Kids

A fun book for kids and adults who love bugs. Author Kate Messner and illustrator Jillian Nickell turn 18 real life insects into superheroes and supervillains, as they explore some amazing abilities of real life creatures in comic book style.

Puzzle maker Ravensburger’s kits are a blast for kids and kids at heart, letting you easily assemble fast-moving and complex marble runs. Modular components encourage experimentation, and include loops, magnetic cannons, and other tricks. The starter set comes with 122 pieces, while we’d go for the 240-piece XXL set.

Claw machines look like fun until you realize that they’re all rigged to keep you from getting the good stuff. Perhaps that’s why this dad decided to build his daughter Clara a very special claw machine for her birthday – one where the little girl IS the claw, and can grab whatever she can as a winch dangles her over the prize pit.

Isamu Yamamoto may be just 15 years old as of this writing, but he’s one of the world’s best freestyle skateboarders, having won the World Round-Up Freestyle Skateboarding Championships in 2017 and 2018. Kuma Films spent a couple of days in Otsu, Japan with the talented kid, where he showed off a few of his sick moves.

A group of talented kids from Walden Grove High School’s PAC Dance Team take on the world of The Avengers with a highly-energetic and highly-entertaining routine that recaps highlights from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as our costumed superheroes perform choreographed battle with Thanos and his Black Order.

McLaren previously released a pint-sized version of its P1, and now they’re showing off an even more accurate mini 720S. This sports coupe for kids doesn’t have 700+ hp, but the battery-powered car makes realistic sounds on acceleration, and has working headlights and brake lights. It’ll sell for about $399.

Illustrator Andrew Morgan’s thick-paged kids book is perfect for teaching toddlers their ABCs. But instead of animals and everyday objects, each letter of the alphabet is illustrated with a rock and roll god or goddess. He also makes a version for budding rap stars.

Little Inventors is a UK-based non-profit organization that encourages creativity and innovation by asking children to come up with their own inventions, then collaborate with makers to build prototypes of them. SciFri dropped by to see what sort of wonderful madness they’re up to. You simply must browse the kids’ ideas.

While you could mark your kids’ heights on the wall as they grow up, we like Suck UK’s idea. The kit includes a dual-sided wall chart with metric and imperial measurements, and number cards your kids can hold up to record their age at the time of their incarceration.

SuperImpulse makes tiny versions of classic toys, from Stretch Armstrong to the Etch-a-Sketch. But one of our childhood favorites was the precursor to pixel art – the Lite-Brite. This mini version measures just 3″ wide x 2.75″ high, and includes 150 tiny pegs to lose.

You know those multi-track a capella videos where one person sings all the parts? Sure you do. Well this kid nailed what it must be like when all your singing personas are in conflict, and can’t play nice together.

The MonkeyCycle looks like a great way for young children to learn to ride a bicycle. It grows with them from ages 9 months to 6 years, and can be easily reassembled into up to 8 different configurations, including a stroller, quad, trikes, bikes, and more.

Directors Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas of TAIKO Studios present a heartfelt and beautifully animated short film about the trials and tribulations of a girl who hopes to grow up one day to become an astronaut.

A wonderful bit of footage from the 2018 Goodwood Revival in which an army of little kids run across the track like Le Mans racers used to do, quickly hop in their tiny cars, then pedal their way maniacally down the race track. Our legs hurt just watching this.

This extended ad spot for UK retailers John Lewis & Partners + Waitrose & Partners is proof positive that commercials are so much better outside of the US, as a choir of kids perform a slightly modified version of Queen’s classic while performing a charming space opera.

Feng E may only be 10 years old, this kid sure can play ukulele. Watch him jam out amazing covers of Classical Gas, Blackbird, and Beat It, then check out more of his performances on both uke and guitar on his YouTube channel.

“Jupiter is the largest, all the planets could fit inside…” Learn a thing or three about the planets in our solar system with this catchy little ditty by Clare and Si Bennett of Planet Custard. A kid-friendly track that’ll have adults tapping their feet and singing along too.

Rapper, actor, and comedian Shama “Llama” Mrema teams up with Andrew “drû” Simmons for the best remake of the theme song from the kids series Veggie Tales ever. Add it to your playlist on Apple Music or Spotify to keep it in heavy rotation.

Yoyoka Soma may be just 8 years old, but she already knows more about drumming than most musicians three times her age. Listen and enjoy as she rocks out a cover of John Bonham’s rhythms from Led Zeppelin’s Good Times and Bad Times.

We wish we were small enough to ride in this miniature version of the classic Volkswagen Type 1 Camper Van, but it’s perfect for little kids. Its got two seats inside, opening doors, forward and reverse gears, and working headlights and taillights. Runs on a rechargeable 12V battery.

Musician John Tracey presents a medley of some theme songs from classic kids TV shows from the 1980s and 1990s, performed with a smooth fingerstyle vibe on his acoustic guitar. We can still never get enough of those DuckTales and Inspector Gadget themes.

A cast of 4th and 5th graders from Van Buren, Arkansas’ Parkland Elementary performed in this charming musical tribute to Star Trek, in which evil Klingons take the Easter Bunny hostage. Written, directed, and composed by teacher and Emmy winner Kevin Croxton.

A heartwarming documentary about the life and times of the late Fred Rogers, who made a lasting impression on millions of children, while educating them about the wonders of the world, overcoming life’s challenges, embracing diversity, and loving one another.

The Fine Brothers panel of youngsters goes hands-on with another technological dinosaur – a “portable” turntable. While they’re clearly fascinated with the mechanical music player, there’s no doubt they’re all going back to streaming digital tunes as soon as they’re done.

Two young boys engage in a scientific debate when one of them is convinced he’s stumbled onto a wormhole through space and time, but his brother isn’t buying it. Olga Osorio’s award-winning short film is charming, well-made, and has a wonderfully fun conclusion.

For their latest “Kids React” video, The Fine Brothers asked their perceptive and brutally honest committee of kids to have a listen to the disco sounds of the late 1970s. At least some of the kids embraced the joy and universal dance groove of the era.

Strider is known for making scoot or balance bicycles, which help teach kids to ride a bike without resorting to training wheels. Its new 14X bike is a balance bike that can be transformed into a normal pedal bike, so it’ll grow with its rider.

Kids get bored so easily. Here’s a fun activity to keep them occupied. While we prefer the demonic red piping on the baseball shirts, they’re also available in a wide variety of colors over at Steven Rhodes’ Teepublic shop for 6 bucks less. The notebook is great too.

Babies outgrow their clothes very quickly in their first couple of years. Petit Pli clothes are designed to last throughout that time. Their pleated design lets them stretch to fit children from 4 months to 3 years old. They’re also waterproof and machine washable.

Cut introduced children to a grown woman who was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition which has limited her height to just 3 feet. Their inquisitiveness and concern should be a model for other youngsters, who all too often make fun of people for their differences.