Parents at Play: Get the kids’ creative juices flowing
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
The Jooki smart speaker lets you curate perfect playlists and lets your kids become their own DJs.
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Spirals & Sounds may remind you of the old Spirograph game from when you were a kid, but it also includes sounds, messages and melodies.
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Koruba is a new collectible, 16 different cube-shaped characters with funny, expressive faces and unique personalities.
Creative critters and kid-friendly tech engage even the littlest ones
Looking for something fun to stimulate the mind of a creative child? These are a lot of fun, and we know that your little one will get a lot of play out of them.
PLAYMATES TOYS
Kuroba
Kuroba is a new collectible that’s essentially a mix of Shopkins and BeyBlade. Small and easy to put away, there are currently 16 different cube-shaped characters with funny, expressive faces and unique personalities. Kuroba are divided into a number of tribes (Fire, Ice, Water, Night and Terra). They’re featured in a show on the Kuroba YouTube channel, where kids can watch a series of 1- to 4-minute shorts. You can buy individual Kuroba for about $9. The line includes two-character Training Packs (to practice and enhance skills) and Battle Packs (for blockhead-to-blockhead combat) for $13-$15 and the Klash Arena playset ($20) for even more battling. Ages 6 and older. playmatestoys.com/brands/kuroba
SPIRALS & SOUNDS
Vtech
If you remember Spirograph from when you were a kid, you’ll start doing your happy dance when you unbox this new art kit from VTech. It comes with four animal- shaped stencils and five gears that will let your little one create a nearly unlimited number of spiral shapes and designs. And in case being absorbed in an art project isn’t enough, the Sounds part of Spirals & Sounds includes 20 melodies, encouraging messages and a variety of rhymes and chatty banter. Uses standard letter-size paper. Under $10. Ages 3-plus. vtechkids.com
JOOKI SMART SPEAKER
Muuselabs
Curating the perfect playlist can be a very creative endeavor. And jooki gives parents (and trusted children) the chance to do just that. You create a playlist (or use one you’ve already set up on Spotify), upload it and link to a figurine (five are included). Then your child will be able to act as his or her own DJ. Parents can limit the volume and set timers. Since the music is stored on jooki, it can go with you anywhere. Includes rechargeable battery, headphone jack and micro SD slot (max 32 GB, card not included). Under $200. Ages 3 and older. jooki.rocks
