If you are thinking of a gift of a camcorder for kids this year, you might be surprised at the variety that is available. A few suggestions when you are trying to make your decision as to which one to purchase.
One important thing to remember is that these video cameras are made for kids and are basically a toy. They are not going to provide high quality videos like a more expensive video camera will. The idea with these little cameras is for a child to learn how to operate them, share their little movie creations and have fun. As they become more adept at using the toy, you might find that you want to invest a little more money for a better quality camera. These toy video cameras are a good learning tool for a child but they are when all is said and done a toy to be played with. What you will want to look for is the ease of use for a child and how the videos can be viewed once they have been shot. Will the images remain in the camera or is there an ability to upload to a computer or be shown on a TV? Here are a few examples of video cameras for kids that are a good first camera to play with.
Fisher Price Makes A Camcorder For Kids
I have a friend who has four children and she can confirm that as far as being robust is concerned, Fisher Price toys survive being dropped, thrown and generally hammered!
Fisher-Price knows kids and has build kid tough toys for many decades so it is no surprise that they have made a video camera for kids to use. They have designed it to withstand being dropped which is a good idea since we both know kids will drop it from time to time. It is easy for kids to use and requires no reading skills in order to operate it. Your child can record up to 15 minutes worth of video on this camera and then show it on your TV or computer. A USB cable is included and there is downloadable software to use playbacks on the computer. Is it going to give you great video like your expensive adult model? Honestly, no it will not. It has pretty good video abilities but it is more of a toy.
The controls are very child-friendly as they require no reading and just in case the film is not up to scratch they can view the film on the camera and then delete if they don’t like it.
This Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Video Camera is available in pink or blue
It is built with kids in mind. The operation of this video camera requires no reading. Records up to 15 minutes with child being able to play the video on a computer or television. Fisher-Price knows how rough kids can be so they have manufactured this to be kid sturdy. USB cable is included to be able to download the video to a PC.
It can be rugged and take the rougher handling that kids are going to expose it to and save your more expensive model. Also, when choosing a camcorder for kids you will want the operations and functions to be on a scale that kids will be able to understand. So, let’s have a look at some good options for your kids and their first little camcorder.
- Requires 4 AA Batteries (not included) and also available in Blue.
- Measures: 5.2 x 5.2 x 3.7 inches
- Amazon reviewers gave the Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Video Camera an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
- Robust and strong: will survive falling, drool etc.
VTech Kidizoom Camera Connect
You read that right: this is a camera, not specifically a video camera. However, for younger kids (aka toddlers and early elementary), this may still be just what you need, because it DOES record (5 minutes of) video.
Don’t expect a high quality recordings. Do expect an affordable camera/camcorder that can survive what your children will likely throw at it.
The easy grip handles and the two-eye viewers on this Kids’ Camcorder make it much easier for smaller children to use. There’s also two inter-changable front plates.
Recording time from the 16 Mb internal memory is five minutes but this can be extended by the addition of an SD memory card (available separately). AV and USB cables are included and films can be played back via TV or PC.
- Requires 4 AA batteries
- Measures 11″L x 3″W x 8″H
- Available in other colors
- Robust and strong: will survive falling, drool etc.
Bratz Plugged In Digital Video Camera
Young girls who love the Bratz dolls can now have a digital video camera, too. Works as a camera for still shots and also records video. It is fast and easy to use and offers a plug and play USB interface. Also includes an AV cable for playing the videos on a television set. Requires 2 AA batteries to operate that are not included in your purchase.
Clips can be loaded onto your PC clips onto your PC using the USB Cable supplied. Use the Bratz ArcSoft Editing Software to create custom movies and music videos.
