Fire for young kids? (maybe three?)

mikel12323 · 09-30-2011, 12:03 PM

I saw the other thread on Kid's using Kindles but I wanted to concentrate on small kids and the Fire.

If they really come up with a thousand titles, in color, and some animated it seems like the Fire could be the perfect device for the 3+ crowd. Maybe even younger.

I am a grandparent and not a parent, but I was a parent once so I know a little bit about kids reading and being read to. I would much rather see a kid with a book than a TV.

Having said that the content will apparently be there and should be easy enough for kids to handle. In fact many of them will find features that we won't.

In any case I am wondering about how to protect the unit. They are not exactly kid-proof. I guess there are plastic shock-absorbent cases to help a bit. I wonder if a wrist-band or other "leash" might be appropriate.

What do you guys think? I know we don't talk about kids much on these boards, but I am sure there are lots of parents and grandparents lurking about.

Is this a great opportunity, or not?

RainingLemur · 09-30-2011, 12:16 PM

I can't say that I'd recommend getting a Fire for a 3-year-old. I'd probably swing one of those cheap Android tablet (maybe a Pandigital Novel, or something), kill some settings on it to make it severely gimped, and load the books and such on there for them. That way, rather than watch them destroy a $200~ piece of tech, they're just demolishing an $80~ piece of tech.

But, that's just me.

techiegirl · 09-30-2011, 12:23 PM

For a 3 year old, I would suggest a LeapFrog or other beginner reader/read to me things. I have an 8 and 10 year old and I still can't get them to use an e-reader. They are both very computer savvy and avid readers, but they will both still rather pick up a real book than an e-book.

SCION · 09-30-2011, 01:17 PM

If you're set on buying one, this looks like a great case:

http://www.amazon.com/Marware-MicroS...SG3TC/ref=_1_6

Blog Kindle · 09-30-2011, 01:57 PM

My daughter loves Nook Color and iPad. She's been using them since she was 4. Our friend's kid who is 1.5 plays with iPad just fine. Since there are no moving parts and the drop height is naturally limited there is little chance of breaking.

As far as Kindle Fire is concerned it will really depend on whether there will be enough interesting content for kids there. My daughter loves using reading/math tutor apps on iPad and playing pottery game. She also loves reading Kid's books on Nook Color.

If Amazon will offer similar books they Kids will love Kindle Fire

odiakkoh · 09-30-2011, 02:01 PM

Lol and here i thought my son was getting spoiled with an old desktop we had lying around.

Jowi · 09-30-2011, 02:37 PM

I have an iPad and a 3-year-old. She has to be sitting down on the chair to play with it or at the table. She's not allowed to just run around the house with it - so I don't think the case is really such a huge deal for that reason. I just have a leather case that folds so it's also a stand. A 'leash' for a device wouldn't be necessary if you don't allow them to run around with it, which really (IMO) isn't the best idea if you don't want it broken.

I'm ordering a Fire and it will be the same rule - she can play with it, but when she plays with it, she has to sit down and play with it, then it gets put away.

Barty · 09-30-2011, 03:25 PM

My very hyper not quite 3 yo nephew has played with the much bigger, heavier, and more expensive iPad 1 (and now iPad 2) for a year without incident, both by himself and with supervision. The iPads have case with cover. (lots of handiwipes required, however)

The bigger concern is whether the fire has enough apps suitable for a toddler.

Belle2Be · 10-01-2011, 12:30 AM

My 3 1/2 year old plays with her "nookbook" which is the Nook Color. She plays on the drawing apps and angry birds and a few others I loaded up, and has her "read to me" books she gets to and "reads". She uses it more than I do, really.
I would wait and find out for sure what apps are available on the Fire and what if any they cost.
And make sure nothing on there is linked to your credit card

Spacejock · 10-01-2011, 12:46 AM

This is the sort of device where you'd hand over an older one when you upgrade - just like a laptop or a cell phone. If it gets broken it's a pity, but not a major loss.

monkeyluis · 10-01-2011, 11:21 AM

My daughter has been using an iPad since she was 3. My 8 yr old son as well has been using it since release. They love all the interactive apps & games. So I see no reason why you shouldn't get a kindle fire for a 3 yr old. I use to superrvise them quite heavily, but they are pretty good with it & I no longer monitor them. They know now to sit with them as they do what they do. I think these are great tools that we should encourage & expose our kids too because it is the future. They'll be using technology in school, you want them to be ahead of the curve & learn now. I just ordered my son a Dell Netbook so I can teach him how to use a computer better & his school uses a few different sites for classwork.

