Back-to-school tech gadgets: Helpful devices for students of all ages

Few parents today could have imagined that their kid’s back-to-school shopping lists would include smartwatches, wireless headsets, smartphones or handheld gaming systems. An even bigger challenge for most parents is knowing how to find back-to-school tech gadgets that are educational and safe for kids. That said, we did some homework for you. Here’s our list of useful tech gadgets and devices to consider adding to your student’s back-to-school shopping list.

For ages 8 – 10: Freedom and focus

• Kid-friendly smartwatch, like the Gizmo Watch 3 - Adventure

• Noise canceling wireless on-ear headphones

Many elementary school kids aren’t ready for their own dedicated smartphone or computer. But staying connected by text or two-way calling can be helpful to both kids and parents. The Gizmo Watch 3 - Adventure helps kids and parents stay in touch through voice calls and text messaging, including speech-to-text messaging. Plus built-in games, like an integrated math game, make it fun to practice essential skills, and parents can even set daily step goals to remind kids to stay active throughout the day. For students who walk to and from school each day, the Gizmo Watch also gives parents peace of mind by enabling them to track their child’s location via an app on their phone.

A more-surprising option for this age group? Wireless headphones like the JBL Tune 670NC Adaptive Noise Canceling Wireless On-Ear Headphones. Noise canceling can be useful in the classroom for independent study or while working on the computer (if headphones are allowed), and they can also make it easier to tune out background noise while doing homework after school. And finally, why choose on-ear headphones? Earbuds can be easy for young kids to misplace.

Shop the Gizmo Watch 3 - Adventure

Shop On Ear headphones

For ages 11 – 15: First phone experiences

• Parental control app, like Verizon Smart Family

• Affordable first phone options, like Bring Your Own Device

When you decide that your tween or young teen is ready for their first phone, you should also plan to talk a lot about your family’s rules and expectations about how to use the phone. For example, you may want to approve any app they want to use, or limit web access on their phone after bedtime.

Verizon Smart Family can help. Install the parental control app on their phone and your phone, and you can block certain sites or apps, set up trusted contacts, limit screen time, and enable location tracking and location sharing—all from one app on your phone. These features help provide guardrails while you let tweens and young teens learn how to safely use their first smartphone and develop healthy phone habits.

Parents can also choose to give their kids other ways to connect through tech gadgets like smartwatches and phones with fewer features. These devices can give kids the connectivity they crave without the risks associated with unlimited access to the internet. Connected devices can be added to any plan through Verizon’s new bring-your-own-device promotion, which delivers savings on additional lines and select accessories.

Learn more about Verizon Smart Family

Verizon’s new bring-your-own-device promotion

For ages 16 and up: Safety and independence

• Teen driver insights with Verizon Smart Family

• Mobile and wireless accessories

Parents of new drivers may have a few more gray hairs than they did a year ago, but they also have access to technology that can help monitor their kids’ driving habits as they commute to school, after-school activities and jobs, and friends’ houses. Verizon Smart Family lets you track your teen’s driving, including speeding and hard braking, distance driven, location and more. The Driving Insights feature can also be set to passenger status when they’re riding in a friend’s car or on the bus.

Older students can also benefit from more sophisticated tech gadgets, such as wireless earbuds, wireless speakers and high-performance tablets, all of which can be used for online learning, homework, tutorials and educational games. Check out our full selection of mobile and wireless accessories.

Learn more about Verizon Smart Family

Shop mobile and wireless accessories

For the whole family: More fun—together

• Family-friendly gaming systems, like the Nintendo Switch

• Bring back family movie night with the Disney Bundle

Video games can make learning fun for students of all ages. That’s why we’ve added the Nintendo Switch to our back-to-school list. Through a process called gamification, educational games can help improve cognitive development, increase classroom engagement, enhance study habits and boost knowledge retention. Look for spelling and vocabulary games that can improve written communication skills and standardized test scores; math games that can reinforce fundamental concepts; and brain teasers that can enhance problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

And finally, research shows kids get a lot of benefits from family movie night. So when the school day is over and homework is done, the Disney Bundle offers access to Disney+ Premium, Hulu and ESPN+. Bond with family and build relationships while watching movies, documentaries, TV series, sports and more.

• Shop the Nintendo Switch

• Learn about the Disney Bundle perk

Try Smart Family Premium for 30 days for free ($9.99/mo after). Applies to Premium plan only. Free trial for first month of service.