The last few weeks have been tough. We’ve all been navigating the unknown and as adults we’ve all been consumed by the COVID-19 headlines — feeling confused, frightened and overwhelmed. It’s easy to imagine the disorienting feelings become exacerbated in the eyes of a child, leaving even more unanswered questions in regards to how adults can help them process, understand and work through these difficult times.
Parents are finding that there’s a lot of fun to be had in teaching kids science, technology, engineering and math with the help of robotic toys. These toys help with more than just memorizing periodic tables and formulas.
If you’re a parent would you rather pick and choose robotic toys for your little munchkin, we’ve got a few suggestions that will not only engage your kids, but could keep you up late playing with the toys yourself.
Roybi Robot | $299 USD
Roybi Robot, the company behind the world’s first AI-powered smart toy that teaches languages and STEM skills, sees this moment as an opportunity to educate, encourage and guide our children to healthy habits.
Using cutting-edge AI technology, the robotic toy named ‘DOCBI’ integrates into various lessons and interactive games to help children practice good hygiene while assisting parents as they navigate through the current environment, communicating this crucial information to children in a positive way.
DOCBI was developed with recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The DOCBI character delivers messages created to teach young children, not just about issues related to the current times, but continued health, self-care, and well-being.
Through playful and engaging content, DOCBI teaches problem-solving skills, the scientific method and other research-backed information surrounding children’s health.
Smart Buddies | $99 USD
Smart Buddies are a diverse set of characters on self-balancing, programmable scooters that girls and boys can code to zoom, spin, race and dance! Connected via smartphone or tablet, Smart Buddies allows kids, ages 6 and up to immerse themselves in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
Most schools right now are only focusing on “emergency school work” like basic Math and English – not STEM. So kids are missing out on important skills. Smart Buddies battles screen fatigue and gets kids active – on the floor with real robots and playing and learning.
These enthralling figures are operated via the free “SmartBuddies” app, available on iOS Android and Google Chromebooks. Kids can then learn to program their new bestie in three ways with remote control, draw path, and block-based coding modes. Start with the basics and grow to do problem-solving techniques that cover fundamental coding concepts such as sequences, loops, events, conditionals, functions, and variables.
Parents can pick from 8 beautiful, spunky characters! Jen, Jodi, Matt, Sebastian, Lee, Maria, Theo and Zara! The gangs all here! For a limited time, Smart Buddies is offering its robot and free classes for $99 to help ease financial strains during the crisis.
Botley the Coding Robot | $59.99 USD
Botley, from Learning Resources, is a robotic toy that is easy to use and even children as young as 6 years can learn to code on it. It comes with a 77-piece activity set and is 100 percent screen-free.
Botley can detect objects, move around them, follow commands, and follow black lines. It comes with many hidden features that can be unlocked. The best part of the toy is that it can be used in the basic form at a young age and will still be playable as the children grow up.
Kids can learn to program Botley robotic toy with a code and then have Botley execute the code. By doing so, they are creating an algorithm. This way, kids can learn to think ahead and predict where Botley will end up based on the instructions fed to him.
To be able to plan out steps in advance and program them at once is one of the most important skills a young coder could master.
It comes with a remote programmer, detachable robot arms, 40 coding cards, 6 double-sided tiles, 27 obstacle building pieces and a starter guide with coding challenges. It is a good gadget to promote critical thinking and problem-solving. It is priced at $78.99.
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