daughter wants a kindle?

DD told me last night she was thinking of asking for a kindle for Christmas. My first thought was "You've got to be kidding!!" .... She's 7. But I started looking into them a little bit, and now I'm kind of considering it as more of a "family gift", for everyone to share. Here's my thoughts so far:

1. I have an ipad, and the kids are constantly wanting to use it .... but I'm not always comfortable letting them play with such an expensive item

2. The twins are finally reading pretty well, and the kindle library has a ton of free books!

3. Kindles have come down on price a lot

4. Lots of great educational apps

5. Love the idea of the Freetime app, which limits the amount of time kids can spend on it and has parental controls to block certain things


But I'm still not sure if they're too young....what are your thoughts?

 

We just got Kindle's for my twins birthday this past weekend, they turned 8. They have been using mine since I got it a couple Christmases ago so we just got them their own. We do use the Freetime app to limit the content, mostly because their Kindles are on my account so the books I get will show up on theirs too. So I would say she's definitely not too young!

 

I think if she loves to read, I would get her a basic kindle not the kindle fire so the only thing they can do on it is read.
I don't think i would want my girls to have a kindle fire since any book I get (either borrow from the library or buy) would be put on the carousel. The basic kindle you would have to go into the archives to get a book that was not sent to that kindle. Makes it easy to control.
I know that my girls love reading books on my kindle (both the kindle keyboard and the fire) as well as on the ipad. But with the fire and ipad it usually turns into playing apps instead of reading (but i do that on the fire as well unless i'm in the middle of a great book)

 

My daughter won a Kindle Fire from school last year. She was 7. She has read quite a few books on it, but what she uses it for the most is watching Netflix movies and playing games. Most of her reading is still with actual books. I haven't had any trouble controlling what she can and cannot do, the parental controls and passwords are set up so she's fairly limited. Watching Netflix has been a pain to control, though I plan on checking out this free time app mentioned above!

 

Well, apparently the Freetime app isn't free ... it's a monthly subscription. Sorry, amazon, that is pretty stinky of you!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000863021

 

I would reassess at Christmas time. She may find something else catches her interest.

My two are 7.

I would go with the other PP suggestion and get an older model that only has books (black & white). Then it can only be used for reading.

I see a lot of kids being in/out of schools and we know quite a few that have a kindle Fire.....many use it as a mini iPad and not so much for reading.

As far as iPads, computers, etc. Our DDs have access to our family laptop and iPad- but we will not be getting them their own until it is needed for school. DH works in IT field and figures they will learn it with no encouragement, the technology will be different in 3-5 years when they need something for school, and quite frankly we limit screen time to less than 3 hours a week (school year). We will get them technology tools (laptops,e-readers,etc)....but we are not eager to rush it at.all.

My DDs also use a lot of technology in school (Smart Boards) and are learning to type in Media Center/library class.

Our eye Dr also warned against too much screen time being bad for young eyes. He regularly asks at appointments how much screentime they do- not in a bad way, but in 'kids need to practice far and near vision daily.' way.

At 7, I would prefer DDs use paper books.

I have a older Kindle and do use it for reading only. I find that I like it when we travel and for Dr. waits but generally read paper books. I know that if I had a Kindle Fire, it would be hard to just put it away. I will say though there are a TON of free books....only a few are good quality (adults and kids).

Paper Books of all kinds are free through local libraries. ^_^

Maybe consider an IPAD or IPAD mini as a family gift. We use educational apps on it, do some school research, look up things, and it is only used in common areas (so we can see what they are doing) and it is 'family' use. They dont get posessive about it like they would if it was 'theirs'. Also the screen on the Ipad is MUCH easier to navigate,read,see, etc for small hands and/or for two kids to look at something at once.

 

KC Michigan - that's a good point about the technology changing in a few years. I actually already have an ipad, and all the kids love to play on it. But I don't always want them playing on such an expensive item. Plus, there's 5 of us in the family & although they're pretty good about sharing (we set a timer) sometimes it doesn't always work out so well.

