Updated on November 27, 2024
The holiday season really is all about the kids. If you’re looking for a gift for a child or two (or 10!) on your list this year, these tech gifts are ones they’ll love to see and unwrap under the tree.
Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle
Ideal for younger kids or on-the-go gamers, the Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle comes with the game included for playing right out of the box. This includes the console and the Neon Red and Neon Blue Joy-Con controllers. Play in hand right on the unit itself or dock it to play on the big screen. At just $400, it’s a steal since it includes not only a download code for the game but also a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online Individual Membership.
Miko Mini & Miko 3 AI-Powered Interactive Robots
These adorable interactive robots are designed to help kids learn, grow, and play. They interact with kids through conversation, offering learning activities, games, storytelling, and creative play. Kids learn about emotions, empathy, and interpersonal skills as well, to help them better express their feelings. The robots can interpret facial expressions, tone of voice, and conversational cues to gauge the child’s mood. Kids can ask Miko advice about sensitive topics, like bullying or sharing. It celebrates achievements and provides comfort. As a STEM learning toy, Miko encourages problem solving and critical thinking skills through apps and games like Ocean Explorer, Math Wizard, and Space Explorer. There’s also everything from spelling practice to dancing. With the Story Maker app, kids can craft stories, building their own unique worlds and characters.
Both robots are compliant with KidSAFE and are COPPA certified, and they come with privacy controls and parental management tools so information is secure and content is always age appropriate. Add a Miko Max subscription for premium content, including animated Disney classics, Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Da Vinci Kids, along with other content categories like yoga. The Miko Mini sells for US$150 and Miko 3 for US$199, each available in two colours.
NHL Kool Karz Playground Zamboni Ride-On Toy Car
Forget a ride-on sports car or truck: go full Canadian with a ride-on Zamboni! Available through the NHL shop, it’s designed for kids aged 3-8 who can pretend that they are resurfacing the ice as they zoom about. Use it in the home, outside, even at the local street hockey rink. It comes with four wheels and NHL Shield decals along with a set of logos for all 32 NHL teams. Convince your little one to wear your team logo with pride.
LEGO Fortnite Battle Bus
If they love LEGO and Fortnite, the LEGO Fortnite Battle Bus will have them smiling from ear-to-ear. One of four new sets in the line, this one is a brick replica of the hot-air balloon from the popular game. It features rolling wheels, a removable roof, and the iconic blue and yellow balloon. Suitable for builders aged 10+, it includes Slurp Juice, Grappler, Pickaxes, and Slap Juice. Also included are nine LEGO Minifigures: Battalion Brawler, Adventure Peely, Brite Bomber, Cuddle Team Leader, Cube Assassin, Trespasser Elite, Drift, Meowscles, and Raven, which can all be seated in the bus for creative role play. The sets are the perfect companion to the LEGO Fortnite game, which is available for free for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, and other cloud-based streaming services. You’ll have to buy it exclusively from LEGO Stores, though.
PlayShifu Orboot Earth
A wonderful educational toy, the PlayShifu Orboot lets kids enjoy using their tablet while doing something more interactive with it and learning at the same time. Unbox this globe, download the app, then hover the tablet or phone over a specific region or body of water on the globe and like magic, images will pop up telling them more. Learn about regions, animals, monuments, cuisines, cultures, inventions, and more, including more than 1,000 cool facts. The app lets kids collect virtual travel badges as they learn, take tours around the Earth, and test their knowledge via quizzes. Your child will acquire so much knowledge about the world in no time. It’s $70.
Puro Sound Labs JuniorJams Plus Kids Headphones
Known for its volume-limiting headphones for kids, the Puro JuniorJams Plus are an upgrade from the previous-gen JuniorJames with a USB-C connector for recharging and audio sharing. Available in a variety of kid-friendly colours, including a new purple hue, they not only limit volume for young ears but also feature noise isolation. The protein leather ear cushions envelope kids’ ears while the headphones are lightweight and comfortable to wear. They’re wireless, too, lasting for up to 22 hours per charge. Kids can pair two and listen to the same source, ideal for siblings and friends, or even partner work at school. Don’t worry, if the battery dies, they work as wired ‘phones, too. Thanks to the foldable design and included carrying bag, kids can pop these into their bag to use at school as well. US$79.
