Credit:
Reviewed.com / Lisa Lawrence
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Credit:
Reviewed.com / Lisa Lawrence
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Choosing the best tablet for your child can be kind of tricky. A kid’s tablet is often a child’s first introduction to technology.
The best tablet for kids will be durable, have good screen quality, excellent battery life, and—most important—have excellent parenting controls.
For these reasons, I tested six of the most popular kids’ tablets on the market today with the help of my 6-year-old and 4-year-old.
We tested each device for about a week and used criteria such as ease of use, app and game quality, and device quality, from audio and touchscreen performance to durability, to determine their worth. We found the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids (11th Generation) (available at Amazon for $139.99) to be the best tablet for kids that we tried.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids is easiest to use, the easiest to hold and transport, and it comes preloaded with oodles of games to keep your kids occupied. In several years of testing at Reviewed, the Amazon tablets continue to be our top picks for kids’ tablets.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 comes preloaded with age appropriate content.
Great for younger kids
Comes preloaded with apps
Easy to use
Not durable
Case must be purchased separately
Good parental controls
Durable
No browser capabilities
Preloaded apps get boring
Lightweight
Easy set-up
No pre-loaded apps
Doesn't come with a case
Shatters easily
Kid-friendly design
Separate parent and child profiles
Compact size
Case blocks buttons & headphone input
No built-in apps
Hi, I’m Georgia Kral. In my career as a journalist, I’ve reported on many topics, from restaurants and food to parenting and education. I live in Montclair, N.J., with my husband and two kids.
Our daughter is 6 years old and my son is 4 years old. They have both been using tablets and interacting with screens for years, a skill that was honed and mastered during the pandemic.
I tested each of the tablets for about a week. First, I set each one up, which includes charging, establishing accounts, and depending on the device, setting up a separate child account. I then downloaded apps and set up parental controls.
The ease of navigating the interface of the tablet, from how intuitively it worked (or didn’t work) to how difficult it was to set up the child’s account and restrictions, played a large role in where the tablet appears in the rankings.
Next, I checked the basics on how each device worked: I measured audio and video quality, touch screen sensitivity, battery life, ease of connecting with Bluetooth and WiFi, and quality of design.
Lastly, my kids performed their own tests. I gauged their interest in the pre-installed and downloaded apps, how easily they were able to navigate and use the tablet and how quickly they lost interest in it. I took notes each time they used a tablet and wrote about their experiences after each test.
An important consideration when choosing a tablet is the operating system it runs on, and what companies, if any, are already linked. For example, if the parents or caregivers use Apple products, a Samsung or other device that runs on Android software may not initially be as desirable. Along similar lines, the Amazon Fire tablets are linked with your Amazon Prime account, which makes managing them very simple if you use Prime regularly.
These considerations did not affect our rankings, as everyone uses different products in their lives. For me, I use Apple products: iPhone, MacBook, etc. And while the Android tablets gave me some pause, I was able to use them with little effort and enjoyed them more than just giving my children an iPad.
Another consideration is whether you want a tablet that comes ready to use or one that needs to be set up with apps and content first. The Amazon tablets and the Onn came pre-installed with lots of apps, games, and more. Linking the Fires with my Prime account was also extremely simple. The Samsung, on the other hand, had the additional step of setting up the Kids portion of the device.
The age of your child also comes into play. An iPad or iPad mini is better suited to older kids who will be able to appreciate its quality and may be less in need of assistance when it comes to downloading apps. The Fire, Samsung, and Onn are good for all ages as the apps that are available span age ranges.
And of course, the price is, of course, always a consideration. Do you really want your 3, 4, or even 5-year-old responsible for a $300-plus device?
In her career as a journalist, Kral has reported on topics ranging from restaurants and food to parenting and education. She lives in Montclair, N.J., with her husband and two children.
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