 

My 3 kids share a kindle fire HD. The free time app is free. The free time unlimited is a monthly subscription. They each have their own profile and you can set time limits for reading/apps/games. They do use it to read and also use it for netflix or games. They can borrow books from our library on it, too. They are 6 and 8. They love having it and I love that I don't have to share mine anymore.

 

I bought a second kindle fire for my kids to share this past christmas. My oldest uses it for his book reports (I had to do 6 this spring), and they use it for games and netflix as well. I'm not ready for them to have their own, but I am considering getting a second one for them to share. I have one myself too, and so right now we share the 2 of them most of the time.

Lately DH has been using my fire, and killing my battery, I'm considering getting him his own too! LOL

 

I wouldn't let kids read on a kindle fire honestly. It's so much better for them to read from a book or regular kindle.

 

I had a kindle fire and adored it- I never bought a book but downloaded a TON of books through my local library. It was great as when it was due it automatically disappeared and I never got late fees.

To the OP, I'm not a huge fan of buying young kids their own electronics like a Kindle Fire. I like family gifts for situations like that.

 

My kids are 9 and we just got a Kindle Fire for a family "toy". This is the first thing we have with a touchscreen (no ipad, ipod, iphones).

We bought it more for being a toy. Especially since we will be traveling on some long trips this summer and I wanted something to occupy them that takes up minimal space. My kids greatly prefer real books to ereaders. (My parents gave us a black and white kindle with a keypad.) We do have a few of their books on there for waiting rooms and such. But the fire is truly a toy. We've put some game apps on there. I was a meanie and put a multiplication app on there they must do first before they can do the games.

Our rule is that the kids aren't allowed to have anything with an internet connection. They can use my laptop in the kitchen if they want to be online. They can play the kindle, but it's the family's and at night it goes on the charger downstairs.

I limit screentime. I also limit internet access. But I also trying to balance that with trips and traveling and also having to sit at their sibling's practices or games.

Marissa

 

I would buy my kids a regular kindle in a heart beat. A kindle fire is esstentially a small tablet. I don't think they need a tablet yet and I'm not sure they'd take good care of it. (But I realize your kids might take great care of something like that.)

I'm not convienced that its a good idea to read extensively on a screen like the Kindle fire has. And e-ink screen seems like a much much better option.

 

It is funny--- in one state we lived in, downloading ebooks from library was easy peasy and I loved it for the same reasons! No late fees!

Our current local library is a pain to download ebooks. They have wait lists for everything and nothing I want is available. I waited 6 months for a new release and then gave up on an e-copy and and got the paper copy!


The Amazon 'free' books vary. I have read some GREAT books and found new authors that way, but also about 75% of the free books I download I dont end up finishing because they are poorly written, I dont like them, or just not my style....maybe I am a fussy reader! Haha!

 

My boys are 11 and still have their simple touch nooks--same as a basic kindle. They can take them to school. They like them because they always have a book. They do read plenty of "real" books, but many times Marcus will read the first book in a series, and can't wait for me to get to the bookstore for the next one, so he can download it--also the e-books are cheaper than hard copies The just got a tablet this past Christmas to share at age 10.5. They use it to read as well, but are not allowed to take it to school.

 

I bought my girls AN ipad to share for Christmas and they are doing fairly well. We don't have Internet so they can only read what I've downloaded or play games. We don't have an issues with over play but occasionally. They also have a 3ds that they share.

 

The girls is a ipad mini. I actually bought myself one after that. It's the perfect weight and size IMO.

 

my IL's bought each of the kids Kindle Fires last year for their 6th birthday...they use it to play games mostly and my daughter recently figured out how to find Kim Possible on You Tube...

they read plenty of regular books and we've downloaded a few books - but it really is more of a toy than anything else...

 

my 8 year old has a kindle fire. You can run the kindle free time app without a subscription but it limits it to content you own. The paid app has content you can subscribe to. I set up DS's kindle with free time and loaded the books and apps he is allowed to view. He reads e-books and regular books interchangeably. We do a mix of books from the library and from amazon. He also plays games on the fire and when he wants some alone time, I download a prime kids movie for him to watch. He is also very good about following the rules we've set up (the kindle stays in the house, unless we are going on a car trip). He is also good about handing it over when I say time is up.

