5 Best Tablets for Kids That Are Fun, Durable, and Educational
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When it comes to shopping for a tablet for your son or daughter, hardware specs like a fast processor or several gigabytes of RAM aren't the most important qualities to consider. Instead, durability, a long warranty, and the availability of parental controls are features to keep in mind as a parent. Downloadable or pre-installed kid-friendly content is also essential.
How to Pick a Kid's Tablet
Choosing a brand of kid’s tablet should ultimately come down to your child’s age. Manufacturers like Leapfrog and Amazon make tablets that are well-suited to younger kids because of their drop-proof bumpers and modified operating systems. For instance, Amazon’s bevy of kids' tablets runs a watered-down version of Android that's easier to use, and it doesn’t have the Google Play app store installed on it. Instead, it has the Amazon App Store, where you can install third-party kid-friendly versions of apps. You’ll have to jump through more hoops to install apps like YouTube, Netflix, or Snapchat than you would on a Samsung Android tablet or an Apple iPad.
When your kids get older, they’ll probably want a more grown-up-looking tablet that looks like the one you use that isn’t as locked down. Of course, you can “open up” Amazon and Leapfrog tablets to allow access to regular Android apps like Netflix and Musical.ly when you decide the time is right. Amazon's Fire tablets even have different user experiences depending on which type of profile (Child, Teen, or Adult) you select when you set it up.
However, no matter how many settings you modify, you can’t change the tablet’s kid-centric, brightly colored, and well-protected exterior. Your son or daughter probably already knows what a real tablet looks like, because they've almost certainly borrowed an iPad or Android tablet in the past from a friend, relative, or even you.
What Apps Are Included?
Kids' tablets oftentimes come pre-installed with kid-friendly apps and web browsers, and they can even offer parental controls to limit usage and prevent in-app purchases. For example, Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited service offers instant access to thousands of books, educational apps, videos, and games that are perfectly suited for kids 10 and younger. The service costs $2.99 each month, but when you buy an Amazon Kids tablet, you get a one-year subscription for free.
Leapfrog and Samsung’s tablets also have kid-centric platforms that are quite good. LeapFrog Academy is a learning service aimed at preschoolers aged 3 to 6 years old, and it costs $7.99 a month with a 1-month free trial. It’s packed full of books, games, puzzles, videos, and music, all centered around traditional school subjects to inspire creativity, problem solving, and social skills.
Samsung’s service, aptly named Samsung Kids, is suited for kids 3 to 8 years old, and it costs $7.99 each month (or $59.99 for a year). Your subscription includes an expansive library of educational games, books, and videos featuring some of your child's favorite characters from shows like Super WHY.
What About the iPad?
The iPad doesn't have a kid-centric subscription service, but it does offer the widest catalogue of apps and games. At over $300, you may deem it too expensive for your child. Apple used to sell more affordable iPad Minis, but its newest release — the iPad Mini 6 — got a major tech upgrade and comes with up to 256 GB of storage, resulting in an expensive price tag that starts at $500.
Today, the tech giant sells a slightly more affordable version of their standard iPad 9th Generation, which comes with a larger 10.2-inch screen (compared to the 2021 iPad Mini's 8.3-inch one), up to 256 GB of storage, an A13 bionic chip processor, and support for the 1st-generation Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. Although we think that iPads offer the best selection of apps, games, and educational content in the business, we also think that you should only buy one for your son or daughter if they're responsible enough to take care of one — especially considering their steep asking price and shortage of advanced parental controls.
Ready to discover exactly which tablet for kids is best for your child's age needs and your budget? Shop our picks below for the best kid- and parent-approved options!
Shop the best deals on tablets for kids on Amazon.
Learn More About Our Top Five Picks:
Best Overall
Pro: Includes accidental damage protection
Con: The home screen isn't customizable
Hands down, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids is the best tablet you can buy for your young son or daughter. It has a tough build, a 12-hour battery, and a robust set of parental controls. The tablet's foam case, which comes in aqua, lavender, or sky blue, protects it from drops and scratches. Even better, the Fire HD 10 comes with Amazon's 2-year "Worry-Free Warranty," which covers accidental damage. So, if your child jams a candy bar in the charging port or drops it in the toilet and renders it useless, Amazon will replace it, no questions asked.
The tablet runs Amazon's modified version of Android, Fire OS 7, so it doesn't have the Google Play Store on it, but it's much easier to use and navigate, and you can still download Google Play if you want. You can change the user experience based on who's using the tablet, whether it be a child, teen, or parent — a feature the iPad lacks. Parents are able to set preferences that limit usage, block purchases, and protect against age-inappropriate content.
Amazon also gives buyers a 1-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, a content library that gives kids access to thousands of age-appropriate videos, books, games, and apps. The tablet is equipped with 32 GB of storage, but you may want to purchase a microSD card for more room for movies and games.
