Touchscreen Tablets for Kids: Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire
Tablet Interactivity with Great Educational Potential for Kids

Amazon has introduced a new series of Kindle ereaders.  In particular, the Kindle Fire is interesting as a possible gift choice for kids, due to its pricing, $199.  Price, alone, doesn't qualify a tech gadget as a great value, but based on preliminary information, Kindle Fire has some interesting features that provide a multimedia touch tablet experience:  streaming video and music, web browsing, ereading, and popular apps.  In conjunction with Amazon Cloud storage, digital content isn't stored on the device, but in the "Cloud".  Amazon content is stored free of charge, and other content can be stored, at a fee.

For kids, this is an affordable alternative to the popular iPad.  As a parent, you will want to oversee the content that your child accesses, and take the same precautions you would in any use of online technology, to assure your child's security and safety.  For me, this would mean using the device more as a family tool, and working together to monitor the content and web browsing. 

I am excited about the device for its use in educational purposes, though, as ereading looks to be a rich experience, and children's books in full color will be incorporated into the ereading experience, along with full color magazines.  I love having access to National Geographic for my kids, for example, but get overwhelmed with storing the old issues.

Kindle Fire is available for pre-order now, with its release due on Nov. 15.

Kindle with Special Offers

Have you been thinking about purchasing an ereader to have in your home, as a means to encourage reading in your family?  Perhaps you are homeschooling, and would love to have access to the public domain works, available through Amazon's extensive library, many of them free?  Amazon just sweetened the deal, with its top rated, top selling ereader.  Kindle with Special Offers releases May 3, 2011, but is now available for pre-order.

Kindle with Special Offers incorporates sponsored screen savers from Amazon's partners.  As well, you will have access to some sweet deals from Amazon, and partners such as Audible.com.  MP3 downloads at discounts, bargain deals on audiobooks, and discounted Amazon gift cards are some of the initial deals mentioned. 


Kindle is great for all modalities, if you are familiar with learning styles.  For the visual learner, the child who interprets and retains best those things he sees, a reader of any type is a great learning tool.  For the auditory learner, what a wonderful opportunity to reinforce learning, by providing access to books and materials in audio form, as the auditory learner best processes information that is heard.  For the hands on learner, the interactivity of a Kindle is an outstanding feature.  Further, the portability of the Kindle makes it a device that can go outside...your tactile learner can use the Kindle while swinging, sunning on the trampoline, or sitting on the edge of the fort.  My tactile learners take to video games quite well, and I find the Kindle a much better investment than a video game system.  Further, my children are leaps and bounds beyond me, in terms of ability with small handheld devices.

Establish some guidelines, of course, as an irresponsible child could mean disaster, if you allow him to tote the Kindle about, without limitations.  If the Kindle goes out of doors, make sure it does so, with your permission, and awareness.

You may find that the Kindle provides an interesting incentive, for your youngsters.  For example, finishing school work early might earn some time reading on the device.  It's novel enough, if your children aren't inundated with electronics, that it will be interesting. 

If you aren't sure about Kindle, this special offers version of the Kindle is an opportunity to try it out, at a lesser price.  Maybe you will want to consider this, down the road, as a Christmas gift or birthday present for your tween, or teen.  This is a great way to check it out extensively, and to even let your youngsters give it a whirl. 

More Kindle Versions

Kindle Wireless Reading, with Wi-Fi, 6" Display

Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device, with free 3G + Wi-Fi

KINDLE CLASSICS:

Ereaders for Tweens and Teens

Kindle for Tweens and Teens

Ereaders have become very popular among many cross-sections of life, and ereaders are great, as well, for tweens and teens. The advantage of an ereader, over an iPod or smartphone app, is size, as the small screens of these devices can stress and strain the eyes. While an iPad is a larger source for using these apps, the expense is significant. Maybe you don't want to spend quite that much on a tween ereader! Your teen, no doubt, would love the iPad, but it may not fit the budget. When my tweens and teens set their sites on high priced items, I start talking about their future job lives, and suggest that they are more than welcome to have an iPad when they can afford to buy it for themselves!


Computer access to ereader materials is another option, as the ebooks are able to be used from the same account, across multiple devices, making your household computer the most viable option for ereading. However, it's important to recognize that a desktop computer is not portable, and a tween or teen is anchored. If you have more than one young person who uses that computer, then you know that computer time is at a premium, and your tween or teen ereader is limited in the time they can devote to reading. A netbook or laptop, likewise, include higher costs, and bulky size.

