kids n xmas ideas

A question about : kids n xmas ideas

hi,
my youngest son will be 8 in jan,
he gets all i can afford, own telly and xbox, footy etc.
he struggles with school, he's not slow or anything, reads ok and ok with maths, just the attention span.
i don't want to waste my hard earned on loads of crap and more xbox games and thought of that new kindle?
its in my price range but are they suitable for kids of his age?
i know nothing about them, just stuck for a gift he'll like in the Ј150 mark that is educational without him really knowing and doesn't involve shouting at the telly!

Best answers:

• I suppose it depends on whether he enjoys reading independently yet or not, if he does not enjoy reading books it is unlikely that a kindle will change that.
  Does it have to be something electronic ? things like lego are great for kids that struggle with attention as they can do as much as they like take a break and come back to it, it is also great for fine motor skills.
  What about board games, or meccano again can all be educational in their own way but not reliant on a TV screen or gadget for them to enjoy doing it.
• Do you mean the Kindle Fire HD? If so it is much more than just an ebook reader, its a tablet as opposed to ebook reader. He can of course still play games, although I suppose you can control what he is playing, by only installing what you want, until he susses it out that is.
  Can I ask how long he currently spends playing video games? Reason is I am sure our son's concentration levels improved when he started playing video games, he is younger and I suppose it could have just been the natural way of things, but I think gaming actually improved his concentration.
  He will also spend just as much if not more time playing with lego / building things. I would research before spending that amount, it could be that he isn't that interested in tablets and you will end up using it more, not saying that is a bad thing.
• Please don't tell us he has his own TV in his bedroom?
  If so, the best present you could give him for his long term future is to remove it.
  I would say that at 8 he should still play with toys.
  Borrow books from the library for him to read; unless he is really careful, i think a kindle would be wasted. Plus you still have to buy the books.
• He does play his Xbox on his own tv, he does not live with me FT, weekends and a couple of afternoons.
  Just want him to read more (and want to more the point) without banning him off his Xbox like happens now at times, I thought the carrot of playing on a new device where books are easily got could encourage him more?
• The Kindle Fire can be used to play games and various other things as well as read books, so you might find that he only wants it for the games. I agree with the poster who suggested Lego, as this is a really great toy that is likely to drag him away from his xbox, especially if you are joining in with him.
  If you do get a Kindle, you can download free books from www.kuforum.co.uk - the list is updated throughout the day. My son is getting a Kindle Fire for his 13th birthday next week, and I've downloaded plenty of books already. I use the site for all my books too.
  To encourage reading, though, I wouldn't get an ebook. I would take him to the library regularly, and would also take him to a decent bookshop where he can choose age appropriate books that appeal to him. My three all read regularly, including my older son who has Down's Syndrome, and there is nothing quite like spending time in your local bookshop choosing what to buy next. If you can afford it, you could make it a monthly treat. Spending time choosing and reading together is more likely to encourage a child to read, rather than relying on electronic devices all the time.
• I would suggest a small game, and save the rest of your money for a tutor to help him one to one.
• The situation as I see it is that by buying your son an e reader he will become inspired to read books...thats not always the case....
  The key is you want him to read....but really what it should be is he wants to read....and therefore picks up a book or a kindle and does it!
  I'm with the poster at the start that mentioned lego...if you dont fancy goung down that route then what about knex my son loved that when he was younger and it fired his imagination with the things he could make from it...
  my son has had a tv from a very early age so i'm not backing up what everyone else says about banning it...in actual fact I see it and saw it as something that was a natural part of growing up,and yes it was restricted over when and how much he watched...but I can also see that left too long with electrical devices whether that be tv or x box the brain and the mind and the imagination just isnt being engaged...
  what is your sons reading ability like?...maybe you could start him off on books that require interaction...even something simple like wheres wally and make time to sit with him and discuss senarios that spark his imagination to want to seek more literature....
  Roald dahl is another great one for sparking imagination at that age....
  There are loads of series of books he could be reading even harry potter...
  Does he see you read?...thats a great way to get children reading...they start by following a lead....
  Another thing that struck me from your post is you try to give him all you can afford...sometimes its not about the cost of something in monerty terms its about giving him the things that money cant buy...your time,your attention.
