaches from the tripod, includes games, and has editing software to let you can add backgrounds and effects. There's also a 'guard mod' that takes pictures secretly. Comes with USB cable and rechargeable battery. Available in pink or blue.
Why we love it: We like his facial recognition powers – so he will know your child when they talk to him (pretty cool). You can change his eyes and skin colour, and he'll repeat words and phrases back to you and use his quirky alien voice. Our child testers found Flix very intuitive to use.
What our child testers made of it:
- 'I love it, I love it! The Guard Mode is my favourite bit, and making Daddy and my brother look funny in pictures. I can’t wait to take it on holiday. The games are good, too.' Erin, 5
- 'I like it a lot because you can play games on it, as well as taking videos and pictures – you can even sing into it.' River, 6
Available from: Argos and Amazon
3. Wow! Stuff Flying Minions, £25
BRONZE winner, Best Tech Toy, 2017 MadeForMums Toy Awards
Age: 8+
What it is: A range of 3 characters from Despicable Me with propellers, that fly directed by an infrared sensor in the feet. Your child uses their hands and feet to guide them. Includes an on/off handset, rechargeable battery and cable. Takes 20 minutes to charge and offers 8 minutes play time.
Why we love it: These little flying marvels are just such a good laugh! And the way you can control them with your hand is super-cool. That flying Fluffy Unicorn is ours, all ours...
What our child testers made of it:
- 'It's awesome. It's a little tricky to control at first but it looks cool when you get used to it. It's really fun!' Gracie, 8
Available from: Smyths and Amazon
4. Fingerlings Baby Monkeys, £15
Age: 6+
What it is: An interactive monkey toy that clings to your finger (or similar object) and has 2 sensors on its head to trigger noises and actions. You can get them to talk, blink and sing, and rock them to sleep. There are lots of different colours to choose from. Need 4 LR batteries (included).
Why we love it: It's impossible not to fall in love with these clever creatures! We really like their little monkey sounds and the cute way they turn their head.
Available from: The Entertainer and Amazon
5. Stikbot Studio, £12.99
Age: 4+
What it is: A set of little plastic stickmen with suction hands and feet (for easy posing), plus a tripod for your phone and access to the (free) Stikbot app that will help you start shooting your very own stop-frame animation movies.
Why we love it: Such a creative and fun way to learn the basics of film-making (but so addictive, even for adults, you have to MAKE yourself let your child get a look in!). Even better if you shell out a wee bit more on some extra stickmen.
Available from: Argos and Tesco
6. Lego Boost Creative Toolbox, £149.99
Age: 7+
What it is: An 847-piece (wow!) set out of which you can build and code 5 good-sized (14cm to 27cm) multifunctional models, including Vernie the Robot (pictured, above), Frankie the Cat and Guitar 4000 (with pitch bend and sound effects). Then you download the LEGO Boost app to bring your creations to life. Comes with LEGO Move Hub, Interactive Motor, a Colour and Distance Sensor – and instructions.
Why we love it: Yes, it's VERY pricey but you do get a lot of model-building fun for your money. We love the way you can make Frankie the Cat purr and Vernie the Robot talk – but watch out for that spring-loaded shooter of his!
Available from: Lego.com
7. Project Mc2 Remote Control H20 Car, £59.99
Age: 6+
What it is: A 46cm remote-control car that runs on water: you add water to the 'engine' to complete the circuit and allow electricity from the battery to the motor. Designed to carry dolls from the Project Mc2 Netflix series (sold separately) but works just as well with most other dolls and toys. Needs 8 AA batteries (not included).
Why we love it: We liked how easy this car is for a child to set up, and how well it makes science behind it look cool. Our child testers loved filling the tank with water and watching the headlights come on, the side mirrors swivel and steam come out of the exhaust.
Available from: Smyths and ToysRUs
8. VTech KidiZoom Action Cam, £49.99
Age: 5+
What it is: A light and multi-functional action camera, which has mounts to attach to a bike or a helmet, plus a waterproof case that can film underwater photos and videos and options to customise pics with cartoon images. Comes with 128MB memory, expandable with a microSD card (not included).
Why we love it: This kiddie GoPro is a tech toy but it's also hugely creative. The effects are brilliant, like cartoons and image distortion, plus there is a cool selection of background music.
Available from: Amazon and Smyths
9. Anki Overdrive, £149.99
Age: 8 years +
What it is: A race track that operates via an interactive app on your smartphone. Comes with 2 robotic supercars, Skull and GroundShock and 10 Overdrive track piece.
Why we love it: It's fast, it's furious, and you'll never lose the controller (well, unless you lose your phone...)
Available from: Smyths Toys and Amazon
10. Laser X Gaming Set, £43.99
Age: 6 years +
What it is: A high-tech game of tag, with 2 blaster guns and wearable target pads.
Why we love it: Your child can enjoy the fun of laser tag without visiting your local arcade! Plus, tag is a great way for them to keep active, even if it feels like they're playing a computer game ?
Available from: Argos and Amazon (for £52.83)
11. Zuru Robo Alive Lurking Lizard, £12.99
Age: 4 years +
What it is: A blue-green, rubber robot lizard, who responds to touch and crawls awfully quickly! Watch him in action here.
Why we love it: We love the Lurking Lizard's reflective eyes, the way it pauses when you tilt its head, and how it stops to look for 'prey'. It's a fun robo pal for a child who looks to chase their toys around! We also like that you can also get a red snake version, which basically does the same thing with a slither.
Another bonus is the cost. Lots of techy toys pull at your pursestrings, but we'd definitely say Lurking Lizard is a budget-friendly buy.
Available from: Smyths Toys
We've got more award-winning toys here...
Authors
Alex is the former deputy editor of Prima Baby, and mum to 2 boys.
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