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Ereaders for kids?
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Posted by Sue Landsman on Jun.01, 2010
ⓒ iStockPhoto - michael1959
I’ve got a problem: my kids read too much. Even my seven-year old will finish a 500-page book in a day or two, and we’ve traded in our library bag for two baskets so that we can cart home tens of books at a time from the library. That doesn’t seem like a problem, but here’s the rub - we’re going to India soon, and I really didn’t feel like bringing fifty pounds of books for them to read. I’ve got a Kindle, and I love it. There must be an e-reader out there I can get my kids, I thought. Why not?
But if you’re a parent looking to save a few trees by buying digital books, or to save your own sanity by not having a car full of books, you don’t have many choices. The field of e-readers is still fairly small, and it’s clear that children are not a big target market yet. There are still a number of choices though, and you can break down your options by considering a few basic considerations:
Price: Most e-readers these days are just not built to be manhandled or dropped. You may love your Kindle, but the thought of your child breaking a $250 piece of electronics may give you pause. Other e-readers that are coming down in price or emerging on the market might be cheap enough that you won’t have a heart attack if you have to replace them, or add on the expense of a service/replacement package. The other big consideration is how many kids you have. If I had one, I’d probably just hope for the best and buy him a Kindle. There’s no way I’m buying three.
Connectivity: I really enjoy being able to connect directly to the Amazon store to purchase books on my Kindle, but I really don’t need my three kids to be able to do that just yet. What can be a “lack” of a feature in a reader for an adult is actually a benefit for a parent who wants their child to be able to have an e-reader but not to be able to charge their own book choices on Mom’s credit card. Many “connected” readers also connect to the web, and that may not be something you want your kids to be able to do from a device they can carry around with them and use unsupervised. All readers will plug into your computer and allow you to download books to them via the USB connection. This is a great way to maintain control of what your kids are reading, at least when it’s on your own dime.
Looks: When you’re buying something for your child, it really does matter whether they love it or not. If they don’t like it, they won’t use it. While there are a few relatively cheap e-readers coming out in the near future, there are likely not any nice cases or skins available for them yet. It may be worth buying something that’s been available for a while just so you can customize it to meet your child’s tastes.
Platform: Sometimes when a product is made for kids it means it’s designed for a child’s size and developmental needs and fills a niche that comparable adult products cannot satisfy. Sometimes the product appeals to adults, too, but may be somewhat misguided for both children and adults. Nintendo is coming out with a double-screen DS that many people are claiming will “encourage children to read.” It functions as a gaming device, but can also be an e-reader if you plug in the “100 classics” cartridge. I don’t know about anyone else, but if I want my kids to read a book, the last thing I want to do is hand them a Nintendo DS.
Not many kids have e-readers yet, but if you travel a lot or get tired of your kids forgetting to bring a book in the car, they’re a tempting idea. Taking into account the above considerations will help you narrow down your choices. And don’t forget to get yourself one while you’re at it!
Posted under Family, GDM Kids, Tweens, Teens.
Article By: Sue Landsman
Profile: “I am a freelance writer with a background in science and technical writing. I currently enjoy writing about parenting and education with the occasional extremely short story thrown in. Or not. “
Website: http://neverwearyourpetsonyourhead.blogspot.com
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June 1st, 2010 on 8:14 pm
Hi, I run a blog all about eReaders and allied subjects and in the course of my wanderings around the net looking for ideas, I came across your post, and it struck a chord with me, as I have given a lot of thought to kids and eReaders - mostly from the point of view of schooling rather than pure entertainment - and I feel that you have made some very good points in your post here.
Thus, my question to you is, may I reprint your post on my blog please? With all the normal attributions and links of course.
As I am taking a short holiday at the end of this week, I wont be able to access the internet (bliss!) between 4th June - 14th June, but if you are agreeable, let me know via email and I shall post it as soon as I get back from my break.
Your kids sound splendid! A 500 page book consumed in a matter of days…. wonderful.
Best wishes,
Tony
June 1st, 2010 on 9:36 pm
Hey HUN!
So my solution to this VERY problem was a netbook. LIKE A LAPTOP you need wifi to get online. And I can totally control the gaming, buyin stuff and surfing the net with a netbook. Just disable the wifi under the admin screen and create a new account for the child. They have to come to you to have you turn it on. I’ll allow her to be more responsible after she turns 13. I also got to pick the ereader/s I wanted my daughter to have. Adobe was a must cause there are a ton of FREE ebooks out there in PDF form! I chose a disney netbook with strong parental controls! I also got an $20 usb Hard drive to add books on from my tablet and give to her. She is only 11 but the great thing about disney they go up into the 18-21 age group. SERIOUSLY there are somethings I want on my tablet that is on her netbook. *I’m way over the 18-21 age group* They have both a girls and boys version! The best part is ……ITS STILL a laptop and was under $250! It is fully functional as a laptop!!! Its only about 8 inches so its super light weight! I’m truly happy with my choice! She LOVES IT!
September 8th, 2010 on 5:00 pm
My son is a lot like your’s and reading is his life. In fact, he’s taken it up a notch and is now doing his own reviews so he can help other kids find new authors & genres they wouldn’t have otherwise tried. He’ll shove 3 thick books in his backpack and carry 2 more…and that’s just to go to school. When he needed more luggage room for his books than he did for his ds, games, clothes, etc when he went with his Grandma & Grandpa for vacation this summer, I decided enough was enough. I allowed him 2 regular books and gave him the 100 classics cartridge for the DSi & you know what? It was GREAT!!
My son is 11 and has had a handheld game device since he was old enough to read. I know what he can take care of. I’m not quite ready to invest a lot of money in an e-reader yet because it IS so hard to find one that he will enjoy. He would have no problem leaving his ds at home, but there are things he wants to have in an e-reader. He wants to be able to put music on it or audio books. He wants to be able to put pictures on it. (He once saw one that offered both of these features.) He would love to be able to “share” books with others, so that he can explore an author’s writing style before making a major investment. (He knows the value of both time and money, I make him buy his own books a lot of times.) He also wants one that can support a variety of e-book formats.
Connectability…well, that’s a gray area for us. There’s already so many cords at our house, I don’t like the idea of having to keep track of more. Also, I know that with my children, he can absolutely be trusted. His sister can’t.
Anyway, he’s asked for one for a few years now & frankly I can’t really find one I feel is both kid and budget friendly. I was hoping that they would do more with the DSi, but it doesn’t really look like it is expanding much in that direction. Which is actually really sad.
Good luck and let me know if you find something.