There are numerous spy toys for children which make for and enhanced playing experience. They add a creative dimension to play and make the child feel good as well, having an advantage over playmates that do not have the gadgets.

The Nightspyer is a device that allows the child to see in the dark. No, it does not have infrared vision, but focuses a red tinted LED beam which illuminates an area of up to 25 feet. It has a 2X telescopic lens. Judging from the reviews, most children love this nifty little gadget which helps them in their pretend play.

Another interesting gadget is the Spy Decoy Listener. It looks like a small flip phone and you simply hold it to your ear, pretending to have a conversation. Actually it features a powerful directional microphone which amplifies sound, so you can hear conversations you are not meant to hear.

If anybody approaches you, you can pretend to end the call and a timer button on it will ring in 10 seconds as if it is a real phone. Then you have an excuse to answer your ‘phone’ and go back to your listening, having an excuse to move away as well.

Youngsters are known for being technologically more in sync with the times and the spy video trakr is an application enabled toy which has been made keeping this in mind. The Spy Video TRAKR is in the form of a remote controlled vehicle, that digitally transmits color video, audio and data and allows users to create, download and share custom programs.

It comes with three pre-installed apps so can be used immediately. More free apps will be available for download. The kids can then customise them and share them with others. All the programs and codes needed for this process will be available for free download.

The customised applications can then easily shared with others. It is the hope of the manufacturers that kids will come up with innovative ideas and programs. The Spy Video TRAKR will also fire their imaginations and unleash their creativity.

This gadget already comes with night vision and motion sensor. So the person using the Spy Video TRAKR will be able to see anything in the vehicle’s path on the screen which is in the remote. It will also be using motion sensing technology and be able to capture pictures if anybody comes in its path, if some applications for this are downloaded.

With an LCD screen, mike and speakers and SD card slot, this is an advanced, first of its kind product for kids eight and up.

The spy periscope goes into your pocket, looking like a largish pen, but when extended, it becomes a long periscope for your viewing pleasure. You can view objects or sights within a certain viewing field. So you can view things which are far away as well as things which require magnification.

Whether you are bird watching or looking into your neighbours or checking out the terrain, this is a handy little gadget to have. A great toy for youngsters, who can check out hiding places of friends or enemies; this pocket spy scope also makes a good gift. Whether you are playing spy games or just hide and seek, you cannot be without the pocket spy scope.

It features an 8 x telescope, a 30 x microscope and it is 12 cm. long. The pen is 9.5 gm. so it is small enough to go innocuously into your pocket. And yet it gives a clear picture of things which are close and far.

Altough it is technically not a children’s spy gear, it can be used as such and have some fun with it in the process.

This little device is not for parents to monitor their children, but for children to check up on their parents or other siblings! Surprised? It is actually a toy gadget which parents may pick up for their kids and, judging by reviews, children really enjoy having this one around.

It works with a card key access and a time stamp which will tell the time a person has broken in. There are two card keys and if the person does not insert the card into the device which ought to be attached to the door, then the alarm will sound and the time will be stamped.

If a kid wants his privacy, he can use the spy alarm in his room. If he wants to check up if his parents are sneaking out, he can even attach it to the main door (though I am sure parents would not be happy with this and maybe even not permit it). However, if the whole family is going out, this device can be attached to the main door and you will know if there has been a break-in.

This seems to be one of the better and more practical spy gadget for kids.

In most cases night vision goggles for children do not use real night vision technology. They are usually powered by a torch perched on the top of the set, but this one tries to mimic real ones. These can be used to play hide and seek or any other thrilling outdoor adventure game.

These night vision stealth goggles work on infra red technology to give you clear night vision. They work on five AA batteries which go in the battery pack which at the back of the headset. They come with a hinged flip up eye-piece which can be flipped upwards so that the eyes can see normally. If small children are using this device as part of adventure games, make sure they are under supervision because these goggles reduce peripheral vision and the display screen is small; children can trip over objects they can’t see as a result.