NickyWithNook · 10-01-2011, 03:53 PM

My 2-year-old and 9-year-old both handle my iPad without any problems at all. Kids can handle tablets.

Nyssa · 10-01-2011, 04:49 PM

My 4 year old niece and 8 year old nephew have been using their mom's iPad for a least a year now, if not 2. They are both pretty good about staying in one spot without much coaxing.

My children are 8, 8, and 11. They have all had an opportunity to play with the iPad, but are fine with their computers. Interestingly, my daughter (one of the 8 year olds) has just asked for a Kindle. Neither of the boys are that interested, preferring paper books instead.

SamuraiXSendai · 10-05-2011, 06:59 PM

My grandson has used the iPad since he was about a year old. He is 22 months now and knows how to create folders, delete apps. This is the first iPad which is built a bit heavier than the 2. Leapfrog would be a joke for him. Says more about the iPad's intuitive interface than about a particular childs ability to use it. I really doubt the Fire will have the ecosystem necessary to keep a small child occupied, at least at the beginning and will it be heavy duty enough to survive multiple drops?

KindleFireReview · 10-08-2011, 05:23 PM

I witness my nephew, who is 4 years old, playing Angry Birds on an iPad and he is very careful to respect the machine. It seems the Kindle Fire would work the same way for reading. I believe it really depends on the child and how developed they are, both their motor skills and physical composure. If they are fairly rambunctious and break everything they can get their hands on, I'd pass.

09-30-2011, 12:03 PM	#1
mikel12323 Howdy-Mike! Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Houston, Texas, USA Device: kindle	Fire for young kids? (maybe three?) I saw the other thread on Kid's using Kindles but I wanted to concentrate on small kids and the Fire. If they really come up with a thousand titles, in color, and some animated it seems like the Fire could be the perfect device for the 3+ crowd. Maybe even younger. I am a grandparent and not a parent, but I was a parent once so I know a little bit about kids reading and being read to. I would much rather see a kid with a book than a TV. Having said that the content will apparently be there and should be easy enough for kids to handle. In fact many of them will find features that we won't. In any case I am wondering about how to protect the unit. They are not exactly kid-proof. I guess there are plastic shock-absorbent cases to help a bit. I wonder if a wrist-band or other "leash" might be appropriate. What do you guys think? I know we don't talk about kids much on these boards, but I am sure there are lots of parents and grandparents lurking about. Is this a great opportunity, or not?

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09-30-2011, 12:16 PM	#2
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	I can't say that I'd recommend getting a Fire for a 3-year-old. I'd probably swing one of those cheap Android tablet (maybe a Pandigital Novel, or something), kill some settings on it to make it severely gimped, and load the books and such on there for them. That way, rather than watch them destroy a $200~ piece of tech, they're just demolishing an $80~ piece of tech. But, that's just me.

09-30-2011, 12:23 PM	#3
techiegirl Groupie Posts: 169 Karma: 1014914 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle Voyage, iPad Mini, iPhone 6+	For a 3 year old, I would suggest a LeapFrog or other beginner reader/read to me things. I have an 8 and 10 year old and I still can't get them to use an e-reader. They are both very computer savvy and avid readers, but they will both still rather pick up a real book than an e-book.

09-30-2011, 01:17 PM	#4
SCION Séduisant Posts: 4,706 Karma: 2107018 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Texas, USA Device: Boox Note Air2+; Kobo Libra2; Kindle Scribe, Oasis3; iPad Mini6	If you're set on buying one, this looks like a great case: http://www.amazon.com/Marware-MicroS...SG3TC/ref=_1_6

09-30-2011, 01:57 PM	#5
Blog Kindle Addict Posts: 224 Karma: 25122 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 1/2/3/4/Touch/DX/Fire\|PRS-600/350\|Nook(color)\|iPad\|iPad2\|EVO 4G	My daughter loves Nook Color and iPad. She's been using them since she was 4. Our friend's kid who is 1.5 plays with iPad just fine. Since there are no moving parts and the drop height is naturally limited there is little chance of breaking. As far as Kindle Fire is concerned it will really depend on whether there will be enough interesting content for kids there. My daughter loves using reading/math tutor apps on iPad and playing pottery game. She also loves reading Kid's books on Nook Color. If Amazon will offer similar books they Kids will love Kindle Fire

09-30-2011, 02:01 PM	#6
odiakkoh Guru Posts: 823 Karma: 1818344 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: iPhone 5s	Lol and here i thought my son was getting spoiled with an old desktop we had lying around.

