Category: Parenting

The 10.2-inch iPad is the best tablet for kids with a big screen, loads of apps and games, and long battery life.

Pros: Easy to use, large screen, loads of kid-friendly content available, long battery life, excellent performance, compatible with Apple Pencil

Cons: Expensive, parental controls not as extensive, doesn’t come with a bumper case

Apple’s tablets have long ruled the roost, and deservedly so, as they offer elegant design, slick software, and strong performance. All those combined make the 10.2-inch iPad our top pick of the best tablets for everyone, not just the small humans.

As a kids’ tablet, however, the 10.2-inch iPad is easy to use, has up to 10 hours of battery life, and comes in an aluminium body that is reasonably tough – though a rugged case is still advisable especially if younger kids are its primary users. The real star of the show here is its display, which is bright, sharp, and responsive. 

Because of Apple’s extensive app and iTunes libraries, there’s no shortage of kid-friendly content to choose, from educational apps and games to music, movies, and TV shows created for kids. 

Since individual pricing for movies or games can be steep, you should consider subscription services like Apple TV+, and you can always install Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming services that you’re signed up to. Apple Arcade also offers a selection of quality games like Sneaky Sasquatch, free of adverts or in-app purchases, for $5 per month. 

A great choice if you’re already invested in Apple’s ecosystem, the 10.2-inch iPad will also let you share content with the whole family and manage certain security settings easily from your iPhone using Apple’s parental controls. 

Storage in the 2020 version is limited to 32GB in the base model, however the fresh 2021 base model – which we’re testing now – comes with 64GB to start. You’ll have to get the $480 iPad with 256GB of storage if you plan on storing lots of games and other content locally on the iPad itself. Still, if you have the budget for the standard 10.2-inch iPad, a case, and kids content, there’s no doubt this is the best tablet for kids of all ages.

The perfect size for a portable tablet, the iPad Mini also packs a punch and offers access to a vast library of apps and games.

Pros: Powerful, portable, long battery life, and a huge choice of high-quality apps and games, compatible with Apple Pencil

Cons: Very expensive, parental controls are limited

The iPad Mini may be diminutive in stature, but it’s still a mighty tablet with plenty of processing power and long battery life. Plus, it’s portable for parents already overwhelmed with stuff to carry and much easier for small hands to manage than larger tablets.

Just like the regular iPad, the iPad Mini has an elegant aluminium body that will likely survive some knocks, though you should still plan to buy a rugged case if you want to minimize scratches, dings, and a cracked screen. The screen is sharp and vibrant, though its compact 8-inch size makes it more ideal for reading than playing games or watching movies. This compact screen size also makes it more difficult for drawing activities with the Apple Pencil, if this is a consideration. 

As with the 10.2-inch iPad, the iPad Mini makes the most sense for families with other Apple devices because you can configure things like screen time limits or approve app installations at any time and wherever you are on your iPhone. You can also share subscriptions or content with the whole family across your Apple devices. However, you do have a lot of work to do with getting your parental controls configured to filter content, limit screen time, block apps, and restrict purchases. 

The iPad Mini is also very expensive, starting from $400 for the 5th generation and $500 for the newest 6th generation, and is even more than the basic iPad. (We’re currently testing this model for future buying guide consideration and a full review.) You also have to factor in a protective case and content purchases on top, which makes the iPad Mini a relatively pricey option. The good news is that extra cash gets you a bit more storage in the base model at 64GB as well as a better front-facing camera. 

If budget isn’t a problem, any kid would love to own an iPad Mini, especially older kids and teens.

The Galaxy Tab A8 offers kids Android in all its glory with Google Play Store access.

Pros: Google Play Store access, affordable, great performance 

Cons: No bumper case, battery life could be longer 

While Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A Kids Edition isn’t currently available, there’s still the Galaxy Tab A8, which is essentially the same tablet only without the bumper case and Samsung’s Kids Interface. Still, the Galaxy Tab A8 offers the same access to the Google Play Store where you’ll find a ton of kid-friendly apps, games, and other content.

With its 8-inch screen and 1,280 x 800 resolution, it’s just visually appealing for kids, not to mention comparable to the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition in terms of performance and design. However, its parental controls aren’t as in-depth, and it doesn’t come with a bumper case, like you’d find on Amazon’s Fire HD 8 Kids Edition. It also costs $60 more. 

The good news is that you can always invest in a hardy kids case, and Google’s Play Store doesn’t require a subscription to access its innumerable apps and content. In fact, the Google Play Store’s vast catalogue on its own can be a big reason to pick the Galaxy Tab A8 over the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition. If you’re familiar with Android and don’t want to deal with a new operating system like Amazon’s, this will be an excellent option.

If you want something akin to the Amazon Kids+ hub that you’d find on Amazon’s Fire HD Kids Edition tablets, there is Samsung’s Kids, which costs $7.99/month. This subscription service does offer curated movies and TV shows, games, and books for children 3 to 8 years old, which means that it can be a good service if you’re looking for an easy button to find apps and content for your kids within that age range. 

