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Do you know what to look for when shopping for a tablet for kids?

Because not all tablets are created equal. Many companies have tablets designed just for kids. These tablets offer integrated parental controls, kid friendly content, extra durability and more.

What to look for in a Kid’s Tablet

Content

First and foremost you’ll want to look at what type of apps and videos a tablet offers because if your child isn’t interested they won’t play with it. If your child is into in a specific topic or certain characters find out if the tablet offers content that is relevant for your child. Also, make sure the content is age appropriate, meaning if your 3 year old child likes super heroes and there are game about super heroes but are geared toward older kids your child will eventually get frustrated with those apps because they don’t have the skills required to play them. Likewise, look at content that your child can grow into. You don’t want to invest in an tablet they will outgrow in 6 months.

Additionally, see what content comes standard with the tablet and what content has to be downloaded and if there are additional fees involved. If content has to be downloaded does the tablet have wifi for downloading content or does it have to be synced on a computer? These are all important things to research when selecting a tablet for your child.

Durability

Kids are tough on toys and they will try their hardest to break whatever tablet you get them. If you’re going to invest in a tablet for your child make sure it can withstand being dropped, sat upon, hit, and general abuse. Find out at what type of case the tablet has and look into any warranty options available.

Parental Controls

I think most parents would agree that controlling what content your child is able to view while on a tablet is crucial. You want to protect your children but also allow them to view child friendly content. Most kid tablets offer some sort of parental control to make sure your child is safe, especially if they are on the web. But parental controls go beyond monitoring web content. Parental controls also allow you to set time limitations on tablet usage, set educational goals, and remotely control the tablet from your parent account.

Cost

Finally, how much do you want to spend? Tablets can be costly especially as companies add more bells and whistles. All of these extra can be worth it if the tablet is a good fit for your child. If you plan on spending over $100 on a tablet for your child you want to be sure that you are getting your money’s worth. Sometimes spending a little more on a quality product that will last long is worth the few extra dollars.

Recommendations

Amazon Fire 7 Kids

The Amazon Fire 7 is an afforable option for kids ages 2-12. This is a versatile tablet that offers videos, books, games and more for children of all ages and skill levels. When utilizing the Amazon FreeTime Unlimited children take control of which pre-approved, age appropriate, parent selected apps they want to use. Amazon also offers a great warranty deal that covers pretty much anything your kid can throw at it. The parental controls allow parents to set time limits, set goals, select specific content, add additional content and remotely control the app from your Amazon Prime account. This is the smallest of the Amazon Fire Kid tablets but offers a great punch for a great price.

Features

• 7 inch display
• Kid-Proof Case
• 2-year worry-free guarantee
• Amazon FreeTime Unlimited (1 year free)
• Downloadable content, no WiFi needed
• Parental Controls
• Kid-safe browser
• 16 GB Storage
• Up to 8 hours of battery life
  
• Mono speaker, built-in microphone
• VGA front-facing + 2 MP rear-facing with 720p HD video recording
• Dual-band Wi-Fi

Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids

The newest and biggest of the Amazon Fire Kids tablets is the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition. The Fire HS 10 offers all of the same features the 7 has but has a larger screen (HD), twice as much storage, faster processing and dual stereo speakers. This is a great tablet but it comes with a price almost double that of the Fire 7 at $199.99. If you’re looking for a little more storage and a slightly larger screen the Amazon Fire 8 Kids might be a great alternative.

Features

• 10.1″ 1080p Full HD display
  
• Kid-Proof Case
• 2-year worry-free guarantee
• Amazon FreeTime Unlimited (1 year free)
• Downloadable content, no WiFi needed
• Parental Controls
• Kid-safe browser
• 32 GB Storage
• Quad-core up to 1.8 GHz with 2 GB of RAM
• Up to 10 hours of battery life
  
• Dolby Atmos, dual stereo speakers, built-in microphone
• VGA front-facing + 2 MP rear-facing with 720p HD video recording
• Dual-band Wi-Fi

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition

LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition

LeapFrog offers 7 different tablets but we thing the LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition is by far the best tablet for the money. The Epic is best for children ages 3-9 years old and offers adjustable skill levels.  You’ll have access to the LeapFrog Learning Library and Approved Android Apps. But what makes this app special is access to the LeapFrog Academy, the new learning subscription service from LeapFrog. This tablet has great content right out of the box and fully equipped with excellent parental control features.

Features

• 7 inch shatter resistant display
• 7 hours of batter life
• 16GB storage
• 2MP front and back camera
• playable homescreen
• 2 year warranty
• $175 of included content
• peer-to-peer play
• removable bumper case
• kid-safe browser
• parental controls

LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition

Notable Mention

LeapFrog LeapPad Ultimate

 

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