Holiday Reading with Kindle for Kids

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Amazon. All photos and opinions are my own.

Can you believe that the holidays are almost here? I must admit that I'm in disbelief that the kids will be finishing up school for the Winter Break at the end of this week. Of course, the kids are super excited about it. Two weeks off school with their favorite holiday right in the middle - what could be better than that?

This year we don't have any major travel plans for the Winter Break but we will be making the most of the time off with local day trips and adventures. We'll also be making sure to spend plenty of quiet time relaxing. Things can get pretty chaotic at this time of year and we've also been dealing with a few illnesses over the past few weeks, so some much deserved rest and relaxation is definitely on the cards. For everyone! 

When it comes to relaxing, there are few things that could be better than finding a cozy spot and getting comfortable with a good book. This is true for the kids as well as us adults. Ava, in particular, is an avid reader and spends a lot of her spare time curled up with a favorite book, whether it be in her bed, on the couch, in a blanket fort, or under a tree in a park on a nice day.

When it comes to choosing just what to read the possibilities are almost endless. But when it comes to choosing what to read it on there's only one answer as far as I'm concerned: a Kindle! Ava has been reading on a Kindle for a little while now and she's hooked. I must say, so am I! We both love the ease of having everything she wants to read right there in her palm, but the benefits of the Kindle go so much further than that.

With the Kindle for Kids Bundle, Ava's Kindle e-reader came with a durable, and stylish, cover that keeps her Kindle protected when she throws it in my handbag, in her backpack or in the bottom of the stroller - all places that are often filled with leaves, half eaten sandwiches and various other random things that only a toddler would think to collect; thanks Mathilde! Just a few days ago a half eaten candy cane left a sticky mess all over the contents of my handbag, but Ava's Kindle was safe and sound in its cover which I was able to easily wipe clean. That candy cane? Pretty sure we can thank Mathilde for that one too! Toddlers...

Ava loves that when she's reading on her Kindle she can easily keep track of how far through the book or chapter she is and how long it should take to finish a chapter by checking out the information at the bottom of the screen. And should she need a little help understanding a word she has read, she simply clicks on it to bring up a definition thanks to the Word Wise feature. No more asking me what a word means or running to a computer to look it up. Such a super handy feature for kids - and adults too.

  

With paper books Ava was always looking for bookmarks to save her place. Or worse - turning the corners of the pages over. I must admit that I've been guilty of that crime against books more than once. With the Kindle her place is saved when she closes the cover. Easy. And even better, should she decide to continue reading on Kim's Kindle or another device, her place is saved there too once she goes into her profile. The ability to have more than one profile on each Kindle is a fabulous feature. It means that Ava can share her Kindle with Lola who is just learning to read. At such different reading levels they won't be reading the same books so having their own profiles set up means they only need to search through their own books to find what they're looking for. And should I happen to have a rare spare moment to sit down and read for myself, I can use my profile to read my own books on Ava's Kindle too. You know, unless I feel like reading Harry Potter like Ava!

With Lola being an early reader, one feature I really love is Kindle FreeTime. With Kindle FreeTime I can set goals for Lola to track her reading progress and accomplishments. To give her a sense of achievement she can even earn badges for reaching milestones. How cool is that? I can also control what she is able to access on the Kindle. No internet access, no accidental purchases. Nothing but reading fun. 

The Kindle is fantastic for when we're on the go, whether it be a BART ride into the city to explore San Francisco or a road trip further afield. It's small and light enough to throw in my handbag, can store as many books as we'd like to read, and the battery life is amazing. Just one charge lasts for weeks. Ava has always been quite the reader, but since she has been using the Kindle she has been reading even more than she usually would. I tend to avoid taking paper books with us on short bus or BART rides as they get damaged in my bag or under the stroller, and they can be quite heavy to carry around. The Kindle, however, is so light that I just throw it in my bag before we leave the apartment, then Ava reads once we get on the bus or BART - and I don't have to hear "I'm bored" over and over on the ride!

Still shopping for this year's holiday gifts for the kids in your life? Why not give them the gift of reading with a Kindle for Kids Bundle. Each bundle contains the latest Kindle e-reader, a cover (available in black, blue, green, pink and purple) and a two-year worry-free guarantee, all for $99.99.  Click here to shop.

What do you have planned for the holidays? Will you be taking it easy, and doing lots of reading, like us or do you have major travel plans? What ever your plans, make sure to pack a Kindle!