  Make time to spend some time together...that costs nothing and will be so rewarding for both of you.
  Whilst i understand your desire to want him to read more...if he doesnt have the desire to do it then a kindle wont really help him...it will just become another gadget in his life.
  We are about to bow to the kindle for our 14 year old....but thats mainly because he insisted on taking 7 books on holiday to read and apart from the obvious weight of them it restricted the other things that needed to go in the case...
• We bought DD (9) a Kobo reader for her birthday, but she still much prefers "normal" books and hasn't had much use of it to tell the truth.
  DH takes them to the library regularly (about once a month) and I've also noticed that DS (6) seems to be bringing home reading books from school that seem to be particularly appealing to boys in their subject matter - books about insects, the human body and diseases, adventure stories, etc... within the same series tailored to his age group. He loves them and it's nice to see something targeted at getting boys to read.
  No tv in their bedroom either, I'm seriously digging my heels in on that one and in fairness they haven't bothered asking! DS has a PS3 and he uses my wii, but that's on the living room tv and although he would play them 24/7, he doesn't because I don't let him!! Cruel Victorian Mum as I am!!
  Jx
• Hi
  I keep debating buying myself/my children a kindle or equivalent but my concern is once you've bought the tablet you still have to buy the electronic version of the book which (correct me if I'm wrong) look roughly similar to buying the paper version so quite expensive in terms of buying new material to read.
  You can get lots of the new current books at reasonable prices through the Book People etc and also you see a lot of childrens books in Charity Shops for not much so cheaper to buy books that way.
  Plus personally I still like the feel of a proper book v an electronic version.
  In terms of Christmas pressies I think lego or other construction toy is a good idea or what about a castle and role play type toys.
  Jen
• My boy is 8 and although he is a good reader he has never really been interested in reading for pleasure , we have tried all sorts of books and getting him books on my kindle.
  For about a year now he has had a subscription to Match Comic , initially bought as a birthday present.
  Loves it , reads it himself , does all the puzzles , looks forward to it coming through the mail. His spelling's amazing , all those foreign players!
• I also think that a game you could play with him could be very welcome. He sounds like he mostly entertains himself.
  Another option for getting a taste for reading could be audio book; if you get him engaged, he may want to explore some more.
• I think the key to encouraging reading (esp in boys) is finding something they want to read rather than the format in which they are reading- my son never was and still isn't a huge fiction fan - but loves biographies, auto biographies and lots of non fiction. I used to be snooty about it but figured it wa better he read Jeremy Clarkson or the sport pages of The Times than nothing! Now he even asks for new books rather than groaning when I well him to go read!
  A kindle might not in itslef make him read but the chance to download and try lots of different genres and types of writing for free might just capture his attention
• My immediate thought was lego too.
  Amazing stuff - IF you also put some time in with your child and don't just dump a load of bricks on them that they'll quickly get bored with.
  buy one of the big lego kits of Star wars space ship, or pirate ship, and sit down and make it with him. At a couple of hours per weekend it could be a few months of activities together, and it is great for building attention span and attention to detail. I did this with my son (who was a right dippy dreamer) and he immediately loved it and became a real whizz at lego and would spend hours and hours with it. I've also done a big kit with each of my stepsons (one especially has the attention span and concentration of a gnat) and again they both loved doing it, really worked hard, and were thoroughly engrossed. They learned a huge amount, how to follow a plan to the T, patience (hunting out the exact right next brick from several hundred takes time), how to solve a problem when it went a bit wrong, and it does them nothing but good - and they love it. It became the highlight of their weekends with us. They were immensely proud when they'd finished.
  They also loved having an adult devote that much time and attention to playing with them/helping them, I think.
• thanks for all your replies,
  unfortunately a tutor is out of my range, I'm still in the thinking of getting a kindle,
  i do believe it will encourage him to want and not have to read, however i think the lego idea is good so will look at getting the cheaper kindle along with a few tubs of lego,
  also i could borrow the kindle when he's not here!
• My youngest hated reading and it was real battle to get him to read his school books but give him a non fiction book about animals or how things work and he wouldn't put it down.
  I agree with the lego/knex/mechano idea, we used to have litttle competitions to make things and I enjoyed it as much as the kids did.