 

Both of my girls got Kindle Fires for Christmas when they were 5, so I don't think they are too young. Those are very well-used gifts, for many purposes.

 

I don't have a tablet--they just don't interest me--but I do have the basic Kindle. I'd let mine have a Kindle (they are 10.5). Kindles aren't so expensive I couldn't consider it, and without internet, there's nothing to worry about. At this point, I would not let them take them to school, because I've seen how they treat their backpacks, but they'd be great for car trips. I limit screen time (both TV & computer, and mine do not have their own computers), but my Kindle is not like a screen. It just weighs (at 6 oz) so much less than a real book in my purse.

 

I'm a Scrooge. I can't imagine buying a young child such an expensive toy. There are hundreds if not thousands of free "apps" outside in the backyard, playground and park. There is much more to be learned by turning off the device and using imagination.
We struggle with limiting screen time, with just a Netflix subscription and limited access to a laptop. I can't imagine adding another screen option on top of that.

 

In our case it's in place of laptop not in addition to

 

Not all Kindles are "toys." If you buy a basic black and white one, it's just another way to read a book, which is a great way for kids to spend free time.

 

I think it's like anything, you set your limits and stick to them with your kids' individual quirks in mind. My kids like screens, but would generally rather be outside. During the coldest part of the year, hottest, and car trips, it's nice to have other options. I've noticed now that we have the kindle fire, the kids aren't playing the wii or their ds's very much. They aren't watching netflix at all or asking to play the laptop at all. It goes in cycles as to what they play. Right now they have about an hour of screen time a day which is broken up into smaller chunks.

And yes, there are free "apps" outside. We take advantage of those quite a bit. But I believe that things are what you make of them. The kids and I have had some interesting discussions about physics while figuring out "Angry Birds". The kids are discussing architecture and strategies while trying to build traps on Minecraft. The kids have a multiplication app that they have to practice for 10 mins first (it's like flash cards) before they can play anything else. My not-so-great speller is now trying hard to learn how to spell better for the "Wheel Of Fortune" app.

I think it's all in what you make of it.

Marissa

 

I am kind of with Cathy, while my kids do have Nook's--the book only kind, and a table to share, they got the Nook's in 4th grade when they started reading books over 400 pages, and the nook is easier on their backs. They just got the tablet this year. If you get a Kindle Fire for her at age 7, what are you going to get her at age 10? Just because they want something, doesn't mean they have to get it. My son wants a 3DS, and he will never get one--he has enough eye problems as it is. We were the last one to get a Wii, xBox, and pretty much everything else. They were one of the first to get a WiiU, but that is because they paid for it themselves.

 

Sharon, you couldn't possibly be the last ones to get a Wii, xBox, etc. Seeing as there are hundreds of thousands of us out there without one. :ibiggrin:


BTW, I'd get the Kid a Wii before a Kindle Fire because it's active and it's something for the family to do together. The size of the Fire, makes it something for people to use on their own.

 

LOL, I guess I should caveat that with "among their friends". Right now, they are, according to them "the only kids who don't have cell phones." I know that is not true, but most of their grade mates have cell phones already, and some smart phones--when they get them, it will only have calling and texting

 

The girls have a Nook and have had one for about 2 years (they are 10) they are just for reading. They have had a itouch ipod since they were 7 too. The only mishap they have had is a broken ipod screen and Apple actually fixed it, which I heard is rare.

I see nothing wrong with an electronic item like a Kindle or Ipod as long as they can take care of them. The screens however are so fragile so make sure you get a good case.

 

I thought of this thread today. My kids were bugging me to use my laptop. Why? So they could look at origami and get directions for how to make different things.

I think it's all in how you use technology.

Marissa

 

I agree; my boys play with the iPad a lot. They love puzzles, and they play thousands of puzzle games on there which is better than having a thousand puzzles at home to sort out! They've also learned to write their letters and they got really good about learning their colours etc with certain games. I think the interactive/thinking part of it makes it a better distraction tool than the TV. I am also heavily in favour of getting them outside to see things and/or get them to help me with whatever I am doing, but that's just not always possible.