How To Choose The Best Tablet For Kids 2021: What You Need To Consider In Buying A Child-Friendly Device

In the 90s, most of us would be lucky enough to get our hands on the latest Gameboy device. It was the gadget all the kids raved about and played games in. But with technology’s significant advancement throughout the years, kids of today have moved on to using tablets. So if you’ve been in the market for a kid-friendly tablet, here’s a buyer’s guide on how to choose the best tablet for kids this 2021.

Nowadays, kids learn and understand technology at a pretty young age. Some of them even get exposed to these high-tech devices much earlier than the time they learn how to walk on two feet. And who could blame these parents? Tablets that are made especially for children are such versatile devices that can keep your child from boredom and keep them entertained for days on end.

So whether you’re looking for a device that can keep your kid occupied during lockdowns or school holidays or want to use this as a tool for their learning and education, this buyer’s guide will surely help you out.

Want To Check Out Our Top Recommendations For The Best Tablets For Kids In 2021? Click Here To Read Our Full Article.

Some Friendly Shopping Tips For Parents

Now whether you’re buying from a physical store or through shopping sites like Amazon, here are some friendly shopping tips you might want to consider before making any final purchases.

Why Should You Get A Kid-Friendly Tablet And Not One Made For Adults

To be fair, I’m not saying tablets that are targeted at adults are bad or anything. It’s just these tablets are generally more complex to learn for a kid. Especially for kids who are still toddlers or in preschool. Obviously, they will offer better hardware and faster processors as well as having impressive tools and apps for productivity.

However, these premium specs and features also come in with more expensive prices that I feel shouldn’t be spent if you’re just looking for a device for your kid.

Aside from that, turning on parental controls on these grown-up tablets can often be complicated and are not as strict as you would like. Sometimes, kids can even manage to make in-app purchases without your permission or be exposed to inappropriate content or sites. And that’s where tablets that are made specifically for kids shine.

So What’s The Difference?

Tablets for kids and grown-ups differ so much in terms of features, specifications, durability, and the apps you can access. First off, tablets for kids are usually encased with chunky protective casings and are built to be more durable to withstand even the clumsiest children.

When it comes to price, they’re usually much cheaper in comparison to grown-up tablets. Most of them don’t really go over more than $200 which is a huge steal in my opinion. These devices also are most likely sporting a rugged design to make them well-protected from accidental drops and bumps.

In addition to that, tablets made specifically for children also offer a lot of parental controls. This makes sure you can monitor what your child is watching or doing on their tablets and for how long. Some even allow you to filter certain content you don’t want your child to be exposed to.

But what’s great about kid-friendly tablets is the amount of age-appropriate content that your child can enjoy to their heart’s content. Though keep in mind that not all of them are built equally. Some give you limited access to content you can only fully view for a monthly subscription. But they’re usually pretty cheap like the Amazon Kids+.

Know The Purpose Of Buying A Tablet For Your Kids

When it comes to kid-friendly tablets, a lot of models in the market are limited to streaming content and playing games. However, some also offer tools for productivity to help them with their school.

But keep in mind, these additional features can oftentimes come at an added cost. Apart from that, knowing the purpose of why you’re getting a tablet for your kid can also narrow down your options to avoid getting overwhelmed by the number of tablets you can choose from.

One way to help you in deciding and making things easier for you is to list down the features and things you want your kid’s tablet to do for them. Ask yourself questions like, will it be mainly used for school purposes? Maybe a source of entertainment for your kid to keep them occupied? Or both? Knowing these things can point you in the right direction as well as lessening your shopping stress.

Below are some differences between a tablet made for entertainment and educational purposes:

For Entertainment

This is usually the main reason why parents like to invest in tablets for their kids.

Most of them buy tablets to help keep their kids entertained and behaved in one spot. Sometimes, these kid-friendly content and apps are either pre-installed in the system or you can manually install streaming apps and games on these devices so they can play and watch learning shows dedicated to kids.

