My young daughter seem to get interested in taking pictures, as many kids do. The good thing is that I own an Olympus 720SW which is not a great camera but is robust, shock resistant and waterproof up to a certain depth. This is a great tool for a kid who wants to play or learn, it depends on the subject. She seem to be wiling to learn a bit, through the playing process. She also lend her camera to her friends and explain them how it works, what to do and what to do not. The funny thing is that she can take way better pictures with my DRSL. Despite of the weight and the bulk she takes great advantage of the immediate response of the shutter button and the images come out much better than with a compact camera, clumsy, slow and easy to move while taking a picture. Of course they all love to see the pictures afterward :-)