The headpiece is durable as it is made of plastic and the straps across the sides and top make them easier to wear and fit. They make the wearer look like a spaceman, so add to the thrill. The person who wears these goggles can see up to 50 feet in the dark.

Though these EyeClops night vision goggles are meant for kids as a toy, there is no restriction to their usage by adults. If you want to check out anything or anyone or any place in the darkness without being seen, you can do so.

There are now many spy toys available for the kids that imitate real spy gadgets. Although, as expeteced, they have obvious limitations compared to real versions, nevertheless, there is plenty of fun children can have with these toys as some of them are really good imitations.

Spy Gear has an assortment of spy toys for the kids. Some are pretty good while others may not evoke much interest. Below are a few I thought were pretty cool that kids might enjoy.

This device, satellite listener, is a sound amplifier that can be used to hear sounds up to 30 feet away, operating on a single 9V battery. It could be used to listen in to conversations friends are having without them being wise to the fact that someone is actually eavesdropping on them.

Knowing kids are very defensive about who and when people enter their rooms, this door alarm kit can be mounted on to a door that will trigger an alarm anytime someone enters the room. It will also record the time of entrance too. Just make sure the device is mounted inside the room at the bottom of the door so it does not catch the eye.

Here is a really cool looking pair of night vision glasses. The glasses utilise LED lights to light up the trajectory viewed through the goggles.

This pen is a take on the invisible ink pens. It writes in invisible ink that can only be seen when the UV light is shone on the paper. Its great for sending secret messages to friends or keeping important notes that their friends cannot see.

Here is another post featuring some other cool spy toys the blog featured a while back.

Many radio controlled cars with spy functionalities such as listening devices and cameras have tended to be slightly disappointing either because of their limited capabilities or the vehicle itself is too primitive looking, probably because they mostly tended to be designed for children. Not all adults would be too keen being seen at the controls of one of those. However, this, on the other hand, is a car that looks like it was designed for the family and would not look out of place in the hands of an adult.

This car, from NitroTek, comes with a colour video camera; the well-sized controller has the transmitter and is also fitted with an impressive looking 1.5 inch display monitor fitted in between the joysticks on either side for viewing. You can even tilt the camera up and down with the controller to get a more desired view of what you are watching. The camera only provides live video and does not record, however.

Another nice little feature of the camera is it incorporates infrared night vision allowing you to carry on with covert missions late into the night, adding an extra dimension to the fun you could have with this.

Demonstration of the Car in Action

Looking at the video of the car in action, it seems the video captured by the car is of good quality without being crystal clear. But being priced at £104.99 inclusive of VAT, and a good radio controlled car in its own right, there are not too many complaints.

One further advantage with this particular car is that it also features audio. The car also has a built in microphone that picks up sounds to wherever its driven or hidden. So if you like the idea of listening to what your friends might be saying you can pick up on their conversation as long as the car is within a 60 metre range from the receiver (the controller). Just don’t let them know what this car is capable of and they should not be any the wiser.

The car reminds me a little of a show called Robot Wars because it is a sturdy looking vehicle that looks like it was designed to withstand a few hits and bumps.

The only drawback is that the camera does not have recording functionality and the screen size could have been slightly bigger.

Metal detectors are a good way to develop a child’s curious mind, not to mention providing hours of fun in the backyard, the park, the beach or any other dry patch of land on hot summer days.

A lot of children like to play detectives and metal detectors can satisfy this need adequately.

This metal detector is designed for children and works by making a sound when it senses there is a piece of metal under it. Unfortunately this does not provide some of the specs we would expect form a standard or a professional metal detector that have sensors to discriminate between different types of metal and some other advanced features, which is quite understandable considering the price and less need for sophistication as its for children.

One idea would be to see how many metallic objects they can find on a day and try and improve on it on subsequent days, or seeing if they can find hidden metals by devising a hide-and-seek game but only this time with metals. These are a couple of ways of injecting more fun into their search.

