5 days ago
My Son Tried Out the New Kindle Colorsoft Kids—It Was a Hit
Fact checked by Sarah Scott
I was an omnivorous reader as a child. I learned to read early and kept our small-town library busy by requesting book after book. I dove into series like Betsy-Tacy, Anne of Green Gables, and Alanna the Lioness. I read at the breakfast table, on the bus, in the bathtub, in my backyard. If I was in the room, there was a book nearby.
I would have loved a Kindle to keep up with my 'more is more' reading habits and give my library a break, but they didn't exist in the '90s. Luckily for me, however, my 4-year-old son appears to be following in my little-reader footsteps; he can confidently read most picture books and astounds me with his skills every day.
That's why I was thrilled to hear about the latest and greatest Kindle, Colorsoft Kids. It's an all-new addition to the lineup with a few very exciting upgrades, most notably the full-color capability that makes picture books and graphic novels truly come alive on the screen, as well as thousands of books for every kind of reader at every age.
The sad truth is that children are simply not reading as much or as well as they should be, and the stats are concerning. Literacy expert Molly Ness, PhD, who was interviewed as part of her partnership with Amazon, notes that 65 percent of fourth graders aren't reading at a proficient level. Kids are more apt to play video games, watch TV, or swipe around on an iPad than they are to pick up a book. And according to a study from Kindle of 2,000 parents of children ages seven to 12, researchers found that while 95 percent of parents 'attempt to motivate their child to read more,' 46 percent say their child is 'distracted easily' while reading.
'We're seeing both the decline in skills as well as a decline in reading engagement and motivation,' says Dr. Ness, citing a survey from the National Literacy Trust that found only 32 percent of children ages 8 to 18 choose to read for pleasure in their spare time.
The Kindle Colorsoft Kids device hopes to help make reading more immersive and exciting for young readers of all ages. Ahead, learn more about the new device and my honest review.
How Was the Kindle Colorsoft Kids Developed?
The first kid-centric Kindle hit the shelves in 2019, but there was one thing missing: color. In fact, color was the biggest wishlist item for parents and kids, given that much of their reading material is accompanied by drawings or art.
'Color exists in the world. It's something kids interact with,' explains Keeley Boehmer, Kindle Kids Product Manager. 'Color is something that really helps to engage kids and engage the really get to make it a more immersive experience for kids.'
According to Boehmer, the device was tested by real-life kids, including children of Amazon employees; she mentions a coworker with eight-year-old twins 'having to pry' the device out of their hands because they'd been staying up too late reading—a treasured childhood rite of passage, now with no flashlight required.
Aside from the new color interface, Kindle Colorsoft Kids also allows users to highlight sections in different colors and includes the Word Wise program, which is great for earlier readers or those learning to read in a different language; it can break down more complicated words into shorter, easier-to-understand words, which helps build vocabulary. The Parent Dashboard lets parents manage and keep an eye on content and reading activity, as well as set a 'device bedtime.'
How Does the Kindle Colorsoft Kids Promote a Love of Reading?
Ask any parent to share their feelings on screen time and you'll probably get an earful, both positive and negative. When it comes to children's learning and development, screens are controversial, to say the very least. But as Dr. Ness says, the Kindle Colorsoft Kids is a device with just one purpose: reading. You cannot toggle to different apps, watch movies, or play games on it. It is designed for reading and reading only.
'It really feels just like a book,' says Boehmer. 'It's a paper-like display: no apps, no games, no distractions, [and] a long battery life. You can do all of the things you like would with a pile of books.' Because the Kindle Colorsoft Kids is so lightweight and portable, you can 'make reading a much bigger part of your daily routine.'
Reading is so important to a child's growth and development, whether they're being read to as an infant or toddler, learning to sound out words on their own, or reading solo. When kids read, they develop empathy and can learn to see perspectives other than their own and often have better self-esteem and better self-efficacy. 'When kids are read to, we start to see significant academic achievement gains,' says Dr. Ness.
Dr. Ness adds that the 'ARC' system can help increase reading time for kids: access, relevancy, and choice. 'It is incredibly empowering for kids to have a choice in where they read and how they read,' she says.
What We Thought of Kindle Colorsoft Kids
Like I said, my son can generally pick up a picture book and read through it, so I was confident that he'd be able to find lots of reading material in the vast Kindle library. The device was incredibly easy to set up, though my son's young age meant he wasn't as comfortable swiping and navigating around. Parents will likely have to help younger children find and download books, though the interface is extremely intuitive for older kids.
Julian is currently very into character books, including Spider-Man, Hot Wheels, and Star Wars, and while I sometimes wish he'd opt for more traditional stories that don't belong to the Marvel universe, Dr. Ness stresses that when it comes to children's reading, all reading is good reading.
With that, Julian read through a few 'early reader' titles, dabbled in a comic-style picture book about a school bully, and checked out a National Geographic science book—and was engaged and excited the entire time.
'I like that it has books on it like Star Wars and The Incredibles,' he told me. 'It's easy to use. We can take it with us when we go to a cabin.'
The color is bright but not overpowering, adding more visual interest to graphic novels, comics, and picture books and making covers pop. The device is lightweight, waterproof, and can hold thousands of books, which makes it a great option for everyday or family vacations; we're headed out for a weeklong trip and will be packing the Kindle with books for Julian to read solo and with us at bedtime to save packing space.
How Can Parents and Caregivers Use Kindle Colorsoft Kids?
Dr. Ness advises looking at the device not as another screen for your kids to stare at, but as an interactive activity. 'Sit down and explore it together and talk through, 'Are you more interested in this book or that book? What makes you think this would be an interesting book to read? Let's read a few of the pages together,'' she says. 'That is what builds literacy. Parents can find out a lot about who their child is as a reader in the sit-down around the device.'
Just like I lost myself in new worlds and experiences as a young reader devouring everything at my rural library, the Kindle Colorsoft Kids device helps children discover what they love and enjoy more of it. 'Finding the content that resonates with you is the biggest thing that helps reluctant readers and kids develop a love of reading,' says Boehmer, 'Being able to find the thing that grabs your attention and your imagination really makes you love the experience.'
The Kindle Colorsoft Kids is best for children ages 3 to 13 and retails for $269.99; purchase includes one year of Amazon Kids+, a subscription service that unlocks access to thousands of age-appropriate Kindle the original article on Parents
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