WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING AN ELECTRIC GUITAR FOR YOUR CHILD, there's a couple of things you need to know.

1. You need to buy from a trusted maker so that no matter what you get, you know it's going to play great.
2. Electric guitars require two accessories--an "amp" to play through and an instrument cable to plug the guitar into the amp.

Electric guitars can be broken down into beginner, mid-level, and high end electrics depending on your budget and the quality of guitar you'd like to get for your child. However, since I don't recommend getting a high end electric yet, as you child is still developing their style, here is my rule of thumb: If you really need to keep things low budget then a beginner electric guitar pack is the way to go, and I have some great options listed below. However, your child will have the best playing experience with a mid-level guitar. I go into more details about these two categories below.

BEGINNER

Beginner guitars are somewhere in the $150-$400 range. Often times, these guitars come in what are called "packs," meaning you get an electric guitar, amp, cables, and typically other little goodies all in one "pack." I'm a fan of Squire (by Fender) and Epiphone (by Gibson) for beginner electrics. These will work great if you want a quality guitar but don't want to dish out a lot of cash. Here are 3 recommended options for guitar "packs" you can order through Amazon that give you everything you need (guitar, amp, and cables) all in one. 

MID-LEVEL

These guitars are typically from about $350-$900 and an amp must be bought separately. They are certainly a big step up in quality from beginner guitars though. They will have nicer construction and electronic pickups that deliver better tone with less noise. The necks will be more playable and the hardware (tuner and bridge) are upgraded. Mid-level guitars will be suitable for the long-term, especially if your child begins to play in public regularly or starts to dabble in recording. You can use a mid-level guitar on a professional level, and you can even upgrade it with high-end electronics if desired.

Below are some legendary guitar models! Fender Strats and Teles are extremely versatile and are used in almost every imaginable style. That being said, I will lists artists who styles are linked to these particular guitars to give you an idea of what kinds of sounds they can produce. Stratocasters (aka Strats) give a blues/rock tone (Jimmy Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughn). Fender Telecasters (aka Teles) will give you twang and a backwoods blues sound (Muddy Waters and Brad Paisley). The Epiphone Les Paul Standard provides a versatile rock tone (Led Zepplin, Alabama Shakes, and Eric Clapton). The Epiphone G-400 creates a more specific rock sound (AC/DC, Derek Trucks). The Epiphone ES-339 is perfect for rock n' roll, blues, and jazz styles (Chuck Berry, B.B. King, John Scofield). The ESP LTD EC-256 is made for hard rock and metal (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer). You can select from different color options too when you click the link.  

AMPS

You'll also need a quality amp that will allow your mid-level guitar to sing beautifully. I highly suggest a simple no frills amps rather than a complex digital amp with all kinds of bells and whistles (they're usually gimmicky and advertisers try and sell them to naive first-time guitarists). Here are some of my most recommended practice amps that are great for playing in the bedroom or garage.

INSTRUMENT CABLE

These are also called 1/4" cables or phono plugs. They simply plug the guitar into the amp. Here's some of different colors and/or lengths:  

And that's it!

Those are my suggestions as someone who has played a lot of guitars over the years. Happy shopping!

-Jairus