According to seller’s instructions, it is able to detect metals of all size, but the truth is a lot of metal detectors for children do not do a very good job and miss a lot of objects, especially those that are pretty small in diameter such as a nail. If you are therefore buying one for an older kid you may wish to consider a standard metal detector and not one designed for children. I would therefore only recommend this product for a child aged under 8 or so.

My understanding is that this only detects along the ground rather than under it. If this is the case, I guess children would be able to use their eyes for some of the detection and do not need torely on the detector at all times. This is one big negative. Detectors should be able to detect under ground even if only a few milimetres deep.

Another option to add an added dimension of fun to the proceedings would be to be use a metal detector that also doubles up as a radio-controlled car. This looks like any other radio controlled car but is fitted with a metal detector at the bottom.

It works by making a sound and flashing lights anytime it is driven over any metallic object. Unfortunately there is no information as to how deep it is able to detect which is a slight problem because some toy metal detectors merely detect metals that are lying on the ground and not under it. I suspect it is able to detect metals of all kinds, although, again, there is no sensor to distinguish the type of metal.

Kids will love the spy video car and even some adults might like some of its features, too. The unique new feature of this spy video car is the video camera with infrared night vision. This enables you to spy in the dark. This is a great feature as anyone would notice a remote car coming up to them in broad daylight, however, at night the remote spy car can easily hide just a few feet away in darkness but with the ability to send video back to you.

Consider the fact that you can send the remote car into another room or up into the bushes outside to receive images of whomever you wish. The video will be sent back to you where you can view it on a clear LCD screen. A very lightweight headset holds the screen that only covers one eye so no one else will be able to view what you are seeing.

You will have the ability to manoeuvre the remote car yourself so you will know exactly where you are going as you watch the view on the screen. No one will be wise to this night vision remote control spy camera. You will be able to view anything that is no more than 75 feet away. That’s a fairly good distance as toy remote control cars go.

On the other hand, if you are spying on your parents they might just be wiser than you are and tell you it is past your bedtime. It is best to stick with spying on siblings unless they know your remote car is a spy camera.

The best thing would have been to do is to make the car completely black rather have a strip of red going across the body of the vehicle, then it would be completely invisible in the dark.

For me, this is one of the best spy gadgets around for children. Its not exactly cheap, however, but considering radio controlled car market is fairly big and there are cars costing hundreds of pounds, parents might consider this a really good alternative, one that will bring a lot of joy to kids and great for the budding spy to learn a trick or two. You can find more information on this radio-controlled spy car at Primall.com

This blog hasn’t really given much coverage for all budding spies out there, but knowing there is a big market for spy gear covering this age group, there is a sense that there should be a category to reflect this hence there will now be a new category: Children’s Spy Gear.

Wild Planet, a toy company based in San Francisco, have quite an extensive range of spy toys available on the market. Part of this spy toy range are the Wild Planet Spy Gear Spy Vision Goggles. These cool looking goggles were the recipient of the Parenting Magazine Toy of the Year Award and are well worth a look if you have a budding spy in your family.

These impact resistant goggles feature plastic, green lenses which certainly bear a good resemblance to the night vision goggles commonly seen in spy and war movies. The most important purpose these lenses serve though are looking cool and don’t actually improve night time vision. Two small light bulbs on either side of the goggles flip out when needed to provide illumination and are claimed by the manufacturer to allow the wearer to see up to 25 feet in the dark.

The Spy Vision Goggles are durably constructed and comfortable to wear thanks to the adjustable and padded head straps. At the back of the head straps there is a very high-tech looking pack which actually just holds the four AAA batteries required to power the toy. Nevertheless this attention to detail is important and the entire product seems well thought out and designed.

Overall the Wild Planet Spy Gear Spy Vision Goggles would be fantastic for creative, imaginative play. Any daring spy who wears these goggles on their secret mission will probably need to rely largely on their imagination though, rather than the goggles themselves, to provide any significant improvement to their night vision. For most junior spies this probably isn’t a concern though.

To be honest though, these goggles will be more suited to the younger children as older kids are either likely to reject them as not being real or will grow out of them very quickly.