PC Gifts For Kids

Gifts Appropriate for Children Who Like Computers

Who likes sharing a computer their PC with the kids? There are plenty of reasons why you might not want to let a child play with your computer. So why not give them their own portable computer to use? Netbooks are a great option for children. They are smaller than a traditional laptop computer that make them excellent for kids who need to carry them around and use them with their smaller hands. They are much more affordable than a traditional computer systems as well.

How about a budding movie director? The introduction of inexpensive flash based camcorders has opened the world of video recording to just about anyone. While there are children specific models with bright plastic available, kids really want to have items that look like something their parents would use. The Pure Digital Flip MinoHD is a very compact flash based camcorder that records video in 720p high definition video that is extremely easy to use and download to a computer with its built-in USB connector that flips out of the side. Heck, your kids might end up having a hard time using it if you end up playing with it all the time. Priced around $170 to $200.

While motion video is great, sometimes the ability to take a still picture can be just as fun and more rewarding. With the ease of printing out digital photos and the size and performance of digital cameras, they can make a great gift. While there are child specific cameras, they tend to have poor performance and not very sturdy. Instead, I like to recommend the water and shock resistant cameras from Olympus. The Stylus 550 WP is a full featured point and should SLR that is extremely easy to use and go can 10 feet underwater without any issues. Great features for kids who tend to be rough on their toys. Priced around $120.

MP3 players are pretty much the norm for kids these days. After all, more and more music is being sold in digital form that traditional physical formats. So why not consider giving a MP3 player to your favorite child. The Apple iPod shuffle is an inexpensive, easy to use and colorful MP3 player that is great for small kids. Since it uses flash memory, the small clip based MP3 player is extremely durable. Apple's iTunes music store also has some great parental controls to prevent your kids from buying music you might find objectionable. Priced from $60 to $40 depending on capacity.

If you want to encourage a young child's interest in art, then a product like the Fisher-Price Digital Arts and Crafts Station may be something to consider. This is a combination of hardware and software that allow children to use their creativity in generating art projects and drawing. The variety of art projects include items such as party decorations, greeting cards and even paper dolls. Additional project packs with a variety of licensed characters can expand upon the possible projects. Priced around $55.

While a drawing tablet like the Digital Arts Station may be great for younger kids, it lacks the flexibility for art that an older child might want. A more traditional approach to arts is really needed rather than a system that is locked into a set of arts and crafts projects. Instead, older children would be better served by a low cost standard drawing tablet for the computer. The Wacom Bamboo Fun is an interesting mix of one of their full featured Bamboo drawing tablets and software that can be used to paint, edit, draw or just handwrite on the computer.

Got a child who is into science? Would like to get a child interested in science? The Celestron digital and optical handheld microscope is a great option for use with a computer and out and about. It features an handheld optical microscope that features a 4x to 50x magnification. Hook up the 2 megapixel USB camera from the computer to the microscope and use the supplied software to capture images or increase the magnification digitally to 200x. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac based computers. Priced at $100.

Let's face it, smaller kids have trouble using standard keyboards and mice. The reason is that the keys are not laid out in any alphabetical order to make it easy for them to find the proper key. They also tend to be too big to use with their smaller hands. The FunKeyBoard and FunMouse combo from Chester Creek Technologies is designed specifically with kids in mind. The mouse is smaller to fit in their smaller hands and the keyboard has color coded keys to make it easier for them to distinguish between consonants, vowels, symbols, numbers and function keys. Priced around $45 to $60.