Camera for Kids: Questions You Need to Ask Yourself When Purchasing a Camera for Your Child?

As a parent myself that has a 4 year-old son whom loves taking photographs; I know what difficulties you can encounter when you are trying to purchase a camera for kids-well for your child in particular. Thus you end up doing several hours of research on what type of camera would best suite your child's needs

I mean the last thing that you or any parent wants to do is to buy your child a camera that is beyond their capabilities; or is too difficult for them to understand? You want to feed their anxiety to learn, to be creative, to express their happiness and individuality. Not stifle it

Thus you need to ask yourself the following questions when purchasing a camera for kids?

Q. Should the camera be digital or a camera that only takes film?

These days digital cameras are in abundance thus their cost has dramatically decreased. Electronic toy manufacturers have responded to the demand for cameras for small children, thus have released numerous models into the market. Because the costs are so much less to develop digital photographs and with the fact that they are so easy to email across to relatives; the benefits of having a digital camera far outweigh those than having a camera that only takes film.


Q. Is the camera that I want to purchase for my child drop proof, splash proof?

You have to prepare for the inevitable, thus its advisable to get a camera that is durable to most elements.


Q. Is this camera easy to use?

I qualify this by making sure that the camera has certain child friendly features. Features such as:
Buttons: Does the camera have big chunky buttons, preferably labelled?
View finder: will my child be able to easily see the object they are trying to take a photograph of through the camera's view finder?
Pre-view screen: will my child easily be able to see their photograph once they have taken it?


Q. If my child wants to proudly show off their work - does the camera accommodate for this?

Can I connect this camera straight to my computer or TV.
Does the camera allow my child to view their pictures as a slide show on the camera itself?


Q. Does this camera come with any additional features?

Features such as onboard games geared for certain age groups?
Onboard photo editing options that allows you to distort the characters in the photograph, disguise them with various stamps or add a kaleidoscope border around them?
User friendly photo editing software?


Q. For what age group is this particular camera catering for?

3 to 7 years of Age: If the camera is catering for children that fall within the age group of 3 to 7 years of age then this camera is usually regarded as just another toy by your child. In general you will find that these cameras have a very low picture resolution from 0.3 mega pixels to 1.3 mega pixels. The pictures that your child takes will be of poor quality, but this will be enough for your child to play with.
If you have noticed that your child is really into taking photographs and you feel that you want to develop their creative skills then it would be best to get your child a more expensive camera that still is child friendly, but contains better features. The picture resolution of these cameras would be up to 2 mega pixels.They would have a built-in photo editor; 3 to 5 games; an option to record movies; a built-in micro phone; built-in flash; increased memory and an expansion slot for an additional memory card.
7 to 12 Years of Age: Kids that fall into this age group have more than likely owned a toy camera before thus already possess some camera skills. Thus you will not find a specially made toy camera for this age group but rather a camera that is similar or resembles the functions of a standard digital camera for adults. As a parent one would look for generic models of a well-known brand or the most basic of a well-known brand when looking for a camera for your child.
12 Years Upwards: If your child is this age then they should be able to manage a normal adult camera. As a parent you will need to assess the needs and interests of your child to determine what type of adult camera would be best for them. Depending on their interest and love for photography the price difference between a simple camera and a more advanced camera can run into hundreds of pounds.


Q. How much internal memory does this camera for kids have?

If a camera has 16 mb of internal memory then it is capable of storing up to 200 photographs or up to 5 minutes of video
if the camera has 256 mb of internal memory then the camera can store up 500 photographs in high-resolution or up to 2000 in low resolution or up to 10 minutes of video.


I am not sure about you,but right now your child could be having so much fun with his new camera you bought for him leaving you to do your own thing in your house or garden. This is totally possible if you were able to find a camera for kids that meets the criteria mentioned above.

When your child has finished taking their photographs and having edited the photographs to their liking; they would then come over to you. Here you would be able to spend some quality time together viewing what funky creations they have made on your TV.

It's easy to invest a few pounds in a camera for kids that will keep them entertained for hours. You just have to know where to look.