Ereaders are light, portable, and comfortable in size. Some people prefer a real book, when it comes to reading, and this is truly an issue. An ereader for your tween or teen, however, makes a lot of sense if some of the following are the case:



***Household storage space is limited.

***Access to ample reading material is limited (for example, if you live in a rural community with a small library, and no book stores).

***Budget for reading materials is limited (Many classic books are available for ereader download, free of charge).

There are several ereaders available, and most are able to be used by tweens and teens. Kindle, by Amazon, is a great choice, with anti-glare technology. Your tween or teen can read outside, without the difficulty of seeing well in the sunshine. I can't say the same for my iPhone, which causes tremendous glare problems when I try to see anything in our sunny Desert Southwest setting. Amazon Kindle also has options for either a wireless connection, or a wireless/3g connection. With the slightly greater cost of the 3g model, you have free internet access wherever 3g signals exist, through ATT. This free 3g connection is a great plus.

Kindle has become slightly more economical, as well, with the wireless version being made available with sponsored offers and screensavers, which provides a $25 discount on the price of the wireless version. If you are interested in the best ereader, at the lowest price, the Amazon Kindle with wireless will make a great value, at $114.00. Your tween and teen bookworms have a world of reading at their fingertips, and it's better priced than ever! Audio books are also available, through Audible, for use on Kindle. Kindle is able to store up to 3500 books, and has a book lending feature, as well.

Sony's Ereader is comparable in price, to the Amazon Kindle with Special offers loaded, but without these offers. The Sony model has a 5" screen, but lacks a keyboard, as well as many of the extensive features of Kindle.

Nook is slightly greater in price, than the Kindle WiFi, with primarily touchscreen operation. While Kindle is not compatible with epub books, Nook is. Nook batteries are changeable, whereas Kindle must be sent away for a battery change. Nook storage is expandable, with an SD card, while Kindle is not. Nook comes in wifi, or wifi/3g versions, as well as color.

If you are looking for an inexpensive ereader for your tween or teen, then Kindle is the most cost effective, for the quality. If you are dealing with a reluctant tween, or teen, reader, the investment in the Kindle is not going to stress your wallet. However, if you are interested in an all-out effort to encourage your tween or teen to read, and an ereader is your solution, money not being the top consideration, then Nook Color is the most attractive of the ereader selections. Everything depends on budget and goals

Ereaders for Kids

Technology has become an integral part of not only our daily life, but also of our educational endeavors.  This is just as true for children, as it is for adults, and sometimes, our young people surprise us by their ability to manipulate and navigate computers, video games, and cell phones.

As a parent, I like to be cautious about overdoing technology, but in an effort to equip my kids with meaningful opportunities, I would be remiss to not include technological tools.  Ereaders are fast becoming popular, as a means of giving people access to virtual books, and while the feel of a physical book is nice, the opportunity to read extensively is also a great help.  A virtual library can be transported anywhere, with many free classics available, as well as learning tools such as dictionaries.  There are many ways of accessing these free resources, including via computer, and by cell phone application.  Ereaders provide a bigger screen size than that of a tiny phone screen, and are more portable than a laptop, netbook, or computer, making the ereader the best combination in size and portability.

For kids, the Kindle is a good choice because of its anti-glare technology. 

The images featured here are clickable, with details on pricing, through Amazon.

The less expensive of the Kindle options is the wi-fi enabled Kindle, which will connect to your home wireless network, or which can access the internet for downloads and updates, via wireless connections in public hotspots:  Starbucks, the Library, and other venues, for example.

The more costly of the Kindle versions has free 3G access, which is great for the person who is on the go, needing access, but not guaranteed a hotspot. 

When it comes to providing your children with Kindle ereaders, keep in mind the ability to care for such devices.  For very young children, I don't suggest their owning their own Kindle, but rather, cooperatively using a parent's Kindle, or a family version.  For an older elementary aged child, age 9-10, a personal Kindle should be permitted if the child is very responsible, and if protective equipment is purchased, as well.  If your child has problems keeping track of things, it's better to establish a place for Kindle storage and reading, and to exercise limits on when and where the child uses the device. 

For Tweens, an ereader can be just as useful as a cell phone, or ipod, and perhaps a bit more productive.  Again, protective equipment is essential, as Tweens can be a little bit careless with belongings.

Teens should be a little more trustworthy with their belongings, and a Kindle is a great way to meet the interests of your teen bookworm.

For some great options in Kindle Cases, scroll over the images below, and to find and purchase a Kindle, you can follow these links: 














Kindle Covers and Cases