My darling daughter turned 11 this winter and her android tablet is one of her favorite things. Frankly I wish she would be a little less interested in it, but she’s a good kid and I want her to have some time on it to play her favorite apps and read ebooks. I just don’t want her to be on it ALL the time. Plus I want to know what apps she is using. Where do I find a balance? That’s where Family Link from Google comes in to help me make her online world safer. The purpose of Family Link from Google is to set digital ground rules to help guide children and teens as they learn, play, and explore online. We can’t assume that kids automatically know this and if you remember last October I worked with Google on their Be Internet Awesome Campaign. My kids loved the online games they played (and didn’t realize that it was teaching them how to be safer online and what to look out for). Family Link from Google Helps Teach Kids Good Digital Habits

How do you get started? First I downloaded Google Family Link for Parents (which you can find right in the IOS app store). Family Link from Google Helps Teach Kids Good Digital Habits

Then I downloaded Google Family Link App for Children and Teens from the Google Play store on my daughter’s Samsung Tablet.

I followed the directions and installed it on both devices. This did take me a little while before I was able to get it set up. 

Once I had it set up, on my device, I set the time I wanted my daughter to be able to use her tablet. 

Then I set up the bedtime settings (which I just mentioned above). While I am pretty sure my daughter wouldn’t be on her tablet at night, this means her device locks if she tries to go on past 9PM at night (recently we had a big problem with my 13 year old sneaking onto his device at night). If your child has a device that makes phone calls (my daughter’s tablet does not), your child can still call you, even if their device is locked. Family Link from Google Helps Teach Kids Good Digital Habits

Cool tip: If your child misplaces their device, you can use Family Link for Parents on your device to make a sound and find it. 

If your child goes into the Family Link on their devices, they can see how long they’ve been on their device for that day, yesterday, the past 7 days, and 30 days. 

Features on Family Link from Google:

Manage the Content Kids See:

-Parents can remotely approve or decline apps their kids want to download from the Google Play Store. –You can also hide apps on the device so kids may be more productive and do schoolwork or read ebooks instead of playing their favorite puppy game. 
-No surprises on in-app purchases from apps- Family Link lets you approve purchases your kids want to make in their favorite apps.
– Activity reports – Family Link shows you app activity reports so you can keep an eye on what they are using on their device
– Inappropriate content – you can block specific sites, only allow a curated set of sites, and apply filters that attempt to block mature content in your Family Link settings.

I like being able to see what my child is doing on her tablet and how long she is doing it for.

Manage Tablet Time:

-Family Link allows parents to set a daily limit for every day of the week, so once they use up that time their device gets locked. 

– Bedtime! Family Link lets you set a device bedtime for your child and you can customize by day (so you can let them play on their devices later on the weekends).
-Device locking! This is something I actually haven’t tried yet –  Family Link lets you remotely lock your kid’s device anytime, and if you have a Google Home, you can even make Google do it — just say “Hey Google, lock Allegra’s device.”

Locate Your Child:
– While we don’t let our child take her tablet outside of our home, Family Link will let you see where your child is, as long as they have their device on and with them. 

But remember this — none of the tools in Family Link are meant to replace a conversation about digital habits. You need to discuss with your kids about why there needs to be limits how long they are online and what apps they can access. Family Link from Google Helps Teach Kids Good Digital Habits

For more info: g.co/FamilyLink

#FamilyLink #Sponsored

Read our Be Internet Awesome Intro post https://www.themamamaven.com/teaching-kids-to-make-good-decisions-online-and-be-internet-awesome/ 

The post Family Link from Google Helps Teach Kids Good Digital Habits appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

As school is rapidly drawing to a close, I am preparing myself for the down time before camp starts. I know I will be repeatedly hearing “I’m bored” and “play with me”. While I love playing with my children, it is sometimes difficult to meet the entertainment needs of three kids at the same time. I had the pleasure of trying out My Friend Cayla; the world’s first interactive doll with my three children. Cayla was able to answer my kids’ questions and even play with them!

This doll, from Genesis toys, is available now.

My Friend Cayla has won several awards including:
· Innovative Toy of the Year 2015
· Gadget of the Year
· Top 10 toy on Amazon UK, Agros, and Carrefour

What makes Cayla so special? Well, she syncs to your smart phone, computer or tablet, connects to the Internet, and interacts with users on a variety of levels. Cayla can converse, answer questions, play games, read a story or share her photo album to a child.
When I took Cayla out of her box, my daughters were immediately drawn to her cute outfit and long blond hair. My 17 month old immediately wanted to push the “baby” in a stroller, while my four-year old was eager to use the brush and mirror that Cayla comes with.

