Which children's tablet is right for my child?

Not only because Christmas is just around the corner, I am currently focusing more and more on the topic of "children's tablets". As a tech-savvy person, I am of course a role model for my offspring (cough, cough ...), and junior, how can it be otherwise, wants to have the same thing as dad: a tablet. Of course, reading one or two reviews without doing your research and simply buying some device without worrying about the basics is not an option. That is why I would like to share my reflections with you today.

Which children's tablet models are recommended?

When it comes to children's tablets, you can make a fundamental distinction: There are devices that are designed for child use only, with others you can Switch between the child and adult setting. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages:

Pure children's tablets:

These devices are basically child-friendly and usually have less computing power than the "adult tablets". But here are the details:

Advantages:

• These tablets are optically designed to meet the needs of children and can withstand rough treatment.
• They only have functions, buttons, Apps and games.
• The children have their own device.
• Parents and children can be on their own tablet at the same time.

Disadvantages:

• When the children have outgrown the tablet, something new is needed.
• The functions cannot be expanded at will.
• The displays are often rather small - "Retina" is a foreign word there.

Converted "normal" tablet devices

This means tablets like the Apple iPad that are protected with a case. Sometimes there are even iPad cases that are specially designed for use with children: They cover certain controls and have a child-friendly appearance. Examples of this are not presented in this article, but if you are interested in this variant to convert your iPad (2, 3, 4 and Air), then take a look at these models: Lavolta Eva children's case, Cooper Cases Dynamo children's case for iPad Air (also available for other iPad models and Samsung Galaxy Tab) or Fintie kiddie case.

Advantages:

• In theory, you only need one device for the whole family, which saves resources. The emphasis is on theoretical. When the child uses the tablet, a rubber cover is put over them (the tablet, not the child). So it is protected from bumps.
• Likewise, in theory, such a tablet can accompany a child into adulthood. These devices can already do almost everything, from playing games to reading to watching films, taking and editing photos and videos. Here too, with an emphasis on theoretical, because you want to keep up with current developments. Nevertheless, such a tablet will be in use longer than a pure children's tablet.
• If you get a new iPad, the old one can still be used for educational games even with 5 years under your belt. To what extent this applies to other tablets, I can't say, but my old iPad 2 is still a hit with the kids.

Disadvantages:

• Everyone on their tablet, that's not possible. This is not a direct disadvantage, because the kids shouldn't use the media in an uncontrolled manner anyway, but it can lead to conflicts, especially if there are several children in the house. However, you can still watch a film together, for example.
• If the tablet breaks, nobody can use one anymore. Here Amazon has a great idea with its "Fire Kids Edition", which I will come back to in a moment.
• The biggest disadvantage, however, is that it is not easy to restrict the websites or YouTube videos that the children can visit. Exception: With the Apple iPad, however, you can switch on a "child safety lock" which restricts a number of functions and also activate "guided access" in an app (see Apple website), which keeps the user in this one app. The home button is deactivated and you can only get out of this mode if you know a code.

Are the devices educationally valuable?

Basically it can be said that the use of tablets for children the Hand and eye coordination trained and that child-friendly apps and games are conducive to cognitive development. In this way children discover the world in a playful way and can prepare for a life in which Technology plays an important role.

Whether the children's tablets are educationally valuable, however, depends above all on which apps are installed for the children. Here, parents should use common sense and choose accordingly.

The best models

Let's start with the pure children's tablets, which are comparatively cheap to get. This model catches the eye:

Children's tablet VTech Storio Max 5 - from 4 years

The learning tablet VTech learning tablet Storio MAX 5 inches (here in pink) has a good 20 pre-installed apps. It is suitable for children from 4 to 9 years of age.

VTech is known for high-quality electronic learning toys, so it is not surprising that the Storio Max 5 is also convincing across the board. It has a touchscreen and is easy to understand for children. For those who don't like pink, there is a similar model in blue / black. The customer ratings are only very good. Here is an excerpt from Amazon:

This VTech tablet is made for little mice. No risk of getting on the wrong page. There is a parent area where you can set everything, including a time limit. My little one is totally over the moon. She got along perfectly with the tablet and started right away. I hardly need to explain anything. She has a lot of fun and is always laughing.

The VTech Storio Max 5 learning tablet at a glance

The main innovations compared to the previous model are that this device has a Web browser and an power cable for practical charging. With 20 pre-installed apps and 3 games there is sufficient child-friendly entertainment and support. Access to the network can be completed by parents controlled be also the establishment of Time limits is provided.

The risk of accessing unsuitable or chargeable pages is excluded from the outset. That's what this tablet does optimally suitable for children. The device can be expanded with other educational games and of course also contains a reading app - this is how parents playfully encourage children from an early age Reading skills. This tablet is rained for children from approx. 4 years - but parents know best what they can trust their child.

The next model is designed for older children, is considered to be the safest tablet on the market and encourages children in many ways:

The Kurio Tab 2 motion 17.78 cm (7 inches) - from 5 years

We are Kurio Tab2 motion offers some extras: You can also connect it to the television via HDMI, read eBooks, listen to music and much more.

We are Kurio Tab 2 motion Tablet for children with a great 7 inch display and many child-friendly apps and games is ideal for children between 5 and 10 years of age. Here is that too playing together promoted, because especially with the numerous Playing sports can in the 2 player mode change. This not only trains body awareness, the children also learn to act in a team.

