eReaders for Children this Holiday Season

tubemonkey · 12-08-2012, 05:08 PM

Anyone planning on giving a child an ereader this holiday season?

For Christmas, I'm giving my 4-yo grandson a Kindle Fire 2, a Gumdrop case, and a subscription to Kindle FreeTime Unlimited. I think it's the best combination of size, price, content, and ruggedness for a child his age. Amazon hit a home run with FreeTime Unlimited and the books alone make it an excellent value.

odiakkoh · 12-08-2012, 07:17 PM

O.o I didn't realize you were old enough for grandchildren. I always imagined you in your 20s for some reason lol.

No ereaders for the kids this year, older one still prefers picture books. Maybe next year.

shakeitsalome · 12-08-2012, 07:25 PM

My 8 year old is getting one. At first she wanted a Fire but after researching it she decided on the basic no-frills Kindle 4. She's a voracious reader so I'm certain she'll use it a lot. I haven't chosen a cover/case for it yet. When she turns it on the first time she'll find it pre-loaded with books she hasn't read as well as a few favorites.

I think I'm a little bit too excited about seeing her face when she opens it. Wait, nevermind, I'm not.

xendula · 12-09-2012, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odiakkoh

O.o I didn't realize you were old enough for grandchildren. I always imagined you in your 20s for some reason lol.

Same here. I almost fell off my couch when he said GRANDson!!

Verymaturemonkey, this sounds like an awesome combination. You even thought of the case!!

Not really an ereader, but my 9 yo nephew is getting a 5th gen iPod touch, and I'll load the English Potter audio books on it, as well as the German equivalent of Overdrive that works with his home town's library.

tubemonkey · 12-09-2012, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odiakkoh

O.o I didn't realize you were old enough for grandchildren. I always imagined you in your 20s for some reason lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xendula

Same here. I almost fell off my couch when he said GRANDson!!

What can I say? I don't act my age. Even though I'm ancient, I still feel and act young.

tubemonkey · 12-09-2012, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shakeitsalome

My 8 year old is getting one. At first she wanted a Fire but after researching it she decided on the basic no-frills Kindle 4. She's a voracious reader so I'm certain she'll use it a lot. I haven't chosen a cover/case for it yet. When she turns it on the first time she'll find it pre-loaded with books she hasn't read as well as a few favorites.

Excellent choice on her part.

I have last year's version and love it. It's my favorite ereader.

Does your library have ebooks? If so, considering setting up an online account for your daughter so she can check them out. It's easy to do and would be another Christmas surprise for her.

tubemonkey · 12-09-2012, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xendula

Not really an ereader, but my 9 yo nephew is getting a 5th gen iPod touch, and I'll load the English Potter audio books on it, as well as the German equivalent of Overdrive that works with his home town's library.

Oooo... I want that.

That's an excellent combination. Something to else to consider is a charging speaker dock. Maybe someone else in the family can get him one for a gift? I have an iPod touch 4 and several speaker docks scattered about the house. My iPod is used mainly for streaming music (Pandora, Amazon MP3, etc) and audiobooks (library, Audible, etc). I keep it in a speaker dock and listen while doing other activities. Then when I change rooms, I grab my iPod and place it in another speaker dock so I can continue listening to my book or music. It's very convenient.

VaultBoy · 12-09-2012, 04:17 PM

I got my wee one a cheap-ish android tablet to use for educational games, movies, and reading. He uses my kindle every now and again to point out words.

Hope he enjoys it. At the least it didn't break the bank if he doesn't or if it gets damaged.

CommonReader · 12-09-2012, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odiakkoh

I always imagined you in your 20s for some reason lol.

I am sure a monkey can be a grandparent in his/her 20s.

Our (then) 10 year old daughter got a blue Cybook Opus as her main present last Christmas. That was easily the most successful present ever. The small size and roundish optics make it very suitable for a child as well. I plan on getting a Kobo mini for our son if it's available. Unfortunately he isn't much of a reader yet. Perhaps an electronic option to read will change that.
Our public library also has an attractive selection of ebooks for children and teenagers and it is getting better every day.

xendula · 12-09-2012, 06:03 PM

Oh yeah, good idea bout the speakers. I started accumulting a small collection of those as well, to have one in each room. It's amazing how good the mini ones are these days.

crich70 · 12-09-2012, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

What can I say? I don't act my age. Even though I'm ancient, I still feel and act young.

I always think of the phrase "I may be growing older but I refuse to grow up." lol. Can't let the kids of today have all the fun.

shakeitsalome · 12-10-2012, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Excellent choice on her part.

I have last year's version and love it. It's my favorite ereader.