The Galaxy Tab A8 comes with 32GB of built-in storage, which can be expanded fairly cheaply up to 512GB with a microSD card. While we recommend this as the best raw Android tablet for kids, we also think a tablet of this spec profile should have longer battery life, especially with its lower-end screen resolution.

A big screen without a big price tag and a library of age appropriate content make the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Edition a solid choice.

Pros: Easy to set up, great parental controls, big screen, curated content, affordable price, expandable storage

Cons: Amazon Appstore is limited, subscription costs after the first year, not waterproof

The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids is the biggest member of Amazon’s Fire tablet family, boasting a 10.1-inch display that’s plenty sharp and bright. To make it extremely kid-friendly, it’s encased in a thick, child-proof case, which redirects the speakers to the front and has a fold-out stand on the back to prop the tablet in landscape for watching movies hands-free. 

Amazon has put a decent processor in this tablet and 3GB of memory (RAM), so it doesn’t suffer from the same lag and delay that can plague some of its smaller tablets. There’s also 32GB of storage out of the box with room to expand up to 1TB via microSD card, and it even boasts decent battery life, a USB-C port for charging, and a brand new 5MP rear camera. That’s all while being slightly lighter than its 2019 predecessor.

What elevates this tablet for kids above others is the fact you get one year of Amazon Kids+ with your purchase for access to thousands of movies, books, TV shows, games, and apps that are specially curated and totally age-appropriate. You can also add your own choices to the mix, whether it be Minecraft or Netflix. 

The parental controls Amazon offers are also the best around. You have a one-stop settings panel where you can fine-tune limits on different activities, like blocking games after half an hour a day while still allowing reading, filter content by choosing precisely what to allow, and schedule downtime. 

The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids costs $200. After the first year, the Amazon Kids+ subscription costs $2.99 per month for Prime members. You can also just drop Amazon Kids+ altogether, but you’re limited to the Amazon Appstore for apps and games, and it has a much smaller selection than either Apple’s or Google’s offers.

The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition is affordable, packed with age appropriate fun, and offers effective parental controls.

Pros: Easy to set up, effective parental controls, up to 12-hour battery life, curated content, expandable storage

Cons: Amazon Appstore is limited without an Amazon Kids+ subscription

The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids is a solid, portable tablet that comes with many of the same advantages as its bigger sibling, the Fire HD 10 Kids. You’ll enjoy access to the same comprehensive parental controls, enabling you to specify precisely what your child has access to and when they can use their tablet. 

You get a year of Amazon Kids+ subscription, offering curated content that includes books, movies, TV shows, apps, and games all especially chosen for different age ranges. There’s also a 2-year, worry-free warranty, which means that Amazon will replace the tablet even if your child broke it accidentally.

The Fire HD 8 has an 8-inch screen with a respectable 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution, which works out to a decent 189 pixels per inch (ppi). The display is bright and legible, though it does fall well short of the display in the HD 10, which boasts 224 ppi. Still, it’s smaller form factor might be something younger kids would prefer.

Compared to the HD 10, the Fire HD 8 also has a somewhat slower processor, but Amazon says it has 30% better performance than the previous HD 8 generation, which was serviceable at best. Otherwise, the HD 8 comes with 2GB of RAM as well as the same 12-hour battery life as the HD 10. It also comes with a rugged, child-proof bumper case that has a useful kickstand.

Once again, there’s 32GB of storage, which isn’t a great deal, but there is also room for expansion up to 1TB, which gives you a relatively cheap way of adding extra storage.

At $130, even with some of the cons I’ve highlighted, the Fire HD 8 Kids is a real bargain and makes an excellent gift for younger children between the ages of five and nine years old.

Affordable, durable, and ready to entertain your young children, the Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition is a good first tablet.

Pros: Very affordable, solid design, curated content, child-proof case

Cons: Slow performance, low resolution display, Amazon Appstore is limited without Amazon Kids+ subscription

If you want a device that’s going to be safe and capable of standing up to a three-year-old, this is it. The Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition comes with an excellent protective case with a kickstand on the back, so your child can easily prop it anywhere to watch cartoons.

The Fire 7 Kids Edition comes with a host of age-appropriate, curated content through the Amazon Kids+ subscription service, which unlocks TV shows, movies, books, apps, and games starting at $2.99/month for Prime members and $4.99/month for non-Prime members. With this service, you can also set an age range, enabling the tablet to serve up a constantly changing menu that fits that age group. 

Amazon’s excellent parental controls and two-year worry-free warranty give you real peace of mind, which is especially important with younger kids. 

There are caveats here, however. The 7-inch screen has a disappointing resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels, which translates to just 171 ppi. It’s still sharp enough for comfortable reading and watching movies, but it’s also a somewhat dull display that can be a problem if your kids are using it on road trips. 

Performance-wise, its irritating delays and sluggish response are par for the course with a slow processor and just 1GB of RAM. The battery life is also limited, and it only has a mono speaker — both the HD 8 and HD 10 have stereo speakers. 