I used an iPad when we played with Cayla. She has an accompanying app that was very simple to download and use (even for those of us who are less than tech-savvy). We tried to have a conversation with Cayla. She is quite chatty and eager to engage kids in conversation. We quickly discovered how to decrease the amount of independent talking Cayla does. She answered some of our questions, but she had a hard time understanding my four year old. We were most successful when sticking to the list of examples that came in the package. Her answers to Math problems were impressive, but when asked questions such as “What is Disney World?”, most of her response sounded like it was being read from a Wiki page and went over my kids’ heads. Since Cayla can speak different languages, this conversation feature could be very useful to a child learning to speak a new language or trying to practice conversation skills.

My children really enjoyed Cayla’s other features. They were engaged in a memory game using theiPad and took turns with Cayla. It kept them entertained, and Cayla doesn’t always win! Cayla also comes with a tic-tac-toe game and in the future additional games will be added via app updates. They also liked hearing stories read out loud by Cayla. She comes with three stories that children can follow along with on theiPad which is great for new readers. My four-year old also really enjoyed learning about Cayla’s “trips” through her photo album. I liked that it reinforced collections of vocabulary such as items encountered at the beach.

Cayla is definitely more than your average doll. Her capabilities are impressive an entertaining for kids. I imagine that someone doing Math homework with Cayla nearby would really appreciate her! Her Internet connection enables her to provide kids with some information, but it would be nice if it were all filtered to be more child friendly in content. Cayla is equipped with safeguards to prevent children from accessing unsafe and inappropriate information.

I am really looking forward to the games component to be further developed and until then, we can still enjoy this new “friend”.

Buy on Amazon.

This post contains affiliate links, which means we get a very small percentage if you shop through this page. Writer was not compensated for this post, product was supplied for review purposes. 

The post My Friend Cayla: An Interactive Doll That Can Talk and Play With Your Kids appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

The Frozen phenomenon is still going strong in our household with no sign of letting up anytime soon. My eight-year-old daughter owns Frozen clothes, pajamas, dolls, toys, books, a sleeping bag and a million other things! Her two younger brothers love joining her in watching the movie, sing-alongs and pretend-play games that are based on the movie. Now that’s she’s older she’s beginning to show interest in technology so I’ve put together a list of cute tech products that are all about “Frozen”.

The Frozen soundtrack is a hit with kids and adults alike. Having a Karaoke machine is a lot of fun but young kids tend to roam around when they sing and can’t always deal with the mic cord. The Cool Tunes Sing Sing Along Boombox is shaped like a handbag so you can carry it on your wrist and sing with the attached microphone in every room of the house. The songs that come with it are Let it Go (by Demi Lovato), For the First Time in Forever and In Summer. You can also connect your ownMP3 player so you can sing to your own songs. $29.99

Carry your tablet in style with the Frozen Universal Tablet Tote. This tote comes with a zipper for extra security and a padded shoulder strap. $19.99

What could be more fun than listening to Idina Menzel belting out “Let it go” on your headphones!? Listening to it with Frozen Headphones of course! The headphones have soft ear cushions and a built-in active circuit protective hearing. $19.99

An alarm clock is an easy and fun way to get kids to learn time and to also teach them responsibility. Who wouldn’t want to wake up in the morning to a Frozen Musical Alarm Clock? It features a built-in nightlight with a sleep-timer. $19.99

For kids who love pretend play, the Chill N Chat 2-Way Radios are a fun way to interact. Perfectly sized for little hands, these walkie-talkies will get Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf chatting and giggling in no time. $24.99

Visit eKids to learn more and view other products.

I was not compensated for this post. I received a sample.

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Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is the owner of Mama’s Bites and has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been living in New York City for fourteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 8, 5 and 2) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier.

The post Cool Tech Gifts for Frozen-Obsessed Kids appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.

by Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman

I recently attended an event which showcased a lot of really fun accessories for kids that are perfect for back to school, as well as some stunning clothes. Here are my favorites:

iHome carries audio products that are perfect for kids who are tech-lovers, but want something whimsical. You can buy anything from various speakers, to headphones and even a portable stereo with your favorite characters such as Minnie Mouse, Kermit the Frog, Perry from Phineas & Ferb and more. iHome also carries products for adults such as home and portable audio devices and unique headphones for affordable prices.

One of the most important “back to school” accessories is a backpack. Here are some cool ones from MadPax:

We’re big fans of FAB Starpoint Hello Kitty and Lalaloopsy.

If your kids need uniforms, French Toast is a brand you’re probably familiar with. We liked what they were showing – uniforms can look cool!

You can find wild graphics and bright colors on apparel from Desigual – a fashion brand from Barcelona.

Shop

MadPax

French Toast

Desigual

Shop this photo above

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Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been l been living in New York City for twelve years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 6, 4 and a baby) and loves finding great products that make her family’s life easier.

The post Fun Accessories & Cute Clothes for Back to School appeared first on The Mama Maven Blog.