iPod Would you give an 8-year old an iPod Touch?

[ilovejedd]

Christmas is coming up and I need to decide on a gift for my godchild. As I didn't give her a gift for her birthday, I was thinking of getting an extra nice gift for Christmas, not to mention as a reward for always being an honor student. I'm not really concerned about her breaking the iPod Touch. She's very careful with her things. The DS Lite I gave her just shows minor wear and tear after 3 years use. Heck, I'm far more reckless with my stuff than she is.

She has one of those kiddy laptops which she's long outgrown and has already memorized all the questions and answers. That's one reason I'm looking at the iPod Touch. It can grow with her. There are plenty of interactive educational apps for iOS for her to use while she's still young but it can also be used for more serious stuff later on (as ebook reader, etc).

As always, the concern is, is she too young for such an expensive "toy"?

[Bilbo1967]

Well, my 8 year old son is getting an iPod Touch for Christmas, so I'd say yes. We've seen him using his older brother's and he seems to be pretty careful with it.

[Philantrop]

My six-year-old son recently got an iPod Touch. I put it in a protective case and put a protective foil on its display but I was pleasantly surprised how careful he is.

His older brother (11) and sister (9) both have one, too, and they're acting very responsibly, too.

All three of them had to pay a substantial amount of the price themselves, though, so that might have helped in making sure they're being careful. :-)

[treadlightly]

I gave one to my then 8-yr old last Christmas and she has used it every day, all year. Maybe it's a little more expensive than an average "toy" but it definitely will grow with her, and better that than a toy that gets shelved after a few plays.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

I gave one to my then 8-yr old last Christmas and she has used it every day, all year. Maybe it's a little more expensive than an average "toy" but it definitely will grow with her, and better that than a toy that gets shelved after a few plays.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. And the 8GB model really isn't that much more expensive than the DS Lite I bought her.

Thanks everyone! It's certainly good to hear about others' experiences.

[kissyfish]

My 8 yr old son is using my old one, and is saving up for an iPad 1 (which I am going to help subsidize a bit), he is getting emails from me (cute animal pictures, etc) and we are writing a text adventure together (inform7 is a natural language system he can understand), so he is learning typeing and reading, I am limiting DNS so he doesnt get to bad sites, and I have burned all of his audio books to it (hobbit, enid blighton, etc).

He and his 6 yr old sister enjoy it (on mine for now, but after some raking and snow shovelling they will have their own)

[tubemonkey]

My 3-yo grandson plays with my son's iPod touch all the time. I'm about to give them my Nook Color.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by kissyfish

I am limiting DNS so he doesnt get to bad sites.

That, I don't think is going to be a problem. They don't have a wi-fi router so it's up to her mom to determine what content to put on the iPod Touch.

Alas, the iPad is just too rich for my wallet so I don't think I'll be giving anyone who's not an immediate family member a gift like that. I do want to get my grandmother a 10" tablet so we can FaceTime/Skype. She doesn't have a computer but she does have broadband internet for her Vonage phone.

[kkay5]

I got all 5 of my kids iPod touches last year for Christmas. The youngest one was 3 at the time and he has done great with his iPod so I would definitely give one to an 8 year old.

[Suzanna]

My twins got iPod Touches early this summer - a couple of months before they turned 9.

For all the reasons you stated, it's a great device. As well as all the great apps and games, your god-daughter can also read ebooks on it. I have the girls' iTouches locked down so they can't get to the Apple store or browse the web, but as you said, that won't be an issue in your case.

I think she'd love it.

[sadievan]

My granddaughter who turned 9 in August got an iPod Touch last year for Christmas. She was 8. She loves it. I say yes.

Carol

[kjk]

What a wonderful gift!

FWIW, I've noticed my little nieces and nephews are quite rambunctious in general, but when it comes to electronic devices like Nintendo DSes, iPads, and iPod Touches, they are always quite good with them. I'm sure all kids are different, but this generation seems to have *some* understanding that these devices require a bit of care.

[monkeyluis]

Great idea. There ar some great educational games on iOS. My 4yr old daughter & 8yr old son love playing on iPad. They know how to use it by themselves too. I sa go for it!!!

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by kjk

What a wonderful gift!

FWIW, I've noticed my little nieces and nephews are quite rambunctious in general, but when it comes to electronic devices like Nintendo DSes, iPads, and iPod Touches, they are always quite good with them. I'm sure all kids are different, but this generation seems to have *some* understanding that these devices require a bit of care.

Nah. I've got nieces and nephews who won't hesitate to touch delicate electronics with saliva laden fingers or banging them against hard surfaces (granted, they're just 2~5 years old). For them, I keep my iPhone and iPad out of sight.

Most kids grow up with a bunch of gadgets around the home so using those gadgets tends to be second nature to them. It's just a matter of teaching them how to properly care for things and making them aware of consequences of not taking care of their stuff (e.g. if they break it, then you're not going to replace it).

My 4yr old daughter & 8yr old son love playing on iPad. They know how to use it by themselves too.

Lol, not really surprised by that. If I were to give both a 4yr old and a 40yr old an iPod Touch. I'd trust the 4yr old to figure out how to use it first.

[Cheeky1]

My 6 year old son is getting an iPod touch for Christmas this year