With that said, compromises at this price are inevitable and children under five years old aren’t likely to notice these issues anyway. All things considered, there’s no other tablet on the market that offers such a well-rounded package for so little. At $100, this is still a smart choice if you’re looking for a first tablet for a very young child.

Considering the number of options, we’ve done our due diligence at appraising a whole lot of them before finalizing our list. These are the kid-friendly tablets that didn’t quite make the cut.

• LeapFrog Epic: The strength of this tablet is educational content designed for younger kids, but a lot of the best content costs extra. Performance is poor, with frequent lag, and it has a low-resolution screen.
• Dragon Touch KidzPad Y88X 7: This lesser-known tablet comes pre-installed with 20 Disney audiobooks, includes a rugged case and a screen protector, and is affordable at $99. Unfortunately, its barely responsive touch screen and terrible picture quality will put a damper on the whole experience.

You’d be surprised at the number of kid-friendly tablets available out there all promising top-notch performance and a solid selection of content. Of course, some deliver better than others, which is why we carefully vet each one:

Internals

We first take a look at each tablet’s processor (CPU), memory (RAM), and storage drive. These are the things that make or break its performance. Whereas a powerful CPU and speedy RAM can make a kid-friendly tablet run fast and smoothly, a less powerful chip and slow memory can make it sluggish and less responsive. Having enough storage space to keep all their favorite apps installed is also vital, as is having room for storage expansion. 

Rugged build

The one thing you absolutely must take into consideration is just how rugged a tablet is. Kids are generally less careful about their devices, and accidental spills, drops, and knocks are bound to happen. A tablet that’s built to be resistant to all those is ideal. Many of these tablets for kids come with a rugged hard case, and sometimes a screen protector built-in. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that something without a rugged case is out of the question. A quick search should give you a plethora of sturdy case options should you opt for that.

Kid-friendly content

The one big thing we’re looking for when whittling our list down is the amount and quality of kid-friendly content on hand. We want to make sure that your kids have access to top-notch content that is just as entertaining as it is educational. Many tablets for kids come with affordable subscription services for curated kid content that are essential to the experience. Those that don’t offer such subscriptions must have plenty of kid content, apps, games, and educational apps available in Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.

Parental controls

When it comes to kids and the Internet, all parents want to make sure that they have all the tools to protect their kids. This is why we also check the parental controls. We make sure that each tablet has all the basics covered, including having the ability to filter out age-inappropriate content, restricting access to certain content, putting time limits on usage, and limiting or preventing purchases.

What size is best for a tablet for kids?

Ideally, the smaller the tablet, the easier for smaller hands to handle. However, the size of the tablet also depends on your kid’s preference and type of usage, as well as how portable you’d like their tablet to be. After all, you might end up having to carry that tablet when they’re not using it.

If they enjoy using it for educational games and activities, a smaller screen size should do nicely. If they prefer watching YouTube videos, movies, and shows on it, they might benefit from a bigger screen. Older kids might prefer such a screen as well, as they might use it for homework and school projects.

What resolution is best for a tablet for kids?

These days, it’s getting harder and harder to justify a 720p screen, let alone anything lower. We’re already living in a 4K world. In fact, there are already 8K displays out there, albeit very few. So, even if there are still kids tablets out there that come with lower resolution screens, we wouldn’t recommend them.

You’ll be doing your kids a favor by opting for something with a 800p display or higher. You might be able to get away with something lower if you’re on a budget – but only if it’s only slightly lower than 720p. Amazon’s Fire tablets for kids are typically 800p, but if you want something higher, we’d go for one of our Apple picks.

Are tablets that come with a rugged case waterproof?

Not necessarily. More often than not, these kid-proof rugged cases are really only built to withstand drops and bumps. Some third-party cases might offer some level of protection against dust and small spills. However, even those that come with Amazon’s Fire tablets for kids do not promise water- and dust-proofing.

• Apple Pencil: Apple’s wireless stylus pen is specifically designed to work with its line of iPads. Meant to improve your experience and add more functionalities to those tablets, the 2nd generation Apple Pencil works with the current generations of iPad Pros, Minis, and Airs.
• Resolution: A tablet’s display resolution is its screen’s pixel count on one line along its horizontal and vertical axis. The Fire HD 8 Kids, for example, with a 1,280 x 800 display resolution has 1,280 pixels on any of its single horizontal lines and 800 pixels on any of its single vertical lines. The higher these numbers are for a given screen size, the sharper and clearer a display is.
• microSD card: A smaller version of an SD card, a microSD card is a removable memory card that lets you store your files and carry them wherever you go. These tiny cards are often used by smaller devices to expand their storage.
• RAM: Short for random access memory and often referred to as a device’s “memory”, this is where all the data that your device needs to run an application, a game, or even a file is stored on a short-term basis so that the processor can access it quickly.
• PPI: This term stands for pixels per inch. In other words, a display’s PPI is the number of pixels in one inch or 2.54 cm. Usually, the higher this number or the higher the pixel density, the sharper the display is.
• CPU: Short for central processing unit, a CPU or processor is the hardware responsible for executing instructions and carrying out your device’s tasks. Essentially, this is the brain of your kid’s tablet.