Choosing a Binocular for Children

Wednesday October 10, 2018   |

It’s probably never too early to introduce kids to birding. Birding is a great family activity, it provides good exercise and it’s a fun way to learn about nature and science. It also brings to mind the chance for children to have their own binoculars! An initial problem for children might be that binoculars used by adults aren’t necessary the best for youngsters. Choosing the right binocular for small hands and young eyes is important.

Some challenging binocular attributes to consider for kids include size, weight, ease of focus, the child’s age, their level of interest and other factors are important when choosing a youngster’s first binocular.

For the most part, a lower magnification for a child’s binocular is best, as is a wide field of view so it’s easier to find the birds they are looking for. It’s also important that the binocular fits the child’s face and eyes.

Lightweight binoculars are best for children; if a binocular is too heavy, it will be hard to hold steady for a clear view. To help getting a clear view, choose a large exit pupil, which will help kids keep a bird centered over their pupils.

By the time a child reaches their early teens, they can probably handle an adult’s binocular, but many of the same factors as those listed above should be kept in mind.

So you see, there are several important considerations to keep in mind when shopping for a child’s binocular. For more advice from the pros at Optics4Birding that will help make the experience of selecting a binocular easier for you and more rewarding for your young birder, see https://www.optics4birding.com/chkids.aspx

Tune in next week to learn more about highly rated binoculars for kids.