This light and compact Bratz Plugged In Digital Video Camera has a 1.5″ flip out LCD Viewer, 64 MB built-in memory, 3-mega-pixel resolution, 1.5 LCD viewer, and much more. There’s an SD Card Slot for more memory. – memory card available separately
- Measures: 5.5 x 6.1 x 7 inches
- Amazon Reviewers gave this Kids Camcordar an average rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars
Sakar 32070 Crayola Digital Camcorder Green – very bad reviews
Features a 1.5 inch TFT viewing screen. Has a built in microphone and a SD Memory Card slot. Uses Video Genie software. It does not say that a SD card is included with the purchase so you might want to get one just in case.
Disney In Scene Disney Princess Video Camera – Currently unavailable.
Young girls will love this video camera! The screen is 2 inches for better viewing. It will record up to 30 minutes. Your purchase includes the video camera, Disney Flix Video software, blue screen, tripod, USB cable and a quick start guide. The software is what makes this video camera so special as your little girl can add music and overlays of Disney characters to her video.
Nerf Digital Camcorder 640 X 480 Resolution with 1.8-inch LCD + 8GB SDHC + AAA Batteries
This little video camera has a 1.8 inch viewing screen along with an 8 Gig SDHC Memory Card. Your purchase will also include the 4 AAA batteries that are required to operate the camera.
Designed for adults, but cheap and handy enough for children.
Digital Blue Disney Flix Video Camera – Hannah Montana (Black)
The Disney Flix Video Camera is palm size and is a fully functional digital camcorder making tape or discs unnecessary. The 1.5″ color view screen flips out from the side.
The recording length can be extended from 30 minutes to 75 minutes with a 2 GB memory card (not included). There’s an extra special Disney Director mode. This helps users to make a complete movie with storyboards and audio cues coming directly from the camera.
Each Disney Flix comes with Software, which enables easy downloading to a PC. The kids can edit their movie and even add special effects, Disney clips and more.
Tripod included.
A little girl will love making her own little movies on this camera that was built with small hands in mind. It is recommended for children 8 years old and older by the manufacturer. The 1.5 inch screen make it easy to align the shots on this camera. She can also take photographs with this camera when she does not want to create a video.
It May Not Look Like A Video Camera, but it is
Polaroid DVF-130RC USB Digital Camcorder with 2.0-Inch LCD Display (Red)
Kids will love the 2 inch screen on this camera that they can record 480 by 640 VGA videos with. That is a perfect size for adding to YouTube or sharing with friends. It is easy to just point and start recording whatever is transpiring in front of them. It also has the ability to zoom in up to 8x. Instead of having to mess around with cables there is a USB connector to use for downloading their videos. It will also take still shots.
Excellent for kids who are old enough for small buttons, but young enough not to be trusted with expensive equipment. Pre-teens (age 10, 11, 12) are mostly reported as satisfied users.
A Selection of the Best Camcorders for Children: educational learning toys
If you are looking for the best camcorder for kids, there’s two main considerations: robustness (because whether you like it or not a kids’ camcorder may take a bit of a beating) and ease of use. You don’t want the child put off out of frustration because they find the camcorder hard to use.
The suitability of a camcorder for your child will ultimately depend on their age. The younger the child, the more important it is to have an easy to grip camera. But as they get older they won’t want anything that is too “babyish”.
All these Kids’ camcorders allow for TV playback as well as PC. Being able to sit with them and watch their movie creations on a TV will be important to your budding Steven Spielberg!
So here’s a selection of the Best Camcorders for Kids – generally speaking they are suitable for children under 12. Camcorders more suited to teens can be seen in the right hand sidebar.
Are you looking for a video camera for your kids to use that will be easy on your wallet and still be something that they can create their own little mini-movies and videos? If you have invested a good deal of your hard earned money on the family video camera, you probably do not feel very comfortable in allowing the kids to use it for their purposes.
Kids Make Movies
You have the option of getting this digital video camera in red or blue. It has viewfinder that flips out and measure 1.5 inches so kids can see what they are recording. Not only will this model record video but it can also take still shots, too. It can also work as a webcam. This one is better suited for children who can read the instructions of use. The videos or images can rely on automatic settings but an industrious child can also change the settings manually when they get the hang of it. USB cables are included and the videos or images can be moved to the family PC.