What features do kids binoculars need?

Parents wanting to encourage a child's intellectual growth and physical well being find that nature observation is a great way to accomplish both goals. Helping children take a better look at wildlife is a natural way to teach them to love and appreciate the outdoors.
     Put a pair of binoculars in a kid's hand and see how excited they get! We recommend that kids keep the magnification down around 7x or 8x. Higher magnification models narrow the field of view, making it more difficult to find and follow things on the move. The images may also appear shaky, hurting the resolution.

Main Points to Remember

     Does the binocular fit comfortably in the child's hand?

     Can the child easily reach and use the focus knob
     of the binocular?

     Do the binocular barrels fold in close enough
     for the child's eyes?

Binoculars for Smaller Children
Smaller children usually work better with compact binoculars. Compact binoculars will fold down close enough to fit the child's narrow interpupillary distance (measurement between a person's eyes) and fit nicely into small hands. It is also easier for kids to reach and manipulate the focus wheel on smaller, compact binoculars.

Binoculars for Older Children
Older children, or those who are larger, can use the same full size binoculars as an adult would use, though many still prefer the smaller compact binoculars. Let's face it, kids have pretty active lifestyles and it's easier to hike and bike with a compact binocular.


More about choosing binoculars.




With a combined total of over 50 years of optics experience, the product reviewers of Eagle Optics are proud to provide birders, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts with a comprehensive website all about optics