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Kids
A child's telescope has to survive being knocked, point easily and show something impressive within the first two minutes. These three do all of that — and none of them are the flimsy 60mm tripod scopes sold in high-street toy aisles.
Updated June 2026 · Written by the TelescopeReviews.co.uk test team
Ages 6-8: a tabletop 76mm reflector on the garden table. Short, light, and impossible to knock over easily.
Ages 9-11: a 130mm tabletop Dobsonian. Real deep-sky capability and still child-sized.
Ages 12-14: a computerised 130mm GoTo if they are the gadget type, or a full-size Dobsonian if they are patient.
Never let a child point a telescope at the Sun, and remove any "solar filter" that screws into an eyepiece — those are dangerous. Keep sessions short and warm: a flask and a camping chair do more for enthusiasm than an extra 50mm of aperture.
Check the live price on Amazon UK — we do not publish fixed prices.
| Model | Type | Aperture | Rating | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Geographic 76/350 Kids ReflectorBest first telescope for children | Tabletop reflector | 76mm | 4.0 | Check price on Amazon UK → |
| Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P FlexTubeBest budget pick under £200 | Tabletop reflector | 130mm | 4.6 | Check price on Amazon UK → |
| Celestron NexStar 130SLTBest GoTo for beginners | Reflector, computerised | 130mm | 4.4 | Check price on Amazon UK → |
National Geographic 76/350 Kids Reflector
Best first telescope for children
Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P FlexTube
Best budget pick under £200
Celestron NexStar 130SLT
Best GoTo for beginners
Simple, sturdy and forgiving of small hands. Craters, the Pleiades and Jupiter's moons are all comfortably within reach.
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Cons
Collapses to the size of a shoebox, so it lives in a cupboard and comes out on a garden table whenever the Met Office promises a clear spell.
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Cons
Hand-controller GoTo finds 4,000+ objects for you, which matters when you only get twenty clear minutes before the next band of cloud arrives.
Pros
Cons