Best Samsung for Kids
Pro: Impressive battery life
Con: Bixby voice assistant isn't as powerful or helpful as Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant
The sleek and lightweight Galaxy Tab A by Samsung sports a bright 8-inch display with a 1,280 by 800 HD resolution that's perfect for Netflix binges or reading under the covers at night. It comes in black or silver, and it's one of the few affordable tablets that uses the newer USB-C charging port. This comes in handy for kids because the tablet's charging cable is completely reversible, making it easy to plug in and charge the device.
It's a powerful and portable pick that's powered by Android, and it has the Google Play Store, making it a great choice for teens, although we wish that its parental controls were as thorough as Amazon's tablet. On the plus side, parents can install "Samsung Kids," an expansive library of educational games, books, and videos that are kid-friendly and easy to monitor and control. There are also several colorful kid-friendly cases available for this tablet, too.
The device is equipped with 32 GB of storage and 2 GB of RAM, and it has dual cameras that'll come in handy for Skyping the grandparents or making YouTube videos. Other highlights of the tablet include a 1.4 GHz processor, expandable memory, and 14 hours of battery life. Plus, its metal frame helps protect the screen from shattering in the unfortunate event that you or your child drops it.
Best for Toddlers
Pro: Compact and affordable
Con: Not HD capable
Similar to its larger counterpart we chose for Best Overall, the Fire HD 7 Kids Edition is Amazon's cheaper 7-inch tablet. It has 16 GB of storage, allowing kiddies to stream shows, play games, or read e-books from its expanse content library. Entertaining your tot on long drives or while hanging out at home, this pick has a 10-hour battery life, so they can stay engaged with educational games featuring their favorite characters like Pete the Cat and the cast of Sesame Street.
It comes with a kid-proof, chunky bumper case to protect the tablet from accidental drops and also features curves on the side to help kids hold this comfortably, as well as a prop in the back for easy show watching. Your child will also love how portable this is, so they won't cry out, "I'm bored!"
Best iPad for Kids
Pro: Its user interface is one of the most intuitive and easiest to use
Cons: Parental controls are lacking as is the ability to use multiple accounts
Considering its powerful A15 bionic chip, large hard drive, its gorgeous 8.3-inch liquid retina display, and support for the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil and Bluetooth keyboards, the iPad Mini is arguably the best small tablet you can buy. It runs the best mobile operating system available, and it has a stellar all-day battery life. Not to mention, Apple's App Store has the widest selection of apps, games, and educational content in the business. Plus, there are plenty of rugged cases to choose from for the iPad that'll keep it in one piece when your child inevitably drops it.
The iPad is extremely powerful and can do a lot — it's capable of running augmented reality apps and games, it offers side-by-side multitasking capabilities, and it lets you quickly jot down notes or sketches with its convenient Pencil accessory. Despite all this, we don't think the iPad is the best tablet for kids. We named the Amazon Fire HD 8 the best kids' tablet over the iPad, not for its performance or expansive app library, but because it's a better value and has a much more extensive set of parental controls.
The iPad Mini — which starts at $500 — has some settings to prevent access to explicit content, and prevent in-app purchases, but parental controls are harder to access and get set up than on Amazon's tablets. Not only that, the iPad lacks several parental control features that you will want to take advantage of. For instance, there's no way to make an iPad turn off when it's time for bed and keep it powered down until morning, or incentivize behavior. For example, you can't reward your son with 15 minutes of game play after he reads for 30 minutes.
Fortunately, you can set a daily allotment of time for a specific app or app category (think games, social media, entertainment, etc.) on the iPad. Once time runs out, the iPad blocks access to those apps. You son or daughter can ask you for time extensions, which is displayed as a notification on your iOS device. However, these notifications get annoying very quickly, and make it easy to cave in.
If you're fine with forfeiting advanced parental controls, your son or daughter will love an iPad. It's so nice, you'll want to use it, too — but we think the iPad's lack of parental controls and their complexity for the ones that do exist can't be ignored.
Related: Read Our Full Review of the iPad
Best for Teens
Pro: Comes with the S-Pen
Con: Bookcover sold separately
Ideal for students, the S6 Lite makes note-taking easy with its included S-pen that allows you to write on the screen, and it's one of the most affordable tablets you can buy that comes with a stylus. It's incredibly thin at only .28 inches, weighs only one pound, and comes in attractive metallics of blue, gray, and pink.
The sound on this tablet is impressive, thanks to its dual-speaker, Dolby Atmos surround sound. It has both a front camera (5MP) and rear camera (8MP). The storage options go up to 128GB, but you can expand that to 1TB with a micro SD card. WiFi and Bluetooth are built in, and Samsung claims you’ll get up to 12 hours of battery life with this tablet.
Get a durable case, and this tablet is one your teen can use for years to come.
Read More:
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