It wasn’t that long ago when a digital camera was one of the most expensive items on a luxury gadget list and most of us wouldn’t dream of letting a child near one. We used to take photographs with a camera, spend a fortune on developing them, and often ended up with as many duds as we did good shots.
Now digital cameras are wonderfully cheap and cost-effective and you can even get ones that have been specifically designed for kids. Some are not worth spending any money on, so make sure that you do your research before you buy, while others offer a range of excellent features that will stand your tots in good stead.
Digital cameras for kids come from Vtech with their Kidizoom Multimedia Digital Camera, then there’s the Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Waterproof digital camera, and the extremely cool LEGO Digital Camera.
These cameras have been designed with viewers that allow children to see with both eyes and comes with easy to use software to upload the images onto a computer for editing and sharing. Excellent for developing creativity and encouraging understanding of computers.
So why should you bother with one of these digital cameras? Because the educational and developmental benefits are fantastic. Whether you are on holiday, at home, or just going for a weekend walk, kids will be encouraged to really look at the world around them, to identify objects, and to capture them in creative ways.
Children get the added benefits of fresh and exercise while increasing their awareness of the natural world and building self confidence. You can combine a day out to see the animals or things they are learning about at school with taking photographs and learning.
Once they have spent several happy hours snapping at everything in sight, kids then can upload the photographs to your laptop, netbook, or PC and start learning how to edit them and upload, share and email them.
There are websites that have been created specifically for children – social networking and blogging sites that are supremely secure but offer children a personal platform to express themselves and to learn the ins and outs of social media. Also very beneficial in terms of the curriculum and building vocabulary.
For the younger ones you will need to sit with them and help them to learn how to use the software and the camera. As they get used to it, they will be more confident and enjoy the freedom of expression and the creativity of digital photography. And, thanks to the delete key, you won’t be forking out a fortune on prints either…
Tamsin