Puro Sound Labs PuroQuiet Plus Kids Headphones
Ideal for kids who have sensory issues, the PuroQuiet Plus add a USB-C connection, plush, noise-isolating earpads, and, of course, noise limiting technology so they don’t go beyond 85dB, the level the Hearing Health Foundation says is safe for children. Available for US$140, the key feature is active noise cancellation, which suppresses ambient noise levels alongside noise isolation. This can help keep kids calm and free from noise-related stress. Additional features include Bluetooth 4.0 for CD-like quality wireless audio, a sensitive microphone for taking calls or gaming with friends, and up to 16-hours of active battery life, even with active noise cancellation on. They can also be used for up to 200 hours in standby mode.
Motorola g play-2024 Smartphone
So, you’re considering getting your tween or teen their first smartphone. The best option is to hand down an old phone while you upgrade for yourself. But maybe you don’t have anything on hand to give, or your old phone is far too ancient. You don’t want to get them a generations old iPhone or Android device. What’s the solution? A newer budget device that might not be as premium and powerful as others but won’t break the bank either. It’s the perfect way to ease them into this level of responsibility before getting them the phone they have been begging to get. A great option is the Motorola moto g play-2024, which has features specifically for kid users. Since Family Space app allows parents to create a designated safe space on the device for kids, it’s a good option for parents to get for themselves as well: they can switch to this safe space and hand it over to younger kids or even toddlers for screen time without worrying that they’ll access personal data or content that isn’t age appropriate. Running Android 13 and with the 6nm Snapdragon 680 4G mobile platform, the phone has stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support and Hi-Res Audio certification so you get an immersive audio experience when listening to music or watching movies. Kids can take great photos, too, with the 50MP main camera and 8MP front camera that even has a fun Photobook feature for stitching together four poses in four timed photos for group shots. It’s not as durable as more premium phones as it only has an IP52 rating, but just make sure to get a protective case with it. Get up to 46 hours of battery life per charge. It’s about $250.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids eReader
If your child is like mine, they have acquired hundreds of paperback books that are monopolizing space in their bedrooms. While you still want to encourage them to read and flip the pages of a physical book, you can drastically reduce this clutter in a few ways. First is a library card. But it’s not so easy for every parent to make frequent trips back and forth to the library. The second is to stick to favourite series for paperbacks or hardcovers and invest in an eReader for further encouraging their love of reading. The new Kindle Paperwhite Kids with a Cyber City or Starfish cover and a two-year worry-free guarantee. It comes with a six-month Amazon Kids+ subscription that provides access to thousands of age-appropriate books. At $215, it might sound expensive. But even when you factor in paying $7/mo. for Amazon Kids+ after the half-year trial, you’re still coming out ahead. For the price of about 20 books and one new book per month, your child will be able to download and read limitless books, comics, even magazines without a bright screen that irritates their eyes and with a feel that’s similar to flipping tangible pages. The best part? No more clutter!
Planet Buddies Pippin the Panda 3-in-1 Night Lamp Speaker
It doesn’t get much cuter than the Planet Buddies Pippin the Panda 3-in-1 night lamp and speaker. Available for $80 through Erikson Consumer, the adorable speaker and night light is perfect for the nightstand. It can play tunes for up to 10 hours per charge and offers up to 60 days of standby. It projects images of fluffy pandas onto the ceiling to soothe kids to sleep. Compatible with both Android and iOS devices, there are four light modes and automatic turn-off if it isn’t paired within 15 minutes to conserve energy. With 3W output power, it’s the perfect way to lull a child to sleep and reassure them that there aren’t any monsters under the bed or in the closet.