09-30-2011, 02:37 PM	#7
Jowi Connoisseur Posts: 81 Karma: 55274 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: WI Device: iPod Touch 5g, Kindle PW, iPad 3	I have an iPad and a 3-year-old. She has to be sitting down on the chair to play with it or at the table. She's not allowed to just run around the house with it - so I don't think the case is really such a huge deal for that reason. I just have a leather case that folds so it's also a stand. A 'leash' for a device wouldn't be necessary if you don't allow them to run around with it, which really (IMO) isn't the best idea if you don't want it broken. I'm ordering a Fire and it will be the same rule - she can play with it, but when she plays with it, she has to sit down and play with it, then it gets put away.

09-30-2011, 03:25 PM	#8
Barty doofus Posts: 2,520 Karma: 13036221 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	My very hyper not quite 3 yo nephew has played with the much bigger, heavier, and more expensive iPad 1 (and now iPad 2) for a year without incident, both by himself and with supervision. The iPads have case with cover. (lots of handiwipes required, however) The bigger concern is whether the fire has enough apps suitable for a toddler.

10-01-2011, 12:30 AM	#9
Belle2Be Peace, Love, and Books Posts: 355 Karma: 1242738 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kindle 3(3g), NookColor	My 3 1/2 year old plays with her "nookbook" which is the Nook Color. She plays on the drawing apps and angry birds and a few others I loaded up, and has her "read to me" books she gets to and "reads". She uses it more than I do, really. I would wait and find out for sure what apps are available on the Fire and what if any they cost. And make sure nothing on there is linked to your credit card

10-01-2011, 12:46 AM	#10
Spacejock Hal Spacejock & yWriter Posts: 125 Karma: 1100412 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Perth, Western Australia Device: Kindle	This is the sort of device where you'd hand over an older one when you upgrade - just like a laptop or a cell phone. If it gets broken it's a pity, but not a major loss.

10-01-2011, 11:21 AM	#11
monkeyluis Banned Posts: 725 Karma: 656644 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Central Florida Device: iPad "3", Kindle Touch, Kindle Fire, iPhone 4S	My daughter has been using an iPad since she was 3. My 8 yr old son as well has been using it since release. They love all the interactive apps & games. So I see no reason why you shouldn't get a kindle fire for a 3 yr old. I use to superrvise them quite heavily, but they are pretty good with it & I no longer monitor them. They know now to sit with them as they do what they do. I think these are great tools that we should encourage & expose our kids too because it is the future. They'll be using technology in school, you want them to be ahead of the curve & learn now. I just ordered my son a Dell Netbook so I can teach him how to use a computer better & his school uses a few different sites for classwork.

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10-01-2011, 03:53 PM	#12
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 748 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	My 2-year-old and 9-year-old both handle my iPad without any problems at all. Kids can handle tablets.

10-01-2011, 04:49 PM	#13
Nyssa Series Addict Posts: 6,180 Karma: 167189477 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Florida, USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite (2nd Gen)	My 4 year old niece and 8 year old nephew have been using their mom's iPad for a least a year now, if not 2. They are both pretty good about staying in one spot without much coaxing. My children are 8, 8, and 11. They have all had an opportunity to play with the iPad, but are fine with their computers. Interestingly, my daughter (one of the 8 year olds) has just asked for a Kindle. Neither of the boys are that interested, preferring paper books instead.

10-05-2011, 06:59 PM	#14
SamuraiXSendai Addict Posts: 229 Karma: 1234 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Earth Device: Kindle 1. Kindle 2. IPAD. KDXG. Kindle 3.Fire	My grandson has used the iPad since he was about a year old. He is 22 months now and knows how to create folders, delete apps. This is the first iPad which is built a bit heavier than the 2. Leapfrog would be a joke for him. Says more about the iPad's intuitive interface than about a particular childs ability to use it. I really doubt the Fire will have the ecosystem necessary to keep a small child occupied, at least at the beginning and will it be heavy duty enough to survive multiple drops?

10-08-2011, 05:23 PM	#15
KindleFireReview Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: none	I witness my nephew, who is 4 years old, playing Angry Birds on an iPad and he is very careful to respect the machine. It seems the Kindle Fire would work the same way for reading. I believe it really depends on the child and how developed they are, both their motor skills and physical composure. If they are fairly rambunctious and break everything they can get their hands on, I'd pass.