4 Reasons To Give A Kid A Camera
Last Christmas I was talking with some friends about Christmas gifts for our kids when one recommended a toddler camera. I loved the idea!
I remember getting my first “real camera.” It was a purple Minnie Mouse camera that used 110 film and needed flash cubes. I’m sure it could get costly to buy film, flash cubes and pay for processing. Then there was the wait the time to get those photos developed. While all of that is probably a foreign concept to some, the prevalence of digital cameras makes getting one for a toddler, preschooler or young child much more reasonable and accessible.
My kiddo was 3 that Christmas and it seemed like the perfect time to get him his own camera. After all, he would walk around telling us to smile and clicking a fake camera. Now, after several months of ownership and over 200 photos, I thought I’d share my top reasons to give a kid a camera.
Why To Give
# 4. A digital camera is a useful, functional gift. It’s also a lasting gift, a gift that keeps giving. He may lose interest for a time, but he always comes back to his camera. Money well spent.
# 3. Fun! Taking pictures is fun. I often hear “gotcha” or “got it” as he snaps a photo. I see the joy on his face as snaps away. The photos may be blurry or contain a finger, but the beauty of digital is that it doesn’t really matter. He’s enjoying himself and that’s what it’s really about. (It was also really fun to watch as family members realized he was taking “real” pictures).
# 2. Create lasting memories and make a connection. When we took our family vacation to Hot Springs it was a nice bonding time to sit together at the end of the day and compare our photos. We talked about the things we did and what happened that day. It doesn’t have to be an event. Some of our best conversations have been about an average day.
#1. My absolute favorite, and one reason that I hadn’t considered when I originally bought the camera, you get to see the world through their eyes. It wasn’t my intention, but looking though the images on that little display allowed me to literally see the world from his perspective. What a gift…to me, to us. It is eye opening and heart warming. One of my photos is a snap of my husband and me. My son saw his parents sitting on the sofa and took a sweet shot of his parents together.
What to Get
There are lots of options out there and they usually go on sale in time for the holidays. We got a toddler camera, and it is small, but perfect for small hands. I love the fact that it has a lanyard so no one worries about drops or it hitting the ground. This little camera has a great battery life. The version we have also has a “selfie mode,” filters and takes short videos. It was easy for me to transfer the photos to our computer from the memory card that was included.