The advantages of the Kurio Tab 2 motion at a glance

The Kurio Tab promotes technical understanding and prepares children for the world of tomorrow. At the same time, it strengthens body awareness and coordination with appropriate apps. over HDMI can the tab be attached to the TV can be connected and thus becomes multidimensional.

The selection of games and apps was made with great care. These are not just from TOGGO supports, the Kurio kids tablet was recognized for its security performance by Google certified. Reading countless e-books, arithmetic, listening to music and solving logical tasks, all of this is with the Kurio Tab 2 motion a simple. I have to say, with the purely children's tablets a real favorite.

Kindle Fire "Kids Edition" - interesting model for families

Even "combi models", i.e. tablets converted for children, do not have to hide behind the other models, on the contrary. Especially The Amazon stands out from the crowd with its child- and parent-friendly range:

Amazon Fire Kids Edition - nothing more is possible for kids from 3 years of age

Parents can have no worries here, because the children receive with the Fire Kids Edition (7 inch display, WLAN, 8 GB or 16 GB) Not only a fully equipped Kindle Fire, but also one year of free time and a full two-year guarantee should the device get damaged.

Inside a quick "Kindle Fire": That Fire Kids Edition (7 inches) including child-friendly protective cover offers the speed and display of modern displays with the play and learning environment "Freetime" from Amazon.

That the technical data convince of this tablet, I probably don't have to mention it. With a quad-core processor, RAM with 1 GB RAM, 8GB or 16 GB storage space that can be expanded to 128 GB, a 6 or 7 inch display, a battery life of around 8 hours and the optional use of WiFi the Fire HD tablet in the kids edition nothing to be desired.

These are data that also apply to the normal "Fire Tablet". In the Kids Edition However, Amazon goes one step further. Thanks to the practical cover, the tablet is protected from bumps and rough handling, and lies optimally in small children's hands. This "Kid Proof Case" is available of course also in pink. Of course, if the device falls down, it can still break, and then it will take hold 2 year guaranteethat I find really convincing. Here lowers The Amazon the inhibition threshold for parents to provide their child with such a tablet.

The technical details of the Fire HD Kids Edition are convincing and guarantee a long use - this is definitely not a tablet that has become uninteresting after a year.

Amazon Fire Kids Edition: maximum fun and safety

The decisive advantage of the Fire Kids Edition is any Extensibility of the content.

• On boring car journeys one can Movie looked, or a radio play be heard. Both can be downloaded and saved beforehand so that it works without WiFi.
• The first Reading successes are supported by countless eBooks for children (siehe hier) supported.
• Pictures and videos record and thus promote their own visual perception and creativity is already possible with this tablet even for small children.
• Self-created and decorated Pictures can be printed out and given away. It's not just the mother's heart that laughs!
• With the annual license for Amazon FreeTime Unlimited Junior has access to thousands of child-friendly eBooks, videos, learning apps and games.
• Everything, of course, configured by the parents, limited in time and with maximum security.

We are Price-performance ratio is absolutely convincing in this version. It is particularly important to me to have control over the content or websites that are called up. Everything can be configured perfectly from my side.

Also important: the Fire Kids Tablet can be easy to use - it will be divided into a children's and a Password protected Split adult side. All settings are configured from the latter - the children have no access here.

The sensible use of tablet devices

The almost limitless, technical possibilities make tablets so fascinating - only with their use positive sides for the children, we as parents must of course some rules put up. This includes that we have the Useful life for the tablet. If we do not do this, the child will dive into the play and learning world and will not appear again voluntarily. You know that from yourself ...;)

On the other hand, the positive aspects of educational games may not come to fruition if just watching movies all the time. As parents, we have to be clear about what and what we want to achieve by giving them a tablet We want to promote competencies, and can then control usage accordingly.

When used sensibly, a children's tablet is a small one Jack of all tradesthat combines reading, playing, learning and the promotion of creativity in one device - that I have a children's tablet for my junior and my junior on the Christmas note will not surprise you now.

My choice: The Kindle Fire Kids Edition

I have to admit that I am simply more convinced of the real tablets than of the pure children's tablets. These usually have quite limited functionality and often come with technology that has been around for a few years. The Kindle Fire Kids Edition (I have the 7 inch version in mind), on the other hand, has a razor-sharp touch screen with a resolution that is familiar from Apple tablets ("retina") and a multi-core processor that is very fast. And at a price that is well below the cheapest iPad.

Additionally, I've had one for years anyway Amazon Prime Account, which of course "harmonizes" perfectly with the Kindle Fire: There is a lot of free content that I can use and the possibilities that Amazon FreeTime offers are simply very well designed for parents and children. You can even block "games" for children there until the children have achieved certain learning goals in other "learning apps". It's something you won't even find on the Apple iPad.

I will tell you more about my choice and my experiences with the children's tablet from Amazon in one of the next posts, because that would go beyond the scope of this article. If you don't want to miss it sign up for my newsletter!

How is it with you - what experiences have you had with tablets for children? I look forward to your experiences in the comments!

Jen Kleinholz( Founder & Sir Apfelot )

Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He appears as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with problems of a technical nature. In his free time he drives electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with his iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions for current bugs.