Does your library have ebooks? If so, considering setting up an online account for your daughter so she can check them out. It's easy to do and would be another Christmas surprise for her.

Yes, it does! I hadn't even thought of doing that! Considering my mom works there it should be super easy to do without her catching wind of it. Thanks for the idea!

wvcherrybomb · 12-10-2012, 11:07 PM

Both my 3 and 4 year old grandsons love their Kindle Fires. I love that they are made so sturdy.

I didn't know about FreeTime, but reading about it now. Sounds great for both of them. Glad the subject came up.

SeaKing · 12-10-2012, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Anyone planning on giving a child an ereader this holiday season?

For Christmas, I'm giving my 4-yo grandson a Kindle Fire 2, a Gumdrop case, and a subscription to Kindle FreeTime Unlimited. I think it's the best combination of size, price, content, and ruggedness for a child his age. Amazon hit a home run with FreeTime Unlimited and the books alone make it an excellent value.

My 6 year old grand girl is getting a Nexus 7. (Mine not to reason why, but just to follow orders and buy.)

NickyWithNook · 12-11-2012, 07:28 AM

My 10-year-old got a Nook Tablet last year for Christmas, and has used it every single day since then. She uses it primarily for reading, too, though she does play some games as well. (She has an N2A card, so she can use it as an Android Tablet if she wants.)

My 3-year-old (almost 4) got a refurb Nook Color a couple of months ago. She does like to play games and read (or have read to her) stories, but she doesn't use it as much as the older one.

I think they're great for older kids. My older daughter doesn't have a room full of books everywhere anymore.

12-08-2012, 05:08 PM	#1
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,746 Karma: 158575914 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	eReaders for Children this Holiday Season Anyone planning on giving a child an ereader this holiday season? For Christmas, I'm giving my 4-yo grandson a Kindle Fire 2, a Gumdrop case, and a subscription to Kindle FreeTime Unlimited. I think it's the best combination of size, price, content, and ruggedness for a child his age. Amazon hit a home run with FreeTime Unlimited and the books alone make it an excellent value.

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12-08-2012, 07:17 PM	#2
odiakkoh Guru Posts: 823 Karma: 1818344 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: iPhone 5s	O.o I didn't realize you were old enough for grandchildren. I always imagined you in your 20s for some reason lol. No ereaders for the kids this year, older one still prefers picture books. Maybe next year.

12-08-2012, 07:25 PM	#3
shakeitsalome Member Posts: 11 Karma: 510000 Join Date: Nov 2012 Device: K4NT(Black)	My 8 year old is getting one. At first she wanted a Fire but after researching it she decided on the basic no-frills Kindle 4. She's a voracious reader so I'm certain she'll use it a lot. I haven't chosen a cover/case for it yet. When she turns it on the first time she'll find it pre-loaded with books she hasn't read as well as a few favorites. I think I'm a little bit too excited about seeing her face when she opens it. Wait, nevermind, I'm not.

12-09-2012, 04:17 PM	#8
VaultBoy Addict Posts: 206 Karma: 1683142 Join Date: Nov 2012 Device: Kindle of many shapes, PIPBoy 3000	I got my wee one a cheap-ish android tablet to use for educational games, movies, and reading. He uses my kindle every now and again to point out words. Hope he enjoys it. At the least it didn't break the bank if he doesn't or if it gets damaged.

12-09-2012, 06:03 PM	#10
xendula eBookworm Posts: 2,300 Karma: 4525746 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: East Coast brrrrr Device: Kindle 4B/K ~ Nexus 7 ~ Kindle Paperwhite 1&2 ~ iPad Air	Oh yeah, good idea bout the speakers. I started accumulting a small collection of those as well, to have one in each room. It's amazing how good the mini ones are these days.

12-10-2012, 11:07 PM	#13
wvcherrybomb Sharp Shootin' Grandma Posts: 847 Karma: 1123940 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Sunny Florida Device: Kindle 3, Kindle Fire, Literati (has been adopted by my daughter)	Both my 3 and 4 year old grandsons love their Kindle Fires. I love that they are made so sturdy. I didn't know about FreeTime, but reading about it now. Sounds great for both of them. Glad the subject came up.

12-11-2012, 07:28 AM	#15
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: American living in Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Kindle Fire, Kindle Pwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	My 10-year-old got a Nook Tablet last year for Christmas, and has used it every single day since then. She uses it primarily for reading, too, though she does play some games as well. (She has an N2A card, so she can use it as an Android Tablet if she wants.) My 3-year-old (almost 4) got a refurb Nook Color a couple of months ago. She does like to play games and read (or have read to her) stories, but she doesn't use it as much as the older one. I think they're great for older kids. My older daughter doesn't have a room full of books everywhere anymore.

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