Not to mention, it’s just a great way to keep your kid’s attention focused on one thing while enjoying themselves. Just don’t forget to turn on the parental controls!

If you’re a working parent who’s often stressed or tired from your job and has difficulty keeping up with your child’s energy, a tablet can be your saving grace. Just turn it on for them and let them stream and play games to their heart’s content. After that, you can just sit back and relax as you keep an eye out on your kid from a distance.

With that being said, tablets are a lot of fun for kids and they will surely enjoy spending their time learning new things and watching fun shows on these kid-friendly devices.

If You’re Looking For The Best Tablet For Your Kids To Play With In 2021, Check Out Our Full Review Of The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Here.

For School Purposes

If you’re planning on buying a tablet for your kid for their school, most tablets that are marketed for kids might not be enough. As you might already know, most of these kid-friendly tablets are highly focused on providing games and entertainment that can be educational. While on the other hand, features for productivity might be a bit lacking or sometimes, completely non-existent.

The thing is, tablets for kids are very limited in the things they can do outside of streaming and playing games. Some of them don’t even have access to Google Playstore or any App libraries that can offer productivity.

So oftentimes, you’ll be stuck with the apps pre-installed on your kid’s tablet with no way to customize them. Most of these apps aren’t also the most helpful when it comes to managing school works and assignments. Especially if your kid is attending online classes, you’ll want a device that can multitask for them.

In these cases, you might want to look for tablets that offer better features and specs along with powerful enough hardware. This is when you might also want to start considering the tablet series of Apple or Samsung. But it’s not necessary to get the latest high-end models for your kid. Previous generations of the iPad or the Galaxy Tab are amazing bargains and would save you a lot of money.

Looking For A Tablet For Your Kids For Their School? Check Out Our Full Review Of The Apple iPad 8th Gen Here.

Make Sure That The Specs Are Up To Date

Tablets for kids are more than just toys for them to play with. Just because it’s meant for your child’s use, doesn’t mean that the hardware has to be an afterthought. Sometimes, you have to really consider the specifications as well as the hardware these devices offer to make sure that they can last your kid up to a certain age.

This way, you can also avoid easily outdated devices and you can ensure that you’re getting your money’s worth. Not to mention, it can be quite nice if the tablet has expandable storage and can handle apps like Netflix or games like Roblox so your kid has more options for streaming his favorite shows and playing games.

Apart from that, when your kid’s tablet has decent hardware, random meltdowns and the device shutting off after a certain amount of use can be avoided. Nothing is more frustrating than having your child’s source of entertainment suddenly cut off while your kid is in the middle of enjoying themselves. Sometimes, these scenarios might even lead to sudden outbursts and lots of crying until the device is fixed.

If You Think You’re Ready To Buy A Tablet For Your Kids, Check Out Our Top Recommendations Here.

Streaming Apps To Consider

Most tablets for kids already have plenty of apps pre-installed into their system. But adding a few more apps so your kid has more options to choose from is always a nice thing to have. Some of the most popular apps kids use are streaming apps. So here are the most popular apps you can install on your child’s tablet:

• Youtube Kids is an app that has tons of curated selection that are marketed for kids along with parental features you can adjust to filter content depending on the age group you have chosen for your kids.
• Amazon Kids+ is a monthly subscription that allows access to almost endless kid-friendly content for your children ranging from shows, audiobooks, and so much more.
• Netflix Kids is pretty similar with Youtube Kids. It’s a separate account that’s built into your main account made specifically for kids. It also has parental controls you can customize.

Conclusion

Overall, kid-friendly tablets are great devices that can offer support for your children’s learning and growing process through both educational and entertaining content. They offer a lot of versatility for an affordable price that can help your child’s intellectual, emotional, and social development as they age.

Does your child already have a tablet? Which one did you get? Or are you still thinking of investing in one? Let me know in the comments section below if you have any questions, suggestions, or insights to share. I would love to hear all your thoughts!

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