JBL JR310BT Kids Headphones
Small in size to provide big sound for little ears, the JBL JR310BT offer the same signature JBL sound you expect from adult headphones in a compact package for kids. Available in three fun finish options for $70 from Erikson Consumer, they are wireless (a wired version is available as well) affording up to an impressive 30 hours of listening per charge. That’s a full month of school or home time at an hour a day before you even need to think of plugging them in to charge. They have volume limiting technology that prevents kids from cranking the volume beyond the safe 85dB level for young listeners. With a soft padded headband and ear cushions, kids can even customize them using the included reusable stickers.
Pinwheel Kid-Safe Smartphone
Yes, there’s actually a phone specifically designed for kids, great if you want to get one for an even younger kid than a tween (think aged 8-10). Maybe they’re permitted to walk home from school with friends, they go to the other parent’s house on weekends, or hang around with neighbors in the area and you’d feel more comfortable giving them this autonomy if they had a phone. In comes Pinwheel kid-safe smartphones. Prices start under $100 and the phone is designed not only to give kids connectivity for an affordable price, but to prevent them from getting addicted to social media, doom scrolling, and sticking their faces in their phones for hours on end. The phone doesn’t permit access to social media at all and there’s no open web browsing, all designed to help encourage healthy mobile habits. There’s also built-in parent management, a remote parent portal to monitor texts and calls, a limited app library, GPS locator, and custom schedules so parents can prevent usage during school hours, for example, or after bedtime. As kids get older, parents can unlock more features and apps. It’s a great starter phone before kids reach an age and level of responsibility and maturity for a more premium phone.
Particula goChess Mini AI-Integrated Electronic Chess Board
A great gift for a child who is just learning to play chess, maybe has already become pretty good at it, the Particula GoChess Mini is an AI-integrated electronic chess board that can be played by kids (and adults) of all skill levels. Since it’s ultra-portable (it measures just 35 x 35mm), you can easily bring it with you anywhere – think entertainment on a long flight or in a hotel room at night. No one to play with? Play against the AI (32 difficulty levels to challenge yourself incrementally) or even with others online through popular chess platforms like Chess.com and Lichess. Improve your game with AI personal coaching and real-time colourful light indications with instant feedback and guidance for each move. Grab it for the young chess lover on your list for US$199.
Custom Funko Pop
Plenty of kids collect adorable Funko Pop! characters. From movie and TV show characters to video game and anime characters, athletes, musicians, actors, and other celebrities, it seems there’s a Funko Pop! for just about everyone. What about yourself? Custom Funko Pops have been available to order for some time in the U.S. but they’re now officially available in Canada. Visit the Pop! Yourself section of the website, select Customize Now, then start creating. You can create a single Pop! or a two-pack for siblings or friends. Start with the body, skin tone, then go through facial details, clothing, accessories, even props until you have created the perfect replica. The base custom Funko is $30 plus $10 standard delivery to Canada and an additional $8 if you want it shipped in a plastic protector box. You can also upgrade to licensed apparel and other items for additional fees around $5 each and accessory packs with items like masks and additional outfits for $20 ea. Note that though they will ship to Canada, pricing is still charged in U.S. dollars.
Kidoodle.TV Subscription
Sure, you might have subscriptions to streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ at home already, which gives kids access to tons of content. But if you’re looking to scale back on these, don’t have cable, but want a safe source for kids to access content, consider Kidoodle.TV. As a “safe streaming” service, you can access more than 45,000 episodes of popular shows, including educational content. Think everything from This is Mark Rober to CoComelon, Peppa Pig, T-Rex Ranch, and more. The more you watch, the more the company gives back as well through things like free teacher-crafted lesson plans to support educators and the feeding families program. Every show on the service has been screened by a real person and there are no intrusive algorithms. Set bedtimes and curfews and review analytics to see what the kids are watching. Watch from a TV, tablet, streaming stick, and more. The best part? There isn’t even the requirement for a subscription: it’s totally free! You only need to upgrade to Premium for about $6/mo. if you want to be able to skip commercials. Instead of accessing as a guest, you can also register for the Freemium account (for free) to be able to create different profiles, add passcode protection, and access parental controls and analytics.