It probably won't come as a surprise that there's plenty of technology in my home – I'm a technology journalist after all – but there is some that is used significantly more than others. Enter Amazon's Echo Dot Kids. This kid-friendly speaker gets daily use in my house and my kids absolutely adore it, so much so that I frequently recommend it to other parents – even at full price.
When the Black Friday deals see it drop to less than half-price – that's under £30 – I know you're onto a real winner with this one. It's an ideal Christmas gift for friends with kids, even.
Both designs – there's a dragon and an owl, take your pick! – are at their lowest price this year (I checked CamelCamelCamel to verify), so if you're looking for something that can entertain and educate your kiddies all from one device – and without a screen – this is the one.
Save 57%: The Amazon Echo Dot Kids is a brilliant speaker with a child-friendly Alexa voice assistant on board, great sound quality, and a selection of features from streaming songs to helping with homework. At under £30 it's an absolute steal.
I use the Echo Dot Kids speakers in my kids' rooms to set a week day alarm for school, and I use them for the Alexa Drop In feature where I can broadcast a message to the speakers from downstairs, usually telling my kids to come down for dinner. They are therefore great from a practical point of view, but my kids love them for a whole host of different reasons to me.
Check out the Amazon Echo Dot Kids deal on Amazon
They will ask Alexa for fun facts and get Alexa to play their favourite songs, which mainly consist of Katy Perry's Roar and Dizzee Rascal's Bonkers. Don't ask me why, I have absolutely no idea, but it's cute watching them jump around like they are in a mosh pit. They also ask Alexa for an extra bedtime story and turn their smart night lights on or off.
The Echo Dot Kids includes a year of Amazon Kids+ content, which is a digital subscription that normally costs £4.99 a month. It's designed for children between the ages of 3-12 and it's packed with educational content, child-friendly audiobooks, interactive games and educational Alexa skills.
The Alexa version on board the Echo Dot Kids speakers is child-friendly too and there is a 2-year worry-free guarantee so if this speaker breaks, you can return it and Amazon will replace it for free. Meanwhile, if you're worried about kids using these speakers too much, you can set daily time limits in the Amazon Parent Dashboard, review activities and set volume limits.
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Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She's covered all consumer tech from phones, tablets and wearables to smart home and beauty tech, with everything in between. She has a fashion journalism degree from London College of Fashion and previously did a long stint as deputy editor of Pocket-lint, but you’ll now find her byline on several titles including GQ, the Express, the Mirror, TechRadar, Stuff and iMore. You'll never find her without her Apple Watch on, aiming to complete her rings so she can justify the extra bar of chocolate and she